3 Count: Cracked and Broken

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1: Judge Dismisses Copyright Case Over Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B’s “WAP,” “Thot Sh*t” Lyrics

First off today, Amber Corrine at Vibe reports that a judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B claiming that the alleged similarities between the two songs did not qualify for copyright protection.

The lawsuit was filed by Denise “Necey X” Jones, who claimed that Stallion and Cardi B’s 2019 song WAP was an infringement of her earlier work Thot Sh*t. However, the judge in the case ruled that the lyrics between the two songs were not that similar and that the overlaps they did have didn’t qualify for copyright protection and weren’t unique to the two songs.

In addition to the alleged similarities between the songs, Jones also claimed that the music video for WAP was meant to make fun of her character in the movie B.A.P.S., further drawing a connection between the works. It is unclear if Jones intends to appeal the decision.

2: Japanese YouTuber Convicted of Copyright Violation After Uploading Let’s Play Videos

Next up today, Ash Parrish at The Verge reports that a Japanese court has convicted a man of copyright infringement after he uploaded let’s play videos of a visual novel.

According to the Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), who spearheaded the action, in May 2019 Shinobu Yoshida uploaded a series of videos featuring gameplay from the visual novel Steins;Gate: My Darling’s Embrace in May 2019. They further claim that Yoshida monetized the videos, which ran afoul of a Japanese law that prohibits making money off copyright protected material.

Yoshida has now been sentenced to two years in prison and hit with a 1 million yen ($6,700) fine for the infringement. In addition to the let’s play videos, Yoshida is also accused of uploading summaries of episodes of multiple anime series, including Steins;Gate.

3: Rockstar Sold Pirated Copies of its Games on Steam, Triggering Anti-Piracy Measures

Finally today, Daniel Sims at TechSpot reports that game company Rockstar Games is drawing criticism for using pirated copies of their own games to create digital re-releases, creating problems for players along the way.

According to YouTube Vadim M, issues players are having with the Steam edition of the game Manhunt are due to anti-piracy measures put on the game that were triggered after Rockstar used a cracked version for the re-release.

Those issues make the game unplayable without third-party modifications. However, those issues were never present for players who played the original pirated version, only for legitimate users because modifications made by Rockstar to the cracked version resulted in the other protections being tripped.

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