3 Count: I So Hunted…

And I so hunted no more...

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

1: Canadian Music Industry Reaches $66M Settlement With Piracy Site isoHunt

First off today, Billboard reports that Gary Fung, the founder of the file sharing search engine isoHunt has reached a settlement with some two dozen Canadian and international labels and will consent to the order of the Supreme Court of British Columbia that found him liable for some $66 million in damages and court costs.

The court had previously found him and isoHunt liable for some $55 million in damages, $10 million in punitive damages and $1 million in court costs. Fung, as part of his settlement, also agreed to not be involved with any other sites engaged in infringement and dismissed a countersuit he had filed against the labels.

Fung had previously been found liable in the United states in a lawsuit filed by the Motion Picture Association of America. In that case the MPAA was awarded some $110 million in damages and the lawsuit secured the closure of the site. Fung, for his part, said in a sarcastic response that he was “free at last” and said that “I’ve realized through the years, there are many industries to disrupt with internet software besides the media industry.”

2: Dotcom ‘Breached Asset Freeze’ – Film Studio

Next up today, Radio New Zealand is reporting that a lawyer representing 20th Century Fox says that Kim Dotcom has violated his freezing order by accepting a $220,000 loan from his lawyers and is asking the court to take action.

Kim Dotcom was arrested at his home in New Zealand in January 2012 for his role in running Megaupload, what was then one of the largest file sharing sites. He is currently facing extradition to the United States and one court has already ruled that it can go ahead though the matter is on appeal.

During the time he’s awaiting trial, the courts have ordered his assets frozen save $60,000 per month to pay living expenses. However, according to attorneys, he took out a large loan that was a breach of that freezing order. Lawyers for Dotcom insiset that the loan is a new asset, not a reduction of a current one, and thus is not a violation of the order. Meanwhile, the extradition hearing appeal is expected to be heard in August.

3: ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Fight Headed to 9th Circuit

Finally today, Matt Reynolds at Courthouse News Service reports that the lawyer representing the estate of Randy Wolfe have filed a notice of appeal in the Stairway to Heaven lawsuit, setting the stage for the matter to go before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. 

The case centered around the band Spirit, which recorded a song Taurus that was written by Wolfe. According to the lawsuit, Led Zeppelin infringed the intro to Taurus when making Stairway to Heaven but a jury, after hearing the case, disagreed, finding in favor of Led Zeppelin.

Though the notice of appeal has been widely expected, it’s filing means that the case is not completely over. Meanwhile, attorneys representing Led Zeppelin are seeking some $800,000 in attorneys fees over the lawsuit.

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.

Want to Reuse or Republish this Content?

If you want to feature this article in your site, classroom or elsewhere, just let us know! We usually grant permission within 24 hours.

Click Here to Get Permission for Free