3 Count: Unlive PD
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1: A&E Sues Reelz Over Alleged ‘Live PD’ Knockoff ‘On Patrol: Live’
First off today, Winston Cho at The Hollywood Reporter reports that A&E Television Networks has filed a lawsuit against Reels over the latter channel’s new hit series On Patrol: Live.
According to the lawsuit, A&E presented the program Live PD between 2016 and 2020. After the show’s cancellation, A&E alleges that Reelz approached the show’s producers, Big Fish, about reviving the series under the name On Patrol: Live. However, A&E contends that the new series is an infringement of Live PD and, as such, are suing for both copyright and trademark violations.
According to A&E, the original show was produced as a work for hire and that A&E owns all the rights to the series. Furthermore, they allege that Reelz has copied many elements from Live PD including the show’s format, the show’s hosts and the same catchphrase to name a few. They are seeking punitive damages and injunction barring further work on Live PD.
2: HC Directs Telegram to Disclose Details of Channels Violating Copyright Law
Next up today, Business Standard reports that, in India, the Delhi High Court has ordered the messaging platform Telegram to disclose the operators of various channels on its service that local rightsholders claim are sources for pirated content.
According to the court, Telegram cannot use the defense of free speech and/or the right of privacy to protect the alleged infringers. This comes after the court ruled that simply taking down and removing the content was not an adequate remedy. Furthermore, even though Telegram hosts its servers in Singapore, the court found that it had a duty to take effective steps to protect intellectual property.
In addition to ordering the unmasking of those channel operators, the court has allowed the plaintiffs one week to locate and add on any additional channels that they find and submit those as well. The court is specifically ordering the unveiling of any information related to the channels’ operators, including phone number IP address and email.
3: Dua Lipa Lawyer Blasts ‘Levitating’ Copyright Lawsuit: ‘Must be Dismissed’
Finally today, Nancy Dillon at Rolling Stone reports that Dua LIpa’s attorneys have hit back at a lawsuit filed against over the song Levitating. In their response, they are calling for the lawsuit to be dismissed on the grounds that she had no access to the tracks she’s accused of infringing from.
The lawsuit was filed by songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer, who claim that Levitating is a copy of two of their songs, 1979s Wiggle and Giggle All Night and 1980s Don Diablo. According to the plaintiffs, Levitating and its remix are “substantially similar” to their works contain several overlaps including the melody and other “compositional elements.”
However, in a letter filed with the court ahead of an anticipated motion to dismiss, Dua Lipa’s attorney allege that they have not established a chain of events to prove that Dua Lipa had access to the songs. Further, they add that blanket availability on streaming services does not prove access to the works.
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