08 October

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Popsugar Class Action Settlement

Posted by Michael

Cohen IP Law Group, PC announces the class action settlement for $2,115,000 in the matter of Batra v. Popsugar Inc., 4:18-cv-03752-HSG (N.D. Cal.), as well as O'Brien et. al. vs. Popsugar Inc., et al., 18CV329645 (Santa Clara Cty.). Michael N. Cohen of Cohen IP Law Group, PC, along with the firm Glancy Prongay & Murray represented plaintiff Nita Batra. The lawsuit alleged against Popsugar, included claims of copyright infringement, unfair competition, right of publicity, intentional interference with contractual relationship on behalf of Batra, and other plaintiffs and members of the class....

13 June

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Bitcoin Copyright

Posted by Michael

in Copyright

Making Sense of the Bitcoin Copyright Controversy The cryptocurrency world has been shoved once more into the spotlight after Craig Wright – self-proclaimed inventor of Bitcoin – filed for two U.S. copyright registrations. One for Bitcoin´s whitepaper, and one for most of the crypto´s original code. The news has spread like wildfire through most financial and tech outlets, and for good reasons. As the most valuable and recognized cryptocurrency, any story involving potential ownership of Bitcoin´s underlying tech is bound to have profound economic implications. The problem, though, is that, since the announcement and subsequent developments revolve around copyright law, there´s also a fair...

26 June

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Class Action Lawsuit Against PopSugar, Inc.

Posted by Michael

in Copyright, Litigation

Cohen IP Law Group, PC announces that it, along with the law firm of Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP, has filed a class action lawsuit against PopSugar, Inc. for violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, as well as infringement and misappropriation of the content and rights of the class of Internet influencers. The suit stems from PopSugar's acts of infringement when it re-posted unauthorized content and images along with the Influencers’ top-level Instagram headers to its PopSugar's website, and intentionally removed identifying information. Additional information about the lawsuit has been reported by Law360. The case is Nita Batra v. PopSugar Inc., case number 3:18-cv-03752,...

17 September

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Food Invention Reality Show

Posted by Michael

in Copyright

Eyeworks TV, the producers behind Extreme Weight Loss on ABC and Bar Rescue on Spike, THIS WEEK ONLY, is holding an audition in Redondo Beach for entrepreneurs with food-related inventions for a new show. The show is just like Shark Tank on ABC, but for food inventions. If interested contact: Kelly Klecha Casting Assistant Eyeworks TV www.eyeworksusa.com ...

27 August

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No Copyright Protection for Iconic Monkey Selfie

Posted by Michael

in Copyright

In 2011, wildlife photographer David Slater set up a camera on Sulawesi, a small island in Indonesia. Mr. Slater received an unanticipated gift, a monkey picked up his camera and took hundreds of pictures, including self-portraits or “selfies” that have gone viral on the web this past year. Recently, controversy has erupted over who owns the copyright to the photos. David Slater has claimed ownership, along with thousands of dollars in unpaid royalties from the photos that went viral. As reported by the BBC and The Los Angeles Times, “Wikimedia, the nonprofit behind Wikipedia, says the pictures taken by the...

30 April

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Jay-Z Copyright Infringement Case with Dwayne Walker

Posted by Michael

in Copyright

Back in 2012, Dwayne Walker filed a lawsuit against Jay-Z for breach of contract and copyright infringement for failure to pay royalties, claiming that he designed the iconic logo for Roc-A-Fella records, Jay-Z’s record company and is owed $7,000,000. The lawsuit, Dwayne D. Walker, Jr. v. Shawn Carter (“Jay-Z”) et al, case no. 12-cv-05384(ALC)(RLE), was filed in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York in 2012. The Plaintiff’s alleges that that “Jay Z, Dame Dash, and Kareem “Biggs” Burke, all agreed to pay Walker $3,500 for the design of the Roc-A-Fella logo. However, Dwayne Walker stipulated in...

24 April

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Copyright Aereo Oral Arguments in US Supreme Court

Posted by Michael

in Copyright

This week, The U.S. Supreme Court began the oral argument stage for ABC Inc. v. Aereo, No. 13-461, a case with colossal ramifications on copyright law. ABC is joined by CBS, Disney, Fox, Comcast’s NBC Universal, and the federal government. The Aereo Company, based in Long Island, NY is an internet alternative to watching television. Aereo charges its subscribers a monthly fee to watch television stations over the internet, without the company having a license to do so, or paying retransmission fees to local affiliates. The case turns on a part of the copyright law that requires copyright owners’ permission for...

28 February

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Top Gun Copyright Infringement on Twitter

Posted by Michael

in Copyright

Paramount Pictures is not happy about the way a Twitter user is sharing one of its movies. The Twitter user @555hz attempted to show the entire film “Top Gun” on Twitter through tweets of the film as frame-by-frame clips and images. The Twitter user posted content from the film every half hour, generating over 1,500 tweets in one month. The user has gained a following of over 6,900 other Twitter users. The handle “@555hz” is suggested to reference the number of frames per second at which the film was being “shown” on Twitter. According to this calculation, the film could be...

19 September

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Beverly Hills Bar Association Event: Dressing Up IP: Copyright, Trademark, and Licensing Issues in the Fashion Industry

Posted by Michael

in Copyright, Trademark

Great event at the Beverly Hills Bar Association, the program is titled: “Dressing Up IP: Copyright, Trademark, and Licensing Issues in the Fashion Industry.” The program will be on October 11, 2012 and may be attended in person, streamed live online, or viewed via the internet at a later date. Additionally, the program offers MCLE credit: “MCLE CREDIT: This activity has been approved for Minimum Continuing Legal Education credit by the State Bar of California in the amount of 1.5 HOURS and the Beverly Hills Bar Association certifies that this activity conforms to the standards for approved prescribed by the rules...

15 June

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No Doubt Lawsuit with Activision Right of Publicity

Posted by Michael

in Copyright

No Doubt enjoyed mainstream success during the 90s with hits like “Don’t Speak” and “Just a Girl.” Last week, the band announced its plans to reunite and release an album this September. The same day that the band shared the news of their planned comeback, a judge gave permission for the band’s lawsuit against video game maker Activision to be heard by a jury. “Hella Good” day for No Doubt. The video game created by Activision, Band Hero, features the band members’ likenesses as video game characters. Players of this video game can select a character that is modeled after a...