3 Count: Stranger Dancing

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1: Sam Smith, Normani Win ‘Dancing With a Stranger’ Copyright Lawsuit

First off today, Colin Stutz at Billboard reports that Sam Smith and Normani have emerged victorious in a lawsuit filed against them over their 2019 song Dancing with a Stranger as a judge has decided to dismiss the case.

The lawsuit was filed in March by a trio of songwriters who allege that Smith and Normani copied their 2015 song with the same name. They had highlighted several alleged similarities, including the “shape of the melody” and some overlapping lyrics.

However, the judge in the case has ruled that those similarities are not adequate to carry a copyright infringement claim, as the two works are not “substantially similar”. Attorneys representing the plaintiff did not release a statement after the dismissal, and have not announced if they intend to appeal the decision.

2: ACE Shuts Down Three Piracy Rings in Egyptian Whac-a-Mole

Next up today, Ernesto Van der Sar at Torrentfreak writes that the anti-piracy group ACE has teamed with Egyptian law enforcement to shut down three pirate rings, even as copycat and replacement sites come online.

The sites in question offered illegal access to sports, television and movie content. To that end, they claim to have dismantled three separate piracy rings, though at least some of the sites remain online, at least under one or two of their names.

This is only the latest action for ACE in Egypt, with the organization already removing several pirate websites over the summer. On that note, ACE has thanked Egyptian law enforcement for their assistance, but said that the campaign is still ongoing.

3: Disney-Charter Blackout Forces Tennis Champion to Stream ESPN’s U.S. Open Coverage on ‘Pirate Websites’: ‘I Have No Other Choice’

Finally today, Todd Spangler at Variety reports that Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev said that he was forced to pirate the U.S. Open so that he could monitor other players in the tournament.

The announcement comes amid a dispute between Charter Communications and Disney, who owns ESPN. Right now, Charter customers cannot access Disney-owned channels as the two work through a new licensing deal. However, since Medvedev is staying in a New York hotel that uses Charter, that means he couldn’t watch the tournament legally.

Others were quick to point out that there are a variety of streaming services, including ESPN+, that would allow him to watch it legally. However, Disney has given him legal access to the tournament through their own services.

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