3 Count: VKonakte VLawsuit

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1: Record Labels Bring Piracy Charges Against Russia’s VKontakte

First off today, Maria Kiselyova and Anastasia Teterevleva at Reuters report that Sony, Universal Music Group and Warner Music have filed a lawsuit against the Russian social networking site VKontakte (VK).

According to the lawsuit, VK operates an unlicensed music service that has become a haven for pirated tracks. That service, according to the the trade organization IFPI, provides millions of tracks to the sites users.

The IFPI claims that they have tried repeatedly to work with VK on this service and attempt to find a way to license it but the site has taken no significant action. With patience seemingly worn out, the lawsuit is seeking 50 million rubles ($1.4 million) in damages.

2: Spysoft DVD Ripper Owner Found Guilty in Criminal Action

Next up today, Andy at Torrentfreak writes that a court in Antigua has found the company Slysoft guilty of criminal copyright infringement over its DVD ripping/backup software and has ordered it to pay some $30,000 in fines or face up to 3 years in jail.

The criminal investigation was spurred by the AACS, a U.S.-based organization that licenses the decryption tools commonly used on DVDs. They claimed that Slysoft sold and distributed DVD ripping and backup tools that illegally broke their encryption and that the sale was a violation of Antiguan criminal law.

The court ended up agreeing and found Slysoft guilty of six charges and fined the company $5,000 for each one. The case is the first such conviction in Antigua, but Slysoft has already appealed the ruling and has requested a stay while it does so.

3: Notorious B – Notorious B.I.G. Estate Executors Hit With Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

Finally today, Wenn at Contact Music reports that singer and composer Leroy Hutson has filed a lawsuit against the estate of the Notorious B.I.G., claiming that the deceased rap artist sampled his song “Can’t Say Enough About Mom” when creating the 1994 track “The What”.

The lawsuit comes one day after the estate for Notorious B.I.G. filed a preemptive lawsuit against Hutson. That lawsuit sought a declaratory judgment that the sample was either de minimis, meaning to small to be infringing, or was a fair use.

Hutson’s lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages and follows a 2012 cease and desist letter where Hutson demanded the estate stop selling any albums with the song on it, however, Hutson claims he never received a response.

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.

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