3 Count: Jersey Boys

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1: Jury Finds ‘Jersey Boys’ Creators Liable for Copyright Infringment

First off today, Ashley Cullins at The Hollywood Reporter Esquire reports that creators of the broadway musical Jersey Boys have been found liable for copyright infringement.

The case involves an unpublished book co-authored by Rex Woodward. Woodward was hired by The Four Seasons member Tommy Devito to help write an autobiography about his life and the group. Woodward died before the work could be published but, according to his widow, the book was used heavily in creating the play.

The jury found that Devito, who was a co-author of the book, did not grant an implied license to use the book and that enough copyright-protected material was to make it an infringement. The jury further attributed some 10 percent of Jersey Boys‘ success to the infringement. The trial will now enter the damages phase to determine what, if any, damages should be awarded.

2: Antigua And Barbuda Issues Deadline in Long-Running iGaming Dispute

Next up today, Adam Morgan at World Casino News reports that the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda has issued an ultimatum to the United States in their dispute over internet gaming: Either reach a settlement in the dispute or the country will become a haven for piracy.

The dispute centers around online gambling and efforts by the United States to block Antiguan companies from reaching U.S. consumers. Antigua took the issue to the World Trade Organization, which ruled in the country’s favor but the United States did not change its policy nor did it pay the penalty of $21 million per year. That amount has now reached $250 million.

The World Trade organization, in a bid to help Antigua collect these funds, gave the country permission to suspend U.S. intellectual property rights to an amount equal to the penalty. Though that option has been available for years, Antigua has continued to work through diplomatic channels. But that may be coming to a head as Antigua has now said that, if an appropriate settlement is not reached by year end, it will launch the “Megavideo” domain as soon as January in a bid to collect revenue from U.S.-based copyrighted works.

3: Kirkorov plagiarism row: French disco musician held in Russia

Finally today, the BBC is reporting that French composer Didier Marouani was detained in Moscow after a Russian pop star accused him of extortion. However, Marouani says that he’s the victim of plagiarism and copyright infringement and was trying to settle the dispute.

According to Marouani, he and his lawyers went to a bank in Moscow where they had hoped to meet Philipp Kirkorov, a Russian musician, to settle a copyright issue. However, Kirkorov instead filed a complaint with the police claiming that Marouani was attempting to extort him. The police responded and detained Marouani at the bank and then held him overnight.

The dispute between the two centers around Kirkorov’s s 2002 song Cruel Love, which Marouani claims was lifted from his own composition Symphonic Space Dream. They had sought approximately $1.1 million in damages. The police are not bringing charges against either man but Marouani’s lawyer has now said that they plan on suing Kirkorov in the United States where they claim he may be liable for $10 million.

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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