3 Count: Squid Game Luck

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1: Donald Trump Infringed ‘Electric Avenue’ By Using Song In Campaign Video, Judge Rules

First, Bill Donahue at Billboard reports that a judge has ruled that former President Donald Trump infringed the copyright of musician Eddy Grant by using his song Electric Avenue in a 2020 campaign video.

The lawsuit, filed in 2020, claimed that the Trump campaign used the song in a social media video. Grant argued that the use was not transformative and that he received inquiries about whether he had allowed the use of the song. The campaign attempted to argue that the video was a fair use of the song.

The judge sided with Grant, ruling that the usage was infringing. The case is one of several the Trump campaign faces from musicians or their estates over its use of music. This includes recent lawsuits filed by the estate of Isaac Hayes and the members of The White Stripes.

2: Court Allows Copyright Infringement Suit Over Dua Lipa’s Megahit Levitating to Proceed

Next up today, Daniel Tencer at Music Business Worldwide reports that a copyright infringement lawsuit filed against Dua Lipa and her label is being allowed to move forward after a judge decides not to dismiss the case.

Producer and artist Bosko Kante filed the lawsuit, alleging that his recording was used in three remixes of the hit Dua Lipa song Levitating. The original complaint asked for $2 million in interest plus damages. He claims he created a talkbox recording for the song, but the agreement over that recording did not apply to remixes.

Lipa and other defendants had sought to dismiss the case. They alleged that Kante had failed to specify what parts of the song were infringing. However, the judge ruled that it was too early in the case for a “forensic analysis of the sound files” and that he had provided enough evidence for the case to move ahead.

3: Lawsuit Alleges ‘Squid Game’ Plot Was Stolen From 2009 Film

Finally, today, Chris Dolmetsch at Fortune reports that an Indian filmmaker has filed a lawsuit in New York alleging that the Netflix show Squid Game is a copyright infringement of his 2009 movie.

Soham Shah filed the lawsuit, alleging that the 2022 series infringed on his Hindi-language film Luck. He claims that both feature a group of “desperate, indebted people” who play deadly games in the hopes of winning money.

Netflix responded that the lawsuit “has no merit” and that the company will defend the case vigorously. Shah seeks unspecified damages but claims that the show raised Netflix’s market cap by $900 million.

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