3 Count: Migration Dispute

Have any suggestions for the 3 Count? Let me know via Bluesky, Mastodon or LinkedIn.

1: ‘Migration’ Sparks Idea Theft Lawsuit Against Illumination, Mike White

First off today, Winston Cho at The Hollywood Reporter and Esquire reports that author and screenwriter Kenneth Giavara has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Illumination Entertainment and screenwriter Mike White, alleging that the upcoming film Migration is an infringement of his work.

According to Giavara, elements of the film overlap with an earlier screenplay he created entitled South for Winter. Giavara adds that, in 2011, his script won the Fresh Voices Screenplay Competition in the animated category and was widely shopped around to studios and agents.

Migration, for its part, grossed over $300 million worldwide. Illumination has not responded to the lawsuit, but similar cases have faced difficulties in the past. Not only would Giavara have to prove that the defendants copied protected material from his work, but that they had access to his script. 

2: The ConCourt’s final verdict on the Copyright Amendment Bill

Next up today, Nicola Mawson at IOL reports that, in South Africa, the Constitutional Court has upheld the fair use framework of the recent Copyright Amendment Bill, allowing the bill to become law.

The bill was first introduced in 2015 for public comment and, among other changes, greatly expanded copyright exemptions through a fair use framework. Now, over a decade after its initial introduction, the ruling means that the bill will become law.

The bill represents a shift from the previous “fair dealing” copyright exemption, which was much more limited. The Constitutional Court ruled that a fair use-style standard is constitutionally permissible, paving the way for the bill to become law.

3: Syndicate Says 3,000 YouTube Videos Hit by Copyright Claims After Outro Song Rights Sold

Finally today, Dylan Horetski at Dexerto reports that YouTuber Tom “Syndicate” Campbell says that nearly 3,000 of his videos have been flagged with copyright claims after a new company acquired the rights to the music in his outro.

According to Campbell, the outro song appeared in nearly every video he created over the past eight years. He said that he did obtain permission to use the song previously, but now another company has purchased the song and is filing claims against his videos.

Those claims aren’t resulting in the videos being removed, but they are resulting in the videos being demonetized. The channel in question has more than 2.6 million subscribers. Campbell did not identify either the song or the company involved. 

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