3 Count: Fake Slim Shady

Jonathan BaileyMay 21, 2013

2 minutes read

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

1: Eminem’s Music Publisher Suing Facebook

First off today, Eriq Gardner at The Hollywood Reporter Esquire reports that Eight Mile Style LLC, the company that handles the rights to rapper Eminem’s music, has sued Facebook alleging that the social networking giant used a song that was substantially similar to Eminem’s song “Under the Influence” in an advertisement.

According to the lawsuit, the dispute started in April when Facebook, as part of its debut of facebook Home, launched an advertisement dubbed “Airplane” that the rapper claims had music similar to his famous track. The lawsuit notes that, when the commercial was later released on Facebook’s official channel, it was altered and the lawsuit alleges this is an acknowledgement of infringement in the original version.

The lawsuit goes on to claim that, when they served both Facebook and its ad agency with a cease and desist letter in late April, they responded by claiming that the track was stolen from Michael Jackson, something the lawsuit says is factually inaccurate.

2: UK net Firms Block Pirate Movie Websites

Next up today, the BBC is reporting that Motion Picture Association has won a court order that requires Internet service providers in the UK to block access to two websites, Movie2K and Download4All, due to copyright infringement issues.

All of the nation’s largest ISPs, including BT, Virgin, Talk Talk, Sky and EE are all believed to be in compliance with the order though it’s reported that proxies have already been created to reenable access to the sites for those who have been blocked.

The move raises the number of sites blocked by the movie industry to 6. However, the record industry has recently published a list of some 25 domains that it wants blocked and is expected to move on shortly.

3: Khloe Kardashian Apparel Line Leads To Copyright Questions From N.Y. State

Finally today, CBS New York and the AP are reporting that Khloe Kardashian’s fashion line received a copyright complaint from an unusual source, the state of New York and its governor, Andrew Cuomo.

According to a “pro forma” letter sent to Kardashian’s fashion line, a t-shirt they marketed bore a strong resemblance to a state agriculture program logo. The shirt has since been removed from the line.

Though the Federal government can not hot copyright in works it creates, state governments can and they often do enforce those rights.

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.