3 Count: Default Strategy

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1: Stuttgart Regional Court Sentences Pay-TV Pirates to Long Prison Terms

First off, today, Stefan Krempl at Heis Online reports that, in Germany, the Stuttgart Regional Court has handed down sentences against four individuals convicted of operating an illegal IPTV platform.

According to the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the group that spearheaded the prosecution, the service had a library of nearly 25,000 films and almost 24,000 TV episodes. It was in operation between 2014 and 2023.

One defendant was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison, and another received three years and seven months. The other two defendants received two years and ten months, while the final defendant received just eleven months. Copyright holders welcomed the convictions, saying that they send a strong message to potential pirates.

2: Hollywood Studios Say AI Training Opt-Out Critical, Singapore Must Clarify Copyright Rules

Next up today, Chris Cooke at Complete Music Update reports that the Motion Picture Association (MPA) has written to the US Trade Representative (USTR) to ask the government to pressure foreign countries seeking AI training exceptions.

The letter highlights Singapore, which has already passed a wide-ranging copyright exception for AI training. The MPA has asked the USTR to have the country clarify how the exception works and how rightsholders, such as film studios, can opt-out.

However, other countries have passed similar exceptions, and the MPA hopes that the USTR will pressure those countries to either limit or clarify their new laws.

3: Photographer Only Granted $3K Because Gigi Hadid Ignored His Copyright Lawsuit

Finally, today, Pesala Bandara at PetaPixel reports that supermodel Gigi Hadid has been ordered to pay $3,000 in damages to a photographer who sued her after she used an image he took on her Instagram stories.

The photographer, Ulices Ramales, had sought $30,000 in damages. However, the court awarded him just $3,000 in damages plus another $1,580 in attorney’s fees and costs. Experts attribute the low damages to Hadid’s strategy of not participating in the lawsuit, resulting in a default judgment against her.

Others, including Sofia Vergara, have adopted a similar strategy to (not) responding to photographer lawsuits. This resulted in just a $750 judgment, the statutory minimum.

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