3 Count: Hexed Out

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1: Magic CCG ‘Clone’ Hex: Shards Of Fate Given The Legal All-Clear

First off today, Logan Booker at Kotaku reports that Wizards of the Coast, makers of the popular Magic: The Gathering card game, have settled their lawsuit against Cryptozoic, the developer of the digital cad collection game Hex: Shards of fate.

Wizards of the Coast had sued alleging that Cryptozoic’s game was simply too close and bore too many similarities to Magic. The litigation had already dragged on for over a year with Cryptozoic maintaining that their game was wholly original.

However, the two sides have abruptly settled the case, posting press releases on their respective sites announcing the end of the litigation. The terms of the settlement are not disclosed, including whether any payment was made or if any changes will be made to Hex.

2: RIAA Chief Says DMCA is “Largely Useless” to Combat Music Piracy

Next up today, David Kravets at Ars Technica reports that Cary Sherman, the CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) wrote an editorial in Forbes Magazine where he said the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice and takedown system has turned into a “never-ending game” that’s made it ineffective for removing music piracy.

In the editorial, Sherman goes on to say that many sites have used the system as a means to secure cheap licensing rights to music and other content. This works by having users upload unlicensed material, which remains until a notice is filed and is then often reuploaded seconds later. Sherman says that such user-generated sites are able to then secure below-market licensing rates since they already have the ability to exploit the works because of the safe harbor they are granted.

Sherman says it’s time to revisit the act, saying that it’s ineffective for cases of widespread piracy and was written in the “last century”.

3: Gucci’s Nail Rings are Eerily Similar to Bijules Jewelry’s Original Designs

Finally today, Maria Bobila at Fashionista repots that Bijules, a New York jewelry brand, has said that it is planning on suing Gucci for copyright infringement after Gucci debuted a series of jewel-encrusted fingernail rings as part of its Spring 2016 collection.

Bijules, which was founded by Jules Kim in 2004, has been selling fingernail rings since 2007. Gucci, however, in its most recent fashion show, featured a very similar set of rings as part of its latest collection, prompting Kim to issue the threat to Gucci.

According to Kim, she has already asked her legal team to send a cease and desist letter and is preparing to take legal action. However, she stresses that this is not about making money, but rather, simply protecting her work.

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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