3 Count: Screener Door

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

1: Warner Bros. Settles Lawsuit Against Talent Agency for Distributing Oscar Screeners

First off today, Eriq Gardner at The Hollywood Reporter Esquire reports that Warner Bros. has settled a lawsuit with talent agency Innovative Artists over the alleged piracy of Oscar screeners.

According to Warner Bros. Innovative operated a server where it uploaded ripped DVDs of streamers. The original intent of the service was for the agency’s clients but Warner Bros. says that friends and family gained access to the server.  To make matters worse, several screeners, which were watermarked, leaked onto pirate sites while the films were in theaters.

Warner Bros. sued for copyright infringement both for the piracy and DRM circumvention. The two sides have now settled the issue though there are no details about it at this time. Innovative had previously said it shuttered the server and cooperated with Warner Bros. fully in the investigation.

2: Kim Dotcom Seeks Damages as Prosecutors Acted in ‘Illegal’ Way After Extradition Ruling, Lawyer Says

Next up today, Arjun Kharpal at CNBC reports that Kim Dotcom is preparing to embark on a lawsuit against the New Zealand government where he alleges that the prosecutors in the country acted inappropriately in the criminal case against him.

Dotcom was arrested and his then-site Megaupload shuttered in January 2012. Since then he has been facing extradition from his home in New Zealand to the United States. Recently a court ruled that he could be extradited but on fraud and racketeering charges, but not on copyright infringement charges as there is no criminal copyright statute in New Zealand.

Now Dotcom is arguing that, without the criminal copyright charge, the rest of the allegations fall apart, including the initial arrest and investigation. He has vowed to appeal the recent ruling and to file a lawsuit against the New Zealand government for its role in the raid on his mansion in 2012 and the prosecution that followed.

3: Hamilton Merchandise Trademark and Copyright Lawsuit Reaches Settlement with #EduHam Donations

Finally today, Broadway World reports that rightsholders behind the popular musical Hamilton along with their authorized merchandise manufacturer have settled a lawsuit with two sites that they accused of aiding the distribution of counterfeit work.

The righsholders had filed a lawsuit against SunFrog LLC and Gear Launch, two sites that allow users to sell their own goods. Both sites denied any wrong doing but have settled the case.

As part of the settlement the two sites will strengthen their anti-piracy efforts, help identify infringers and make a donation to the Hamilton Education Project, a charity backed by Hamilton’s creators that support the teaching of American history.

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.