3 Count: Needy Removal

Have any suggestions for the 3 Count? Let me know via Twitter @plagiarismtoday.

1: Artist Jeff Koons Defeats Sculptor’s Copyright Lawsuit

First off today, Blake Brittain at Reuters reports that a judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against artist Jeff Koons, saying that the plaintiff waited too long to file the claim.

Artist Michael Hayden filed the lawsuit. In the 1980s, Hayden designed the sets and props for Ilona Staller, an Italian porn star and politician. This included a serpent wrapped around a rock Hayden constructed for Staller to perform on. In 1989, Koons photographed Staller on the statue, using it in various works.

According to Hayden, he learned of the infringement in 2019 and filed the lawsuit in 2021. However, the judge ruled that Hayden should have reasonably learned about the infringement well before that, saying that the claims are now time-barred.

2: Disney Goes on Trial Over ‘Moana’ Copyright Infringement Claims

Next up today, Edvard Pettersson at Courthouse News Service reports that a trial began yesterday to determine if the Disney film Moana is a copyright infringement of an earlier work.

Animator Buck Woodall filed the lawsuit. He alleged that Disney used elements from his previous work, Bucky the Surfer Boy. This includes elements from a script he drafted and sketches he made to accompany it. The judge previously determined that the issue of similarity should be decided by a jury, letting the case go to trial.

However, the judge previously pared down the case significantly. He ruled Woodall waited too long to file the claim against most original defendants. He dismissed the case against Disney and others involved in the film’s production, saying the claims were time-barred. The only claim moving forward is against Disney’s Buena Vista Home Entertainment, the distributor of the DVD and Blu-ray versions of Moana.

3: Singer Takes Down Cover of Unreleased Taylor Swift Song After Copyright Concerns

Finally, today, Erika Beasley at 92.5 XTU reports that musician Steven Wilmot has removed a video where he covers the unreleased Taylor Swift song Need due to copyright issues and a negative reaction from fans.

Wilmot shared his version of the song on TikTok. He credited Swift as the writer and producer of the track. However, Swift has not released it, and it is rumored to be a vault song from her Lover album.

However, the song has now been removed. Wilmot said he decided to take it down due to backlash and “issues with the song having incorrect credits.”Others have pointed out that, since the song is unreleased, there is no mechanical license to produce a cover, meaning that Wilmot would have had to get permission directly from the rightsholders.

The 3 Count Logo was created by Justin Goff and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.