3 Count: Hanging Out

Jonathan BaileyJanuary 31, 2012

2 minutes read

Have any suggestions for the 3 Count? Let me know via Twitter @plagiarismtoday.

1: Barack Obama Faces Pressure Over TVShack Extradition Case

First off today, yesterday President Obama held a Hangout on Google+ where he answered questions on a wide range of topics. One of the questions asked was regarding, Richard O’Dwyer, the former admin of TVShack, a site that posted links to unlawful streams of copyrighted content. O’Dwyer was arrested in his native UK but on charges here in the U.S., he is facing extradition to the U.S. to face criminal charges though, locally, he has not been charged. Obama, however, distanced himself from the case saying he was not directly involved in it. However, he reiterated that he sought to ensure intellectual property was protected while ensuring Internet freedoms. O’Dwyer’s mother said Obama’s reply was “a typical politician response.”

2: Long ‘Spawn’ Dispute Settled: Neil Gaiman Says Case is Good for Creators, ‘Incredibly Good’ for Copyright

Next up today, in a case that has been going on for almost a decade, author Neil Gaiman has settled his dispute with Spawn creator Todd McFarlane. The Spawn series, originally a comic book, centers around a former CIA agent who was killed and returns as a demon to fight crime. The dispute arose over two issues of the Spawn comic where the two writers teamed up and created several characters including Medieval Spawn and Angela, a bounty hunting angel. However, McFarlane had denied Gaiman royalties on later uses of the characters. A jury agreed with Gaiman, making him half author of the issues in question. The two have since resolved the remaining disagreements in a confidential settlement, putting an end to the case that began in 2002.

3: Newt Gingrich Sued for Use of “Eye of the Tiger”

Finally today, Republican Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich is being sued by Frank M. Sullivan III, one of Survivor’s founding members, over Gingrich’s use of “Eye of the Tiger” at various campaign events. According to Sullivan, who is co-author of the song, Gingrich has used “Eye of the Tiger” at various appearances dating back to at least 2009. He is seeking a ban preventing further use of the song in addition to damages to be determined by the court. Gingrich’s campaign had no comment but it most likely won’t be the last of such lawsuits we see this campaign season.

Suggestions

That’s it for the three count today. We will be back tomorrow with three more copyright links. If you have a link that you want to suggest a link for the column or have any proposals to make it better. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. I hope to hear from you.