3 Count: Bloodline Battle

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1: News Outlets Ask Court to Give ‘Little Weight’ to DOJ Support for OpenAI in Copyright Dispute

First off today, Julia Shapero at The Hill reports that news outlets, led by the New York Times, are asking the court to give “little weight” to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) support for OpenAI in its ongoing copyright lawsuit against the company.

The paper sued OpenAI in December 2023, alleging that the company used its work without permission to train AI models. It highlighted that OpenAI could recite paywalled content nearly verbatim and that the company had clearly accessed content that it was not authorized to see or use.

However, the DOJ, filed a brief support of the AI industry, says that such training is fair use and that ruling AI training to be infringing would hinder innovation. The publishers are asking the court to ignore those claims, saying that the administration “may have been influenced by extraneous considerations—up to and including the Administration’s political and financial interests.”

2: Jermaine Dupri and Jacquees Hit With Copyright Lawsuit Over ‘Pick It Up’ Collab

Next up today, Rachel Scharf at Billboard reports that musicians Jermaine Dupri and Jacquees are facing a copyright infringement lawsuit over their 2023 single “Pick It Up.”

The lawsuit was filed by the brothers, Van and Patrick Watler. They claim that “Pick It Up” infringes their 1992 song of the same name. They say that the lyrics and the melody of the two songs are the same and that no one from the defendants’ label asked for or obtained permission to use the track.

The Watlers are seeking statutory damages of up to $150,000 and an injunction to stop further distribution of the alleged infringing material.

3: WWE Bloodline Lawsuit Dismissed

Finally today, Mike Johnson at PWInsider reports that World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and 2K Games have won the dismissal of a copyright infringement lawsuit filed against them over the entrance and the presentation of The Bloodline in WWE events.

The Bloodline is a professional wrestling stable that first formed in 2021 and has been a prominent part of the WWE programming since then. According to the lawsuit, which was filed by Nathaniel Tatha‑Nanandji, the entrance and presentation of the faction were similar to a sequence that he had created while booking and promoting independent wrestling events in Arkansas.

However, the judge has now dismissed the case with prejudice. The judge determined that the plaintiff had no evidence that anyone from the defendants had seen or accessed his work. As such, the similarities between the two works did not rise to the level of copyright infringement, prompting the dismissal of the case.

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