3 Count: Johnson & Johnson

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1: Pharma Giant Johnson & Johnson Sued for Alleged ‘Rampant’ Copyright Infringement by Sony and Universal-Owned Production Music Firm APM Music

First, Murray Stassen at Music Business Worldwide reports that Associated Production Music (APM) has filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, alleging that the corporation illegally used music from its library in social media and YouTube videos.

APM is co-owned by Sony and Universal’s publishing arms. It has a library of 1 million songs and offers synchronization licenses to use them in movies, TV shows and other video projects. However, according to the lawsuit, Johnson & Johnson never obtained such a license for many of its videos, infringing their copyright.

The lawsuit highlights 30 songs Johnson & Johnson allegedly used across 79 posts. It accuses the company of direct, contributory and vicarious copyright infringement and seeks $150,000 in statutory damages per infringed work.

2: Verizon Wants Major Labels Piracy Lawsuit Thrown Out of Court: ‘Legally Deficient’

Next up today, Bill Donahue at Billboard reports that Verizon is asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit against them by the major record labels, saying that the labels’ arguments are “legally deficient.”

The major record labels filed the lawsuit, claiming that Verizon does not do enough to stop piracy on its network. This includes failing to terminate repeat infringers and ignoring repeated warnings about piracy. However, Verizon says that it should not be held liable for the actions of its users and that the record labels have not taken legal action against most of the actual pirates themselves.

The lawsuit mirrors similar ones against other internet service providers like Cox Communications. In that case, the appeals court recently overturned a $1 billion judgment against them but upheld the liability for copyright infringement. That sets the stage for a new trial on damages alone in that case.

3: White Stripes Sue Trump for Copyright Infringement for Using Their Song in Video

Finally, the Associated Press reports that The White Stripes have reunited to file a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump for using their music in a video posted to social media.

The band claims that the Trump campaign used their song Seven Nation Army without permission in a social media post. He used the song, particularly the opening riff, in a video featuring Trump boarding a plane for various campaign stops.

The lawsuit is just the latest in a line of musicians suing the Trump Campaign. This has included the estate of Issac Hayes and Eddy Grant, both of which have ongoing lawsuits against the campaign.

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