3 Count: Major Wipeout

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1: File-Sharer Sentenced To 3 Years Probation, Cognitive Therapy

First off today, Anne Muir, a 58-year-old woman from Scotland, has pleaded guilty to criminal file sharing and has been sentenced to three years probation and court-ordered therapy. Muir admitted to sharing files on Direct Connect where she downloaded and made available some 7,493 music files and 24,243 karaoke files. According to the court, Muir suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which prompted her to hoard the music files. The plea caps a 3-year investigation, which began in late 2007.

2: BT, TalkTalk to Appeal Against Digital Piracy Judgment

Next up today, two of the UK’s largest ISPs, BT and Talk Talk, are appealing their recent High Court loss over the Digital Economy Act. According to the ISPs, the act, which went into effect in June or 2010, was rushed through Parliament and is incompatible with EU law. However, the High Court disagreed, siding with the government and prompting the appeal. The DEA requires ISPs to identify and, after a series of warnings, cut off Internet access of repeat infringers.

3: Is ABC’s “Wipeout” a Rip-Off?

Finally today, a lawsuit filed by Japan’s Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) against the U.S. TV network ABC over the ABC TV show “Wipeout”. According to the suit, TBS claims that Wipeout is an infringement of their shows “Takeshi’s Castle,” “Most Extreme Elimination Challenge”, “Sasuke” and “Ninja Warrior”. The shows are similar to “Wipeout” in that they have contestants compete in a series of extreme physical challenges but questions are raised over what are the protectable elements from a copyright standpoint. To make matters worse, an ABC memo has surfaced asking if it was “necessary or appropriate” to license foreign reality shows when making similar shows. “Wipeout” has been a major ratings success for ABC and is in its fourth season.

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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