3 Count: Reggaetón Wars

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1: Steely & Clevie Productions Take Reggaetón’s Biggest Hitmakers To Court For Copyright Infringement

First off today, Michael Nattoo at DanceHallMag reports that Steely & Clevie Productions has expanded its lawsuit against Luis Fonsi to include dozens of performers in the Reggaetón genre.

The original lawsuit was filed against luis Fonsi, the original performer of Despacito, alleging that the hit song made an unlawful use of their 1989 riddim entitled Fish Market (better known as Poco Man Jam). Now that lawsuit has expanded drastically to include dozens of performers and others connected with the genre.

The names include artists such as Pitbull, Afro Bros, Justin Bieber and more. It also includes record labels and other businesses involved in the release of more than three dozen songs that the musicians say ripped off their work.

2: Police Visit 1,000 Homes of People Watching Online Streams in Piracy Crackdown

Next up today, Anthony Cuthbertson at The Independent reports that, in the United Kingdom, police have claimed to have identified over 1,000 individuals who were engaged in online piracy and will likely be receiving visits from authorities over the activities.

The announcement is part of a larger anti-piracy operation in the country, one spearheaded by the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), and involved the closure of at least one large streaming service.

Now, officers with West Mericia Police plan to visit the homes of those individuals in a bid to serve notices that order them to cease illegal streaming activity. The campaign is just one part of the larger collaboration between the government and FACT, which has already resulted in multiple arrests and site closures.

3: Zara Sues “Responsible” Brand Thilikó for “Passing Off” Zara Wares, Photos as its Own

Finally today, The Fashion Law reports that the fashion company Zara has filed a lawsuit against “socially responsible” competitor Thilikó, alleging that the company took photos from Zara’s site and used it on theirs without permission.

According to the lawsuit, Thilikó has “misbranded and mislabeled” Zara products by passing off Zara’s versions as their own, usually sold at a much higher price. As part of that alleged scam, Zara claims that Thilikó took images from Zara’s site and used them in their promotion, citing 32 alleged incidents to date.

Zara, known as a “fast fashion” brand, is often in the defendant’s chair in such cases, accused of ripping off designs from pricier competitors. However, here the company is alleging the reverse, a company abusing their products and images to sell more expensive versions. It is unknown where Thilikó obtained the garments at issue, as some suspect this may be an issue with Thilikó’s supply chain rather than the company itself.

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