Andy Warhol, Prince at center stage in Supreme Court case
October 12, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Andy Warhol and Prince held center stage in a copyright case before the Supreme Court on Wednesday that veered from Cheerios and “Mona Lisa” analogies to Justice Clarence Thomas’ enthusiasm for the “Purple Rain” showman.
Paramount sued over ‘Top Gun’ copyright claim
June 7, 2022 GMTThe widow and son of the man who wrote the 1983 article that inspired the original “Top Gun” are suing Paramount Pictures over its sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick.”
In a complaint filed in California federal court Monday, Shosh Yonay and Yuval Yonay claim that the rights to Ehud Yonay’s story reverted back to them on Jan.
2 make deal, leaving just Kim Dotcom facing US extradition
May 10, 2022 GMTWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Two men charged by U.S. prosecutors with racketeering and other crimes for their involvement in the once wildly popular file-sharing website Megaupload said Tuesday they have reached a deal that will see them avoid being extradited to the U.S.
Ed Sheeran wins copyright case over 2017 hit ‘Shape of You’
April 6, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — Grammy Award-winning songwriter Ed Sheeran won a U.K. copyright battle over his 2017 hit “Shape of You" on Wednesday, then slammed what he described as a “culture" of baseless lawsuits intended to squeeze money out of artists eager to avoid the expense of a trial.
Ed Sheeran awaits verdict over copyright court battle
March 22, 2022 GMTAn 11-day trial over the copyright of Ed Sheeran's hit song “Shape of You" concluded in London on Tuesday, with the judge saying he would take some time to consider his ruling.
The British pop star and his co-writers, Snow Patrol’s John McDaid and producer Steven McCutcheon, deny accusations that the 2017 song copies part of a 2015 song called “Oh Why” by Sami Chokri, who performs under the name Sami Switch.
Professor sues student for posting final exam online
March 17, 2022 GMTORANGE, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California university professor is suing a student he says tried to cheat on the midterm and final exams by posting them online in hopes of getting the answers.
David Berkovitz, who teaches at Chapman University's business school, filed a federal lawsuit last week against a student identified only as “John Doe," the Orange County Register reported.
Court raises penalty for Little Mermaid copyright violation
February 9, 2022 GMTCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — An appeals court in Denmark has increased the compensation a newspaper was ordered to pay for violating the copyright of Copenhagen's The Little Mermaid statue with a cartoon depicting the bronze landmark as a zombie and a photo of it with a facemask.
Meghan suit nets 1 pound on privacy, secret copyright sum
January 5, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — The Duchess of Sussex will receive a nominal 1-pound ($1.35) payment for invasion of privacy plus undisclosed damages for copyright infringement, under an agreement that ends her long-running dispute with Britain’s Mail on Sunday over the tabloid’s publication of a letter she wrote to her father.
‘Pooh,’ ‘Sun Also Rises’ among works going public in 2022
December 31, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — “Winnie the Pooh” and “The Sun Also Rises” are going public.
A.A. Milne's beloved children's book and Ernest Hemingway's classic novel, along with films starring Buster Keaton and Greta Garbo are among the works from 1926 whose copyrights will expire Saturday, putting them in the public domain as the calendar flips to 2022.
Miramax sues Tarantino over planned ‘Pulp Fiction’ NFTs
November 17, 2021 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — Miramax filed a lawsuit Tuesday against director Quentin Tarantino over the director's plans to create and auction off a series of NFTs based on his work on “Pulp Fiction."
The entertainment company alleges that Tarantino's planned offerings violate the copyrights it holds to the director's 1994 film, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles.
UK publisher begins appeal over Meghan privacy lawsuit
November 9, 2021 GMTLONDON (AP) — A British newspaper publisher on Tuesday began its court appeal against a judge's ruling that it invaded the privacy of the Duchess of Sussex by publishing parts of a letter she wrote to her estranged father, arguing that she knew the letter would potentially be published.
Free TV service Locast suspends operations after legal loss
September 2, 2021 GMTLocast, a service that streamed local TV for free in about three dozen U.S. cities, suspended its operations Thursday after losses in court against the broadcast industry.
The owners of the country's major broadcast TV networks — ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox — had sued Locast in 2019, saying it violated their copyrights, and asked for the service to be shut down.
Google appeals $591M French fine in copyright payment spat
September 1, 2021 GMTPARIS (AP) — Google is appealing a 500 million euro ($591 million) fine issued by French regulators over its handling of negotiations with publishers in a dispute over copyright.
The dispute is part of a larger battle by authorities in Europe and elsewhere to force Google and other tech companies to compensate publishers for content.
Copyright holder settles lawsuit with LOVE artist’s estate
June 11, 2021 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The estate of pop artist Robert Indiana has reached a settlement that keeps intact a longstanding relationship with Morgan Art Foundation, which holds the copyright for his iconic 1960s “LOVE” series, to promote and preserve his work, officials said Friday.
Greenpeace wins Australian court case against power company
June 8, 2021 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s largest electricity generator on Tuesday largely lost its court case alleging that the environmental group Greenpeace had breached copyright and trademark laws by using its logo in a campaign that described the company as the nation’s “biggest climate polluter.”
EU Parliament votes to take down illegal sports streaming
May 19, 2021 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — European legislators adopted a proposal Wednesday to combat online piracy of live sporting events that includes the option to block illegal broadcasts within half an hour.
EU lawmakers also called on the European Commission — the EU's executive branch — to amend the legislation on intellectual property rights for live sporting events, which are not protected by the bloc's copyright rules.
Meghan wins remainder of copyright claim against UK tabloid
May 5, 2021 GMTLONDON (AP) —
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, on Wednesday won her remaining copyright claim against a British tabloid publisher over the publication of a personal letter she wrote to her estranged father...
High court sides with Google in copyright fight with Oracle
April 5, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Technology companies sighed with relief Monday after the Supreme Court sided with Google in a copyright dispute with Oracle...
Judge: Paper must run Page 1 statement on Meghan’s legal win
March 5, 2021 GMTLONDON (AP) — A British judge has ordered the Mail on Sunday to publish a front-page statement highlighting the Duchess of Sussex’s legal victory over the newspaper for breaching her copyright by publishing parts of a letter she wrote to her estranged father...
Publisher to appeal ruling that it invaded Meghan’s privacy
March 2, 2021 GMTLONDON (AP) — A British newspaper publisher said Tuesday it plans to appeal against a judge’s ruling that it invaded the privacy of the Duchess of Sussex by publishing parts of a letter she wrote to her estranged father after her 2018 marriage to Prince Harry...
UK judge says newspaper invaded Meghan’s privacy with letter
February 11, 2021 GMTLONDON (AP) — A newspaper invaded the Duchess of Sussex’s privacy by publishing a personal letter to her estranged father, a British judge ruled Thursday, in a major victory for the royal in her campaign against what she sees as media intrusion...
Google, French publishers sign copyright news payment deal
January 21, 2021 GMTPARIS (AP) — Google has signed a deal with a group of French publishers paving the way for the internet giant to make digital copyright payments for online news content.
After months of talks, Google France and the Alliance de la Presse d'Information Generale said Thursday that they agreed to set up a framework under which the U.S.
Low tech talk in Google, Oracle high tech copyright clash
October 7, 2020 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The topic was high tech: the code behind smartphones.
But on Wednesday the Supreme Court looked to more low tech examples, from the typewriter keyboard to restaurant menus, try to resolve an $8 billion-plus copyright dispute between tech giants Google and Oracle...
Twitter bans pro-Trump meme maker for copyright violations
June 24, 2020 GMTA conservative social media user whose far-right memes have been praised and reposted by President Donald Trump has been kicked off Twitter for repeated copyright violations...
Pirated editions of John Bolton memoir have appeared online
June 21, 2020 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — John Bolton's memoir officially comes out Tuesday after surviving a security review and a Twitter has blocked a Trump campaign video tribute to George Floyd over a copyright claim, in a move that adds to tensions between the social media platform and the U...Twitter disables Trump campaign’s George Floyd video tribute
June 5, 2020 GMT
Eagles’ Don Henley asks Congress to change copyright law
June 3, 2020 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Eagles songwriter Don Henley urged Congress on Tuesday to “Take It to the Limit” to protect artists against online pirating, wading into a copyright fight pitting Hollywood and the recording industry against big tech platforms like Google’s YouTube...
Publishers sue Internet Archive over scanning of books
June 1, 2020 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Four of the country's biggest publishers have sued a digital library for copyright infringement, alleging that the Internet Archive has illegally offered more than a million scanned works to the public, including such favorites as Toni Morrison's “Song of Solomon,” Malcolm Gladwell's “Blink” and Cormac McCarthy's “The Road...
Publishers sue Internet Archive over scanning of books
June 1, 2020 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Four of the country's biggest publishers have sued a digital library for copyright infringement, alleging that the Internet Archive has illegally offered more than a million scanned works to the public, including such favorites as Toni Morrison's “Song of Solomon,” Malcolm Gladwell's “Blink” and Cormac McCarthy's “The Road...
Supreme Court rules against Georgia in copyright dispute
April 27, 2020 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled Monday against the state of Georgia in a copyright lawsuit over annotations to its legal code, finding they cannot be copyrighted.
The 5-4 ruling splintered the court along unusual lines and upholds a previous appeals court decision.
Alaska Native group sues Neiman Marcus over coat’s design
April 21, 2020 GMTANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska Native cultural organization is suing luxury retailer Neiman Marcus, saying the Dallas-based company violated copyright and American Indian arts protection laws in selling a knit coat with a geometric design borrowed from indigenous culture...
Zeppelin wins latest battle of the bands in `Stairway’ fight
March 9, 2020 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal appeals court on Monday restored a jury verdict that found Led Zeppelin did not steal “Stairway to Heaven...
Asian shares mixed following Wall Street rally
November 26, 2019 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed after an upbeat start Tuesday on optimism over U.S.-China trade talks, prompted by Beijing’s new guidelines for the protection of patents and copyrights.
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 advanced 0.6% in morning trading to 23,431.74.
Justices struggle with copyright case involving pirate ship
November 5, 2019 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is wrestling with a modern-day dispute involving the pirate Blackbeard's ship that went down off North Carolina's coast more than 300 years ago...
Judges may not be buying that ‘Stairway’ needs new trial
September 23, 2019 GMTA group of federal judges aren't sure all that glitters is gold, and they don't seem to be buying that a new trial is necessary in the copyright fight over the Led Zeppelin song, "Stairway to Heaven...
Streaming music may make cases like Katy Perry’s more common
August 3, 2019 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — To show that Katy Perry and the team that wrote her 2013 hit "Dark Horse" may have heard his song and stole from it, Christian rapper Marcus Gray's primary evidence was that his 2009 song, "Joyful Noise" had plays in the millions on YouTube and Spotify...
Jury told Katy Perry hit ‘Dark Horse’ earned $41M
July 30, 2019 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — The penalty phase of a copyright infringement trial over Katy Perry's hit "Dark Horse" opened Tuesday with attorneys for the creators of a Christian rap song telling jurors that the pop superstar's 2013 song earned $41 million overall...
Jury: Katy Perry’s ‘Dark Horse’ copied Christian rap song
July 30, 2019 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury on Monday found that Katy Perry's 2013 hit "Dark Horse" improperly copied a 2009 Christian rap song in a unanimous decision that represented a rare takedown of a pop superstar and her elite producer by a relatively unknown artist...
Canadian firm sues Oklahoma marijuana dispensary over logo
July 25, 2019 GMTTULSA, Okla. (AP) — A Canadian animation studio and media company is suing an Oklahoma medical cannabis dispensary chain accusing it of infringing copyright by using a logo long-established in programming aimed at children...
Infowars to pay $15K for unauthorized Pepe the Frog posters
June 10, 2019 GMTConspiracy-promoting website Infowars will pay $15,000 to resolve a copyright infringement lawsuit over its sales of a poster featuring the image of Pepe the Frog, a cartoon character that was hijacked by far-right extremists and racist internet trolls...
High court will hear copyright dispute involving pirate ship
June 3, 2019 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A dispute involving the pirate Blackbeard's sunken ship is on deck for the Supreme Court's next term...
Judge refuses to toss suit over Pepe the Frog poster sales
May 18, 2019 GMTA federal judge will let a jury decide whether conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Infowars website had a legal right to sell a poster featuring the image of Pepe the Frog, a cartoon character that became hijacked by far-right extremists...
Leaders hint Poland will not fully apply EU copyright law
March 30, 2019 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's right-wing leaders hinted Saturday they will not fully implement the European Union's new copyright reform, saying it stifles freedom of speech...
EU parliament backs copyright bill targeting US tech giants
March 27, 2019 GMTSTRASBOURG, France (AP) — European Union lawmakers approved a copyright directive Tuesday intended to give writers and artists more protection of their creative rights and incomes. But outspoken critics say the contentious measure could have major implications for US tech companies and could censor anyone who posts on the internet.
Feds tell Alfonso Ribeiro he can’t copyright ‘Carlton’ moves
February 15, 2019 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" star Alfonso Ribeiro has been denied a copyright for the "Carlton" dance, which he's suing two videogame makers over...
Ready for consumption: Great works from 1923
January 7, 2019 GMTFor all the resolutions in 2019 to cut down on screen time — no more Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and, yes, let’s send fewer emails and stop reading blog posts — here’s a big reason to celebrate the internet.
New trial ordered in ‘Stairway to Heaven’ copyright lawsuit
September 28, 2018 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A U.S. appeals court on Friday ordered a new trial in a lawsuit accusing Led Zeppelin of copying an obscure 1960s instrumental for the intro to its classic 1971 rock anthem "Stairway to Heaven...
Minneapolis lawyer pleads guilty to federal fraud, money laundering charges in porn troll scheme
August 17, 2018 GMTPaul Hansmeier, a Minneapolis lawyer who pioneered a lucrative scheme suing thousands of people for copyright violations after they downloaded pornography that he and a partner had planted on an internet file sharing server, pleaded guilty Friday to federal fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges.
Music firms sue to keep hit songs off fitness streaming app
January 24, 2018 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Some of the nation's largest recording studios have joined forces in an effort to stop a music streaming service aimed at fitness enthusiasts from using songs by Beyonce, Justin Bieber, Green Day and other stars...
Writer sues Tupac filmmakers, alleges copyright infringement
June 24, 2017 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — A magazine writer has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the creators of the new Tupac Shakur biopic, saying that portions of the film are based on his articles about the late rapper...
Justices won’t hear appeal in music copyright dispute
March 27, 2017 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from record companies that want to pursue copyright infringement claims against music site Vimeo for hosting unauthorized recordings from the Beatles, Elvis Presley and other classic artists...
Clayton’s faces copyright lawsuit
February 6, 2017 GMTSOUTH PADRE ISLAND — Music is big business at Clayton’s and now songwriters and publishers want the biggest beach bar in Texas to pay up.
A complaint filed in federal court is asking Clayton’s to pay for what the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers claims is past damages owed to songwriters whose songs have been played but not paid for.