3 Count: Facebook Fraud

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1: Gloria Gaynor Sues Music Producer in Work for Hire Dispute

First off today, Chris Cooke at Complete Music Update reports that Gloria Gaynor has sued music producer Joel Diamond in a dispute over ownership of her recordings.

Diamond claims that Gaynor signed a record deal with him in 1983. As part of that deal, he claims that Gaynor agreed that her creations were a “work for hire,” which would mean that Diamond owned the recording and publishing rights. However, Gaynor says that there was no such work-for-hire agreement, and Diamond has been inappropriately selling her music without paying royalties.

Gaynor has repeatedly requested a copy of this contract, but Diamond has been either unwilling or unable to provide it. As such, she filed the lawsuit, hoping to nullify the contract and regain control over her music.

2: Nhentai ‘Pirate’ Site Wants Court to Quash ‘Improper’ Cloudflare DMCA Subpoena

Next up today, Ernesto Van der Sar at Torrentfreak writes that owners of the hentai pornography website Nhentai are challenging a DMCA subpoena that a publisher filed with Cloudflare.

A DMCA subpoena requires an intermediary to turn over any information they have about a suspected infringer. The publisher, J18 Publishing, filed such a subpoena with Cloudflare, hoping to learn the identities of those running the site.

However, lawyers representing those owners are fighting the subpoena. They claim that Cloudflare is a “mere conduit” and that DMCA subpoenas are not proper. The judge in the case has stayed the subpoena but has given J18 two weeks to respond and justify why Cloudflare should be compelled to give up the information.

3: Scammers Are Using Meta’s Copyright Takedown Tool Against Influencers

Finally today, Matt Binder at Mashable reports that scammers are now filing copyright takedown notices on Facebook and Instagram content they do not own in a bid to collect payments from influencers.

The practice has become famous on YouTube and now targets Middle Eastern influencers on Meta-owned platforms. Scammers use Meta’s rights management tool to file false copyright claims and then try to extort money from those they target.

In one example, an influencer from Iraq claimed that a scammer demanded $3,000 to restore content that was falsely removed and an additional $7,000 per year to prevent future takedowns. This is separate from an ongoing scam on Meta’s platforms, in which scammers send phishing emails disguised as copyright notices.

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