3 Count: Evolving Characters

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1: Palin Sued Over Alleged 9/11 Photo Use

First off today, Sho Willis at CNN reports that Sarah Palin and her political action committee (SarahPAC) are facing a lawsuit from North Jersey Media Group over the use of an iconic 9/11 photograph on the SarahPAC site.

The photograph, which shows three firefighters raising an American flag over the rubble of the World Trade Center, was allegedly used on the SarahPAC site as part of an homage to the recent anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The iconic photo was taken by Thomas Franklin, who is a staff photographer for The Record, a New Jersey newspaper owned by North Jersey Media Group.

Palin nor SarahPAC have responded to the lawsuit, which was filed Friday. The lawsuit asks for an injunction baring either from using the photo and for damages.

2: Conan Doyle Estate: Denying Sherlock Holmes Copyright Gives Him ‘Multiple Personalities’

Next up today, Eriq Gardner at The Hollywood Reporter Esquire reports that the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has, at last, answered a lawsuit filed by Sherlock Holmes expert Leslie Klinger, who is working on a book about the famous, but fictional, detective.

Klinger sued the estate after she was told she needed a license to publish her book. She instead filed a lawsuit, seeking a declaratory judgment that the character is in the public domain, having first appeared in print in 1887, and an injunction barring them from enforcing any rights. At first, the estate didn’t respond, resulting in a default judgment in favor of Klinger.

However, when she sought to expand on that judgment, the estate got another chance. It is now claiming that some 10 of the stories are still under copyright and that those stories are integral to the character, which evolved over time. They say that the Holmes character is a dynamic one, rather than being a flat one that was immediately understood. Thus, says the estate, the character is protected by copyright, even if most of his stories are not.

3: Font Designer Could Sue Over ‘Go Home’ Vans

Finally today, Kevin Rawlinson at the BBC reports that a French designer is looking at taking the UK government to court over a series of decorated vans the government used to reach out to illegal immigrants.

The controversial vans served as billboards advertising a service that would help illegal immigrants get necessary travel documentation to leave the country, further warning them to “Go home or face arrest.” However, the font used was developed by Fabien Delage, who is seeking payment over the use of his work.

Delage has said that, if he is unhappy with his attempts at remuneration, he will look at the possibility of suing the UK Home Office, which is responsible for the controversial campaign.

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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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.

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