3 Count: Pirate TV

Jonathan BaileyJune 18, 2013

2 minutes read

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

1: Pirates Sunk: Arab TV Stations Taken Off Air in Copyright Clampdown

First off today, Ben Flanagan at Al Arabiya is reporting that two Arab TV stations have been booted off a major satellite provider after allegations that they were serving pirated programs and movies worth millions of dollars.

The stations, Panorama Comedy and Panorama Action came off the air in the past few days after pressure from rival TV broadcasters argued that the Egyptian stations were intentionally broadcasting shows that they did not have the rights to.

The move comes as broadcasters in the area are joining forces to silence channels operating illegally and protect their films and TV shows. The satellite provider involved, Nilesat, has said it is not shutting down the stations, but will not let them broadcast until they have properly cleared all rights.

Broadcasters estimate that there are about 15 such networks working in the region, though some may have shut down already as a new 24/7 monitoring initiative has ramped up to notify satellite broadcasters when a network is broadcasting illegal content. Others have also been dropped from satellite providers.

2: DreamWorks Movie Characters Will Inspire New Netflix Shows

Next up today, Brian Anthony Hernandez at Mashable reports that Netflix has announced what it calls its largest deal to offer original content. The company signed a deal with the animation studio DreamWorks which includes over 300 hours of new programming based upon DreamWorks characters and DreamWorks-owned properties.

Netflix says that the first original series is expected to begin streaming in 2014 and, in addition to the original content, Netflix will begin streaming DreamWorks feature films that year as well.

This news comes after another deal between the two companies that saw Netflix obtaining exclusive rights to a TV series based on the upcoming DreamWorks film Turbo. The new series, Turbo F.A.S.T, will continue the plot and begin airing in December.

3: French Artist Sues Lady Gaga for Plagiarism

Finally today, Peter Scowen at The Globe and Mail reports that French artist Orlan haw filed a lawsuit against Lady Gaga claiming that the U.S-based pop star has plagiarized her work.

Though the accusations are broad, the lawsuit focuses on Lada Gaga’s “Born This Way” music video, which features a short of a severed head sitting on a clear glass table, which Orlan claims is based on one of her earlier works.

Others have noticed similarities between the two artists, with a Tumblr blog specializing in pointing out instances where the two have overlapped. But while there are many similarities between the two, they tend to be very broad in nature and it’s unclear if Lady Gaga’s work constitutes plagiarism, much less legally-actionable infringement.

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.