3 Count: PSN Down

Jonathan BaileyApril 26, 2011

2 minutes read

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

1: Barbie Mugged by the Bratz In $89 Million Jury Verdict

First off today, we have more information about the outcome of the Mattel/MGA lawsuit over Bratz and it seems it is an even more complete defeat for Mattel than previously indicated. Mattel, who sued MGA claiming that they stole the initial concept for the Bratz line when they hired on a former Mattel employee, who they said created the idea while working for them, not only lost their lawsuit over the line, but also lost a counter-lawsuit filed by MGA where the company claimed Mattel had stolen company secrets. Mattel will now have to pay MGA nearly $89 million. The jury, however, did agree that MGA had agreed with Carter Bryant’s Mattel contract, Bryant being the creator of the Bratz line, and awarded Mattel $10,000.

2: China to Punish Baidu for Illegal Music Search Service

Next up today, Xinhua, China’s official news agency, is reporting that the government is planning on taking punitive action against some 14 sites for providing illegal music, including the country’s largest search engine, Baidu. The nature of the punishment hasn’t been disclosed and Baidu, according to previous statements, is preparing to launch a licensed music service in May. Baidu, however, has promised to take quick action against any files identified by the government. There are fears that the punishment could impact Baidu’s notoriously soaring stock price, which has grown over 50 percent in the past year alone.

3: Playstation Network Shut Down To End Piracy Free-For-All

Finally today, the Playstation Network (PSN) has been down for nearly a week though Sony, the company that operates it, has been rather quiet on the cause. The reason may be because of a hacked Playstation 3 firmware which enabled users to access developer functions on the network and begin downloading Sony content for free. According to a staff member at a PS3 modding site, Sony has taken the network offline while they secure against the hack, which could also, potentially, expose credit card and other sensitive data. This information, however, is unconfirmed and even the person making the claims admits he can not be 100% certain.

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.