3 Count: Less Than Routine

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1: Spike Lee, Nate Parker Sued by Indie Filmmakers Over Copyright Infringement

First off today, Diane Haithman at TheWrap reports that filmmakers Spike Lee and Nate Parker have been sued for copyright infringement over allegations that their 2019 Film American Skin is an infringement of an earlier screenplay.

The lawsuit was filed by filmmakers Selton and Langston Shaw. They allege that American Skin copies elements from their 2017 screenplay, A Routine Stop. They claim that both scripts were focused on similar themes, characters, story lines and other elements.

The Shaws claim that they entered their screenplay in the 2017 TV One Screenplay competition. Though they did not win, they claim that the screenplay was circulated to industry professionals, likely including Lee and Parker.

2: Kairosoft, the Beloved Mobile Tycoon Game Developer, Openly Accuses its Chinese Publisher of Copyright Infringement and Contract Violation

Next up today, Isabella Jiangcheng at Superpixel reports that the Japanese video game developer Kairosoft has accused their Chinese publisher, Beijing Shi Jun, of copyright infringement of their games.

Kairosoft is best known for its tycoon management games such as Game Dev Story. However, in an open letter, they allege that Beijing Shi Jun of using their source code to develop copycat games to release under their banner.

The two companies signed an agreement in 2017 that gave Beijing Shi Jun publishing rights for Kairosoft games in China. However, the relationship soured quickly and Kairosoft claims to have filed a termination notice in 2018 but Beijing Shi Jun has cut off communication and continued to sell both Kairosoft games and knock offs since.

3: Facebook Signs Copyright Agreement with Some French Publishers

Finally today, Mathieu Rosemain at Reuters reports that Facebook has announced that it has reached a preliminary agreement with a French publishers’ lobby group that it hopes will allow it to use news content on its platform in France.

The move comes after a recent copyright direct in the European Union, one that requires search engines and social media sites to pay a license to use content from news outlets within the bloc. According to Facebook, this deal is the first step in securing the needed rights to use French publisher content both on their main platform and their upcoming news service.

The agreement follows similar ones being reached by Google with news publishers in the country. France was one of the early adopters of the new copyright directive, explaining why it has been the first country to see such deals reached.

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