3 Count: Eleanor Denied

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1: SCOTUS Denies Petition Seeking Review of Ninth Circuit’s ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’ Copyright Ruling

First off today, Rose Esfandiari at IP Watchdog reports that the United States Supreme Court has declined to hear the case Halicki v. Carroll Shelby Licensing, allowing an appeals court ruling that denied copyright protection for the car Eleanor to stand.

Denice Shakarian Halicki filed the lawsuit. She is the widow of H.B. Hailcki, the creator of the original Gone in Sixty Seconds Film. The film features a customized Ford Mustang named Eleanor that, following the 2000 film, the Carroll Shelby Licensing company sold imitations of. Halicki sued, alleging that Eleanor was a copyright-protected character and that the imitations constituted infringement.

The district court dismissed the case, saying that Eleanor did not meet the requirements to be a character. This was upheld on appeal to the Ninth Circuit. Halicki appealed to the Supreme Court, but the refusal to take the case means that the Ninth Circuit ruling will stand.

2: ‘Roi Roi Binale’: Police Arrest a YouTuber in Connection With Piracy of Zubeen Garg’s Last Film

Next up today, the Times of India reports that singer and actor Zubeen Garg’s final film, Roi Roi Binale, was released posthumously. However, shortly after release, it became widely pirated, leading to the arrest of a man named Rafiqul Islam for uploading clips to YouTube.

Islam operates a channel named Rafiqul R Vlogs, where he is accused of uploading several clips from the film. According to police, he violated multiple laws, including the Copyright Act, the Information Technology Act, and the Cinematograph Act.

Despite the piracy, Roi Roi Binale did well at the box office, earning Rs 17.23 crore ($2 million) just days after its release.

3: Amazon Fire TV Will Now Block Apps Used for Piracy, Even if You Sideloaded Them

Finally, today, Ben Schoon at 9to5Google reports that Amazon has confirmed that its Fire TV devices now block apps installed by users to pirate content. The change comes as Amazon is ditching Android for its Fire TV devices and moving to a proprietary operating system.

Amazon Fire TV products have become notorious for both their low cost and their ease of sideloading apps. This includes apps that are intended to access pirate streaming services, often referred to as “fully loaded” Fire TV devices.

The move comes as Amazon launches its VegaOS platform for smart TV devices. This operating system prevents users from installing apps not already in Amazon’s App Store. Amazon says that it implemented this solution after consulting with 50 media companies, including Disney, HBO, Netflix and more.

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