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

Note: Due to the time away, today’s 3 Count will include stories from the past week, regular daily posting will resume tomorrow.

1: GoDaddy Bows to Boycott, Now ‘Opposes’ SOPA Copyright Bill

First off today, domain registrar and Web host GoDaddy was the subject of controversy after it was learned the company was a supporter of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). The act, which would enable rightsholders to obtain court orders to block ISPs, payment processors and advertisers from providing access to or services for “rogue” websites primarily engaged in piracy, has been the subject of massive online protests. Those protests turned their focus on GoDaddy in the form of a boycott. GoDaddy eventually did bow to the pressure, removing its name from the list of official supporters and has now come out in opposition of the act.

2: Indie: Atari Claiming Copyright Infringement on ‘Hundreds’ of iOS games, Atari Responds

Next up today, video game maker Atari has filed potentially hundreds of takedown notices on games in the Apple App Store against games that it claims too closely resemble classic Atari games. The move has created controversy among many indie developers, including Black Powder games, who had their games, Vector Tanks and Vector Tanks Extreme, removed from the App Store. Atari has responded saying that it has “great respect for the indie developer community” but that it will “vigorously protect” its intellectual property.

3: Medical Diagnostic Test Taken Down By Copyright Claim

Finally today, for 30 years doctors have used the Mini–Mental State Examination (MMSE), a short and simple but effective survey to diagnose patients. However, recently, a license was granted to the Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR) to sublicense the work, leading to widespread enforcement of its copyright. That, in turn, led other researchers to create the “Sweet 16″ test, which functioned similarly but with different questions. However, now, due to a claim from PAR, that test too has been removed from the Web since it, according to PAR, uses portions from the original test. There is no word if there will be any action against the PAR over the test.

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.

Want the Full Story?

Tune in every Wednesday evening at 5 PM ET for the live recording of the Copyright 2.0 Show or wait and get the edited version Friday right here on Plagiarism Today.

The 3 Count Logo was created by Justin Goff and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

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

1: Austin Photographer Sues Apple, Saying Apps Stole Her Images

First off today, photographer Shanti Deva Korpi is suing Apple claiming that two apps sold in their App Store, the Unofficial Guide to Hipstamatic and Photoinspire, copied images she took and republished them without attribution. According to the complaint, Korpi uses another iPhone app, Hipstamatic to take photos but claims that the two apps above automatically copied and republished her images. Further, according to Kropi, Apple ignored at least six takedown notices regarding the apps, though Photoinspire was eventually removed. The suit seeks unspecified damages.

2: Shah Rukh Khan Film Ra.One Faces Copyright Challenge

Next up today, in India a court has ordered Bollywood star Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan to put down a deposit of $200,000 to secure the rights to release his new movie, Ra.One. The move comes after a writer, Yash Patnaik, claims he came up with the concept for the movie and is now owed 10% of the royalties. According to Patnaik’s attorney, he worked with the films screenwriter, Mushtaq Sheikh, only to be cut out at the end. However, Khan and his studio deny these charges, claiming that the story described by Patnaik is very different.

3: Lack of Copyright Allows Vendors to Cash in on Rally Squirrel

Finally today, as the St. Louis Cardinals are playing in the World Series against the Texas Rangers, St. Louis vendors are getting an unlikely boost from a rodent. During the division playoffs against the Philadelphia Phillies, a squirrel ran across the field in both games 2 and 3, the squirrel(s) became known as “The Rally Squirrel” and has been featured on everything from t-shirts to caps. For vendors this has been a boon as the lack of copyright and/or trademark on the squirrel means that they can sell products without a license, so long as they don’t include footage from the games or logos for the team. The squirrel itself remains at larger.

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.

Want the Full Story?

Tune in every Wednesday evening at 5 PM ET for the live recording of the Copyright 2.0 Show or wait and get the edited version Friday right here on Plagiarism Today.

The 3 Count Logo was created by Justin Goff and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

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

1: BitTorrent is to Movies What “Bolt-Cutters Are to Stealing Bicycles”

First off today, the Senate Judiciary Committee had a hearing on the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA), which it is taking up for the second time. Speaking at the hearing was the Authors Guild President Scott Turow, who said that piracy has “dismantled” the music industry and threatens the book industry as well. The bill would both reduce safe harbors for ISPs and search engines and would ban certain sites from the DNS system, from credit card processors and advertising networks. The committee, which unanimously moved the legislation to the larger Senate last year, seems likely to do so again this year, setting up the stage for another legislative showdown over combatting piracy.

2: Apple Adds Copyright Infringement to Reasons for Rejecting Apps

Next up today, Apple has modified its terms of service for the app store and, in doing so, added copyright infringement as grounds for rejecting apps. This comes as many have criticized the app store for being a haven for illegally sold games and applications. The effect, however, likely won’t be that great as Apple will have a tough time policing the large number of apps it has to approve every day, but it may be a sign that Apple is getting tougher on copyright infringement in its App Store.

3: Matt Drudge Settles Righthaven Copyright Lawsuit

Finally today, Righthaven, the law firm that has filed suit against websites unlawfully using content from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, has settled its case against its highest profile defendant, Matt Drudge. Drudge had used an image from the Review-Journal on his popular site, The Drudge Report, prompting Righthaven to sue him demanding both the seizure of his domain and $150,000 in damages. However, documents filed with the court indicate that the case has been settled though neither side has commented on the terms. Typically, however, RightHaven cases are settled for a few thousand dollars and without the domain being transfered and that is likely the case here.

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.

Want the Full Story?

Tune in every Wednesday evening at 6 PM ET for the live recording of the Copyright 2.0 Show or wait and get the edited version Friday right here on Plagiarism Today.

The 3 Count Logo was created by Justin Goff and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

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

1: iTunes Films Bust Copyright Laws

First off today, according to the BBC, several Soviet-era films including Gentlemen of Fortune, Assa, The Diamond Arm, Kin-dza-dza and Cheburashka have appeared in iTunes without the permission the copyright holders. The owners of the films, Russian film studio Mosfilm and the Joint State Film Collection, have said that they gave no permission for the films to be made available online other than their site, however, they are available as apps in the iTunes app store. Apple and the film studios have both said that they will investigate though there is no talk of litigation at this time.

2: Cudo Takes Aim at Group-Buying Aggregator, Alleges Copyright Infringement

Next up today, group buying site Cudo has sent a cease and desist letter to group buying aggregator Buyii claiming that the site is not only aggregating the deals from Cudo, but is also reusing the site’s content. According to Cudo, Buyii is also attempting to mislead both visitors and search engines into thinking they are or represent Cudo. Buyii, however, strongly disagrees with this stance and has vowed to continue using Cudo’s deals in its feeds.

3: Francis Ford Coppola: On Risk, Money, Craft & Collaboration

Finally today, famous director Francis Ford Coppola said, in a controversial interview, that maybe artists, musicians and movie makers, such as himself, should not be paid for their craft and that, perhaps, those downloading music and movie unlawfully may be right. According to Coppola, artists should expect to work another job and then work on their craft separately from that, with no expectation of income. He goes on to say, “Try to disconnect the idea of cinema with the idea of making a living and money,” a statement that, most likely, won’t win him many friends in Hollywood.

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.

Want the Full Story?

Tune in every Wednesday evening at 6 PM ET for the live recording of the Copyright 2.0 Show or wait and get the edited version Friday right here on Plagiarism Today.

The 3 Count Logo was created by Justin Goff and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

1: Court Reduces ‘Shocking’ File Sharing Award

First off today U.S. Federal Judge Michael Davis has drastically reduced the damages award in the Jammie Thomas case, down to $54,000. This comes after the single mother was found liable for sharing some 24 songs and was first hit with a $220,000 judgment against her and then, in a retrial, a $1.92 million verdict. The judge has also said that the record labels may face a retrial if they do not accept the new award but Thomas has said that she can not afford to pay even the reduced amount.

2: Apple Pulls App After Competitor’s Copyright Infringement Claim

Next up Apple has found itself in a bit of a copyright pickle. After receiving a notice of copyright infringement from the developers of AppBox, a multi-application app for the iPhone, that the competing product AppVault had violated their rights, they removed the newcomer from the store, creating a controversy. According to the makers of AppVault, their application was not an infringement, but merely a similar app and has started a petition drive to have the app returned to the store.

3: O’Reilly Drops eBook DRM, Sees 104% Increase in Sales

Finally today, tech publisher O’Reilly has seen an increase of over 100% in the eighteen months since it dropped DRM from its eBooks, further damaging the notion that DRM is useful tool to increase sales. Though most of this increase is likely due to increased traction in the eBook market in general, it is very interesting to see a DRM-free eBook publisher doing so well.

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.

Want the Full Story?

Tune in every Saturday morning for the live recording of the Copyright 2.0 Show or wait and get the edited version Monday morning right here on Plagiarism Today.

1: Generic Wizard Night

First off today, a London woman known only as “Ms Marmite” on the Web received a very interesting legal threat from Warner Brothers. Marmite owns “The Underground Restaurant”, a home-based restaurant that had planned a “Harry Potter” dinner for Halloween and the night before. However, Warner took exception to this, sending a cease and desist notice, prompting Marmite to change the name of the event to “Generic Wizard Night”.

The notice cited both trademark and copyright issues with the event. But while, legally, it seems that Warner is in the right, it may be a case where the bad press and lessened exposure might do more to hurt the company and the Harry Potter brand than help it.

Marmite is going ahead with the event, but is changing the names of some of the dishes as well as the event itself.

2: StoneLoops! of Jurassica Pulled from App Store

Next up today, there’s yet another copyright tiff unfolding in Apple’s App Store for both the iPhone and the iPod Touch. The oddly-named StoneLoops! of Jurassica puzzle game has been pulled from the store, following a copyright complaint from Mumbo Jumbo.

The problem is that Stoneloops! according to Mumbo Jumbo, was too similar to their game, Luxor, which is also available in the store and it both violated their copyright and caused customer confusion.

But what makes the case so interesting is that both games are in the “marble-popping” genre of puzzle games, where marbles move down a snaky path and the player has to “burst” them by shooting marbles of the same color into them. This genre far predates the iPhone and even goes back to 1998 and a game called Puzz Loop. Also, similar games are still available in the store, including Zuma, which is one of the best known.

3: Fakes Seized During Barras Raid

Finally today, officials raided the Barras market in Glasgow over the weekend and seized some £20,000 ($32,000) in fake DVDs among other counterfeit goods and resulted in some 21 arrests.

The raid involved some 80 officers and was conducted with the help of investigators from Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

Those who were arrested are currently still in custody pending further investigation.

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.

Want the Full Story?

Tune in every Saturday morning for the live recording of the Copyright 2.0 Show or wait and get the edited version Monday morning right here on Plagiarism Today.

1: Embedding a YouTube Video May Cost You a Bundle in ASCAP Bills

Emboldened by a recent court victory that found YouTube liable for back royalties audio used in its videos, ASCAP, American Society for Composers Authors and Publishers, has in turn begun to hit up Web sites for royalties based upon their embedding of YouTube clips.

To be clear, ASCAP has said it will not be seeking licenses from those who embed YouTube clips in solely personal blogs, but those who embed such clips on commercial sites, such as Jason Calicanas’ Mahalo, might be expecting a letter in the mail.

The matter has already broke out on Twitter, where Calicanas first announce he had received the letter, leading to a new hashtag #ascapfail. Others have reproted receiving similar letters. Previously, YouTube told recipients of such letters to just direct ASCAP to YouTube but now it is much less clear if YouTube will be of much help.

2: Hackers Undermine Piracy Evidence With Hadopi Router

According to some hackers in France, the country’s new three strikes law, in addition to a constitutional hurdle that the new law is designed to overcome, may have yet another issue. According to the report on Torrentfreak, they have created a tool that is designed to crack passwords on secure wifi access points and use those for file sharing.

The law, as it is written now, allows a judge to file an Internet use up to 1,500 euros and disconnect them for four weeks if they are negligent in allowing their network to be broken into and use for piracy. This router, theoretically, would allow hackers to use the access of non-negligent wifi users, thus confusing things further.

3: Look Familiar?

Finally today, to end Friday on a lighter note, Brandon at iCodeBlog has a very amusing tale of copyright infringement.

As do many coding blogs, Brandon’s blog uses tutorials to help teach some of the basics. To that end, Brandon posted a sample of a very simple iPhone “Tennis” game with instructions on how to make it.

So imagine his surprise when he found that exact application for sale for 99 cents in the app store.

According to Brandon, a company by the name of BlaBlaIncTech uploaded his app as a wholly original work and was selling it. The application is no longer available in the App store, likely pulled due to the copyright issues.

Still, it says some pretty negative things about the iPhone App Store when a quick tutorial app can get put online and charge a dollar per download…

Suggestions

That’s it for the three count today, we’ll 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.

Want the Full Story?

Tune in every Saturday morning for the live recording of the Copyright 2.0 Show or wait and get the edited version Monday morning right here on Plagiarism Today.