3 Count: Straight Outta Inglewood

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

1: Inglewood Sues Activist Who Criticized Mayor On Video

First off today, CBS Los Angeles is reporting that the city of Inglewood, California has filed a lawsuit against Joseph Teixeira alleging that the he infringed their copyright in recordings of their city council meetings by posting videos online that featured clips from them.

Teixeira considers himself a “watchdog” of the city government and regularly attends council meetings. He posted videos critical of the city and its mayor, James Butts, online. Those videos featured clips from city council meetings, which are recorded by the city.

According to the lawsuit, the videos are copyright of the city and Teixeira’s use of them amounts to a copyright infringement. Teixeira, however, says that this is nothing more than an intimidation tactic and attorneys representing him have filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, to be heard next month.

2: Kim Dotcom Gets to Keep his Millions, Cars, and Jet Skis, for Now

Next up today, Cyrus Farivar at Ars Technica reports that Kim Dotcom has won a victory in New Zealand court, with the judge ruling against the United States and refusing to hand over millions of dollars in cash and other assets to the U.S. government

Dotcom was arrested and his then-site, Megaupload, shuttered in January 2012. He is currently facing extradition from New Zealand to the U.S. on allegations of criminal copyright infringement, money laundering and racketeering. In the U.S., the courts ruled that he is a fugitive and put in a default motion to seize much of his assets.

However, when the order was presented to New Zealand, the judge disagreed saying that Dotcom is merely availing himself of the legal process in the country and is not a fugitive. As such, they’ve refused to comply with the U.S. request. However, Dotcom’s assets remain frozen pending the outcome of criminal and civil actions against him.

3: WA Labor’s Debt Monster YouTube Clip Removed Over GoT Copyright Claim

Finally today, Brendan Foster at Western Australia Today reports that the state’s Labor Party has had its “Debt Monster” video removed from YouTube following a copyright complaint by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), over the video’s use of the Game of Thrones theme.

The Labor Party launched the campaign to highlight what it sees as mismanagement of the government’s finances. The furry blue monster was featured in a YouTube video that was uploaded by the organization. However, in what appears to be an automated action, the video was taken down due to the video’s use of the Game of Thrones theme in the background.

The Labor Party has not said whether it plans on challenging the removal of reuploading an altered version of the video. In the meantime, the campaign is continuing with a new Twitter account for the Debt Monster.

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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