3 Count: Architecture Battle

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1: Starr Homes Sues Overland Park Homeowners for Copyright Infringement

First off today, James Dornbrook at the Kansas City Business Journal reports that a home design company Starr Homes has filed a lawsuit against a pair of Overland Park homeowners and others that worked on their house claiming that it is a copyright infringement of one of their designs.

According to the lawsuit, owners Allen and Amanda Schlup hired DeGasperi & Associates Architecture and Carson Development Inc to design and build the home in question. However, they claim that it is significantly similar to a home that they created and was featured in various publications,

Starr Homes claims that it owns the copyright for all the technical drawings and architectural work on the home and that the Schlup version is an infringement of their work. They are seeking the impounding of any alleged infringing works as well as damages and profits related to it.

2: Anti-piracy memorandum extended in Russia

Next up today, Chris Dziadul at Broadband TV News reports that, in Russia, a memorandum of cooperation between rightsholders and various internet service providers has been extended to August 1 of this year.

The document was originally signed in November 2018 and was set to expire this month. It has resulted in high-level cooperation between the parties to quickly remove pirate links, including removing pirate links from search engines within six hours of them appearing.

According to their statement, some 11.7 million pirate links have been removed from Yandex search results through this system.

3: Judge: Event Producer Infringed Photographer’s Copyright

Finally today, Jada Loutoo at Trinidad and Tobago Newsday reports that, in Trinidad and Tobago, a local invent promoter was found to have violated the copyright of a New York–based photographer.

According to the lawsuit, photographer Sean Drakes took a photo of a carnival costume and licensed it for editorial use only through Getty Images. However, Donald Grant, as part of the promotion for Tobago Fashion Coda 4, used the photo on the event’s Facebook page and in promotional material featured at the local airport.

Drakes claimed that he originally struck a deal with Grant for $5,800 but Grant refused to pay. As such, the court has ordered Drakes be compensated for his use of the photograph though did not say what the damages would ultimately be.

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