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Jacko Leaves Pile of Debt
 Jacko Leaves Pile of Debt 
Jun 26, 2009 10:00 AM CDT

Jacko Leaves Pile of Debt

Could have recouped losses with comeback

(Newser) - Michael Jackson died deep in debt, Reuters reports: Wall Street Journal sources put the figure at $500 million earlier this month. The entertainer and his managers had hoped a planned concert series this summer would refill his coffers. Still, Jackson’s copyrights to his songs and his stake in the...

Judge Shelves Catcher In the Rye Knock-Off

Restraining order may be prelude to trial for Salinger, 'sequel' writer

(Newser) - A federal judge today blocked the publication of a modern novel featuring the characters of The Catcher in the Rye while she weighs whether there’s a valid copyright case. Author JD Salinger, 90, sued the Swedish publisher of 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye for not seeking his...

French Court Throws Out Anti-Piracy Law

(Newser) - France’s constitutional council today shot down the country’s newly minted “three strikes” law against Internet piracy, Ars Technica reports. The council said the law, which set up an administrative body to punish pirates, violated basic principles of French law, assigning essentially judicial duties to a non-judicial body,...

Feds Step Up Antitrust Probe of Google Books Deal

Antitrust investigation focuses on Google's settlement with publishers

(Newser) - Justice Department investigators have intensified their probe into a deal Google made with publishers last year to put millions of books online, the Wall Street Journal reports. Publishers have been formally asked to provide information relating to the deal, which critics charge violates antitrust laws by giving Google an effective...

Yahoo Sues for Free Fantasy Football Stats

Company argues NFL union has no copyright on players' info

(Newser) - Yahoo has taken the NFL Players Association to court in a bid to use players' information for its online fantasy football game without paying royalties, CNET reports. Yahoo argues that since the players' names, biographies, and statistics are already in the public domain, it no longer needs to gain permission...

McDonald's Doesn't Own 'Mc' Prefix: Malaysian Judge

Court reverses decision against McCurry's restaurant

(Newser) - A Malaysian court ruled that McDonald’s does not control the rights to every word with the “Mc” prefix, the AP reports. The appellate court overturned a 2006 decision that forced a Malaysian restaurant named “McCurry’s” to pay damages to McDonald’s for using the name to...

Pirate Bay Judge Belongs to Pro-Copyright Groups

(Newser) - One of the men convicted in the Pirate Bay file-sharing case is demanding a retrial, claiming that the judge is in cahoots with copyright-protection organizations, the Local of Sweden reports. Judge Tomas Norstrom acknowledges being a member of such groups but denies any conflict of interest. Last week, he found...

Pirate Bay Ruling Invigorates Pirates

(Newser) - Last week’s guilty verdict against the Swedes behind the Pirate Bay filesharing site not only hasn’t shuttered the operation—it’s boosted support for the cause of free information, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The affiliated Pirate Party, which advocates for copyright reform, has doubled its membership just...

Academics Fear Google's 'Orphan Books' Plan

Search king accused of rewriting copyright law to get access to out-of-print works

(Newser) - Google's plan to take millions of "orphan" books under its wing has critics crying foul, the New York Times reports. Google aims to make these out-of-print works—whose rights holders are unknown or cannot be found—part of its mammoth online bookstore and library, a plan some academics say...

Aerosmith to GOP: Hands Off Our Song

House GOP's Back in the Saddle video yanked after copyright claim

(Newser) - Minority Whip Eric Cantor's effort to rally the House GOP with a video using Aerosmith's Back in the Saddle was swiftly bucked by the band, reports TPM. The company holding the song’s copyright requested that the video—which crowed about the House GOP's unified opposition to the stimulus package—...

Farrah Sues Over '70s Poster
 Farrah Sues Over '70s Poster 
Feb 14, 2009 2:00 PM CST

Farrah Sues Over '70s Poster

Says firm 'falsely' claims she lacks rights to photo

(Newser) - Farrah Fawcett is suing for a minimum of $100,000 in a rights dispute over her legendary 1970s swimsuit photo, TMZ reports. The actress says two companies have been using the image—which once adorned bedroom walls the world over—without her permission and asserts that she owns all the...

Photo-Humiliation Site Sparks Facebook Fury

'Paparazzi for the masses' site YoBusted accused of extortion, copyright infringement

(Newser) - Facebook isn't laughing about a site trying to cash in on people's funny photos, reports BusinessWeek. YoBusted features embarrassing photos sent in by users, often lifted from Facebook. Anybody who wants his or her photo removed has to sign up for a $20-a-month membership. Any "friend" who sends in...

Poster Artist Sues AP in Copyright Fight

Fairey says use of agency's photo constitutes fair use

(Newser) - Shepard Fairey, the artist behind the iconic Obama "Hope" poster, filed a lawsuit against the AP yesterday as a preemptive strike in their copyright dispute. The artist has asked a federal judge to rule that his work constitutes fair use of a copyrighted image. Fairey's suit comes after...

Streaming Sites Thwart Studios' Piracy Crackdowns

Industry fears revenue meltdown as watching pirated video online goes mainstream

(Newser) - The rise of video streaming sites has defeated movie studios' toughest anti-piracy efforts, the New York Times reports. Consumers can watch copyrighted material online—often from sites hosted in countries with slack anti-piracy rules—more easily than ever. The industry estimates "digital theft" now accounts for 40% of...

Citigroup Sues Pawnshop Over Similar Name, Logo

Struggling bank seeks all profits made by Brooklyn's All Citi Pawn

(Newser) - Citigroup is suing a Brooklyn pawnshop for copyright infringement, the New York Post reports. The logo for All Citi Pawn sports the distinctive “i” and a similar red mark over the “t.” Citigroup’s suit demands the pawnshop fork over all profits made since it adopted the...

Web Copyright Lawsuit Could Cripple the Freedom to Link

Community outlet says big papers siphon off page views with mere snippets of info

(Newser) - A local newspaper chain is suing the New York Times Company for pilfering its online content, and the case could dramatically change how news sites link, Danny Sanchez writes on Journalistopia. GateHouse Media says readers can glean enough information from the snippets linked by the Boston Globe and therefore don’...

Music Industry to Dump Download Lawsuits

RIAA takes new tack in battling online file sharing

(Newser) - After five years of suing everyone from single mothers to teenage girls for illegally sharing music files, the recording industry is dropping the legal campaign that has ensnared 35,000 individuals, the Wall Street Journal reports. Instead, an industry group is making deals with Internet-service providers to warn those sharing...

Taj Knockoff Angers India
 Taj Knockoff Angers India 
Dec 12, 2008 2:21 PM CST

Taj Knockoff Angers India

Say there might be a copyright issue somehow

(Newser) - A knockoff of the Taj Mahal has caused a full-blown diplomatic incident between India and Bangladesh, the London Times reports, and potentially one of the weirdest copyright disputes ever. Bangladeshi film mogul Ahsanullah Moni began showing his $80 million copy of the Taj this week, enraging Indians. “You can’...

Hard Day's Night for Beatles iTunes Deal

Apple vs. Apple talks fall through

(Newser) - Don't expect to download Hey Jude any time soon. Negotiations between the Beatles' label, EMI, their holding company, Apple Corps, and Apple Inc. to release the legendary band's hits on iTunes and other internet music services have stalled, reports AP. Bad feelings remain between the two Apples over their long-running...

Court: Lego Can't Trademark Bricks' Shape

Competitor argued that blocks' shape served 'technical' purpose

(Newser) - A European Union court ruled today that Lego can’t trademark the shape of its iconic toy building blocks, Bloomberg reports. The court supported a 2006 decision by the EU trademark agency that said because the raised circles on Lego blocks serve a “utilitarian function,” they are ineligible...

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