3 Count: Unclean Slate

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

1: Robin Thicke Performs Music Medley on Stand During ‘Blurred Lines’ Copyright Trial

First off today, Pamela Chelin at The Wrap reports that Robin Thicke took the stand in the Blurred Lines trial and testified that, while he loves Marvin Gaye’s Got to Give it Up, that his hit is not based upon it.

Thicke and his co-author Pharrell Williams preemptively sued the estate of Marvin Gaye after it began making legal threats claiming that Blurred Lines was an infringement of Gaye’s 1977 Got to Give it Up. Previously Thicke had stated that Gaye was one of his biggest influences, a statement he recanted on the stand. Thicke also worked to distance himself from earlier statements that he was inebriated during the writing of the song.

Thicke also performed a piano medley on the stand, one that featured several different songs that Thicke said sounded similar. He also added that he can’t read sheet music though he learned how to play the piano by ear, which is possibly relevant because the Gaye family’s claims have been limited to the musical composition, not the sound recording.

2: Dotcom Asks Court to Release Funds

Next up today, Kate Newton at Radio New Zealand reports that Kim Dotcom is in court again, this time to ask for the release of more of his frozen assets to cover both his living expenses and legal fees.

Dotcom was arrested in January 2012 as his site, Megaupload, was shuttered in a joint police action by U.S. and New Zealand authorities. Dotcom has been facing extradition to the United States but the process has been delayed, with a hearing now scheduled for this summer. In the meantime, Dotcom has struggled to pay his living and legal bills due to the bulk of his assets being frozen, this has prompted Dotcom to return to court repeatedly to ask for more and more funds to be released.

According to Dotcom, he has over $2.5 million NZD ($1.8 million USD) in legal bills he owes and requires approximately $200,000 NZD ($150,000 USD) in monthly living expenses. However, a crown lawyer has responded saying that Dotcom could call upon funds in a trust controlled by his estranged wife or could move out of his mansion to save on his personal expenses.

3: Revenge Porn King Wants a Clean Slate

Finally today, Sara Ashley O’Brien at CNN reports that former revenge porn site operator Craig Brittain has filed a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice with Google demanding the removal of some 23 links that discuss him and his previous operations.

Brittain operated the site isanybodydown for two years before being shuttered in 2013. The site featured thousands of nude photos of women uploaded without their permission. The posts also often included contact information including Facebook accounts and phone numbers. He would then charge the women hundreds of dollars to remove the images.

Earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) banned Brittain from posting any more nude photos. However, he has now filed a takedown notice with Google, demanding the removal of various articles discussing his exploits, including the FTC’s page about their settlement with him. However, since Brittain doesn’t hold the copyright in any of the works, it’s unlikely that the request will be heeded.

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.

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