It is Friday again and that means that it is time for another episode of the Copyright 2.0 Show.

It has been a whirlwind week for copyright news and we have tales from all over the globe. In the UK we have PayPal working with authorities to shutter pirate sites, our first copyright-related story of this Presidential election cycle and a somewhat-surprising victory for David LaChapelle in his lawsuit against Rihanna.

We also begin our reluctant and unofficial death watch for Grooveshark and we seem to be back to square one with the Jammie Thomas case.

All in all, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

This week’s stories include:

• PayPal to Cut Off Pirate Sites
• Pawlenty Accused of Infringement in Hockey-Themed Ad
• A Stoplight Approach for Pirates in Search Results
• Grooveshark Sued, Again
• Jammie Thomas Verdict Reduced, Again
• George Lucas Loses Stormtrooper Helmet Case, Again

You can download the MP3 file here (direct download). Those interested in subscribing to the show can do so via this feed.

Show Notes

About the Hosts

Jonathan Bailey

Jonathan Bailey (@plagiarismtoday) is the Webmaster and author of Plagiarism Today (Hint: You’re there now) and works as a copyright and plagiarism consultant. Though not an attorney, he has resolved over 700 cases of plagiarism involving his own work and has helped countless others protect their work and develop strategies for making their content work as hard as possible toward their goals.

Patrick O’Keefe

Patrick O’Keefe (@iFroggy) is the owner of the iFroggy Network, a network of websites covering various interests. He’s the author of the book “Managing Online Forums,” a practical guide to managing online communities and social spaces. He maintains a blog about online community management at ManagingCommunities.com and a personal blog at patrickokeefe.com.

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

1: George Lucas Taking ‘Star Wars’ Stormtrooper Battle to Supreme Court

First off today, George Lucas and Lucasfilms, the owners Star Wars, is taking his dispute with prop-maker Andrew Ainsworth to the UK Supreme Court. Ainsworth, who worked on the original films and helped design the original iconic stormtrooper uniform, has been selling duplicates using the molds he created. George Lucas, however, has sought to prevent this but the courts to date have ruled on the side of Ainsworth, saying that costumes do not qualify for copyrightability as they are useful articles. Lucas is now appealing the case to the country’s highest court.

2: BMI Site Latest Target of Anonymous DDoS Attacks

Next up today Anonymous, has announced that it is resuming “Operation Payback” and is launching a new wave of DDOS attacks against various copyright interests, starting with Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI), a UK company that handles licensing of music in the nation and has been a target of the group before. According to a press release by anonymous, this is the first of many attacks against “copywrongs” and the group specifically mentions the Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN as an example.

3: Righthaven Accuses Defendant of Running Up Legal Fees in Copyright Case

Finally today, Righthaven, the copyright enforcers for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and the Denver Post, is on the run from Democratic Underground, which it had previously sued for copyright infringement. Righthaven dropped its case against DU after a fair use defeat in a similar case but DU, with the assistance of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, has pressed on, seeking attorneys fees, a declaratory judgment of non-infringement as well a rejection the seizure of the domain, a routine demand Righthaven makes in its lawsuits. Righthaven is now saying that DU is simply trying to drive up legal expenses and is asking the judge to dismiss DU’s counterclaims.

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.

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

First off, after a brief hiatus, I should be back to my normal posting schedule this week. I will return Monday with a new edition of the Copyright 2.0 Show and should be back to daily 3 Count postings. I will also have a regular PT update tomorrow if all goes as planned. So stay tuned and I hope no one missed me too much.

1: McAfee Says Piracy has Tripled Even in Wake of Pirate Bay Prosecution

First off today, if you thought the criminal case against The Pirate Bay would slow the growth of new pirate sites, you would have been wrong. According to the computer security company McAfee, best known for its antivirus product, there has been a 300% jump in the creation of new pirate sites this quarter, bringing with it a sharp increase in the amount of malware being distributed.

Much of this makes sense and may be seasonal, timing out with the fall blockbuster season that is a popular weapon for many malware authors, but it also seems that many are rushing to fill the void left behind by The Pirate Bay, even though the site has not been shut down yet and no such void exists.

It appears that pirate Web sites are becoming an increasingly popular tool for the distribution of malicious software, a trend that McAfee expects to continue.

2: GOP Candidate Christie in Trouble with the ‘Knights Who Say Ni’

Next, Republican NJ Gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie may have accidentally picked a fight with the wrong group. When he used footage from Monty Python to lampoon his opponent in an ad, he probably didn’t think the group would have much to say, but they did.

Though there hasn’t been an outright threat of a lawsuit, at least not publicly, the group has thrown a few barbs Christie’s way, including Terry Jones saying, “It is totally outrageous that a former US attorney knows so little about the law that he thinks he can rip off people.”

This isn’t the first copyright debacle the campaign has found itself in, having also been accused of misusing stock footage for another advertisement. In the meantime, Christie’s campaign has removed the ad from YouTube and has expressed an interest in working things out with the troupe.

3: Empire Strikes Back as Lucasfilm Renews Court Battle

Finally today, artist and prop designer Andrew Ainsworth, who famously designed the original “Storm Trooper” outfit for the Star Wars movies, faces yet another round with his former employers.

In what has been a lengthy legal battle between the two, LucasArts has sought to prevent Ainsworth from selling replicas of the Storm Trooper outfit and seek damages for past sales, even having one a judgment in a California court. However, enforcing that judgment against British native Ainsworth has proved difficult as a judge has refused to enforce the judgment saying that, while Ainsworth did violate US copyright law, he did not violate UK law as, according to the judge, costumes are not protected works and that his sales were not significant enough to enforce the international judgment.

However, Lucas and his attorneys have appealed the ruling and are hoping that the Court of Appeals will overturn the verdict.

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.