Today has turned into a real-life nightmare. I wish I could wake up. This nightmare started 9 months ago and has been recurring ever since.

Designer Jon Engle is being billed $18,000 by stockart.com. Some people are trying to save Jon. [more inside]
posted by wundermint on Apr 7, 2009 - 217 comments

Guitarist Joe Satriani sues Coldplay over Viva La Vida (audio). Satriani's version: If I Could Fly (audio).
posted by starman on Dec 5, 2008 - 111 comments

Hall & Oates are suing their publisher, Warner/Chappell Music Inc., claiming the publisher failed to enforce the copyright on their song "Maneater" and sue an unnamed singer-songwriter (quite possibly Nelly Furtado) for infringement. The only problem is, Timbaland and Nate "Danja" Hills - the composers of the Furtado track - also work for Warner/Chappel Music. What happens when publishers don't protect songwriters from other songwriters working for the same publisher.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing on Nov 23, 2008 - 45 comments

An associate professor and former librarian is collecting education copyright infringement cases in a database. [more inside]
posted by starman on Mar 27, 2008 - 15 comments

This lawsuit was brought to you by the letter W.
posted by Robert Angelo on Sep 9, 2006 - 47 comments

Remember cleanflicks the outfit that digitally sanitized films? The Directors Guild of America recently won their lawsuit against them and companies like them for copyright violation. Prev
posted by Smedleyman on Jul 11, 2006 - 62 comments

Former Nashville Music Venue Manager Files Lawsuit in Seattle Against Comedian and “Arrested Development” Actor David Cross and Sub Pop Records for Copyrighting his Likeness on “Shut Up, You Fucking Baby!” which was Nominated for a Grammy for Best Comedy Album of the Year in 2003. With video.
posted by mr.marx on Oct 15, 2005 - 34 comments

Take your hands off the GPL and back away from the keyboard... New twist in the SCO vs. IBM and the rest of the known computing universe: it appears SCO's primary argument in their case will in fact be that the GPL is invalid, trumped by US federal copyright law. (Quote redirect from via Inquirer from Wall Street Journal). And apparently, I'm not alone in beginning to think there's merit to the "Microsoft's behind all this!" conspiracy theories, since these "coincidences" are really starting to pile up...
posted by JollyWanker on Aug 16, 2003 - 29 comments

Copyright to the Revolution (translation): "On Wednesday, 9 July 2003, the superior court of Paris banned a poster campaign launched by the group Reporters Without Borders to protest the totalitarian policies of Cuba. This campaign, designed by the agency Rampazzo & Associates, was built around an iconic image of Ernesto Che Guevara, inspired by the original image by the Cuban photographer [Alberto] Korda. The decision came in a suit brought by Diane Diaz Lopez, the late photographer's daughter, accusing the organization of misappropriating the original image taken by her father." The poster reads: "Welcome to Cuba, the world's largest prison for journalists." Korda had sued in 2000 to prevent use of the image in an Absolut vodka campaign. An article at Uzine (French) shows how the image in question was composited.
posted by hairyeyeball on Jul 16, 2003 - 25 comments

In a reversal of fortunes for the RIAA et al, a judge rules against them saying that p2p technology is "not significantly different from"..."home video recorders or copy machines, both of which can be and are used to infringe copyrights."
Of course this isn't the end of it, and appeals are being made, but for once things are going the way of the P2P software makers, it seems.
posted by Blue Stone on Apr 25, 2003 - 20 comments

Eldred V. Ashcroft Transcripts are now online.
Maybe someone can help me better understand if it looks like there was a "winner"?
posted by Blake on Oct 19, 2002 - 15 comments

This new RIAA lawsuit really frosts my cookies! I can't believe the Recording Industry Ass. of America has the balls to think they can censor the Internet, but they contend that "As a matter of fact, copyright itself was written into the Constitution before the Framers ever even got to the first 10 amendments." Therefore, the RIAA reserves for itself the right to determine which Internet websites you may view. Please discuss.
posted by Maxor on Aug 17, 2002 - 71 comments

All your Ideas are belong to US. What happens when you agree that your inventions belong to your employer, even when you aren't done inventing them yet? Why, they sue you!
posted by dwivian on Aug 14, 2002 - 14 comments

RIAA sues Audiogalaxy. "After targeting decentralized popular file-sharing services such as Kazaa, Morpheus, Grokster, and Madster, the Recording Industry Association of America took aim at Audiogalaxy in court last Friday..." [via pfm]
posted by dobbs on May 28, 2002 - 46 comments

Google runs into Copyright Dispute... Does the Church of Scientology have a leg to stand on in suiing Google for linking to church documents? Be sure to check out Operation Clambake, the site in question who claims all documentation on their site is ", is allowable under the "fair use" provisions of internationally recognized copyright law". If it is truly a question of copyright, shouldn't the Scientologists be suing the site in question and not Google???? When Google removed the link, it outraged the technology community - can Google win in this case??? Check out what Don Marti has to say about the issue...
posted by gloege on Apr 22, 2002 - 1 comment

Apple lawyers target Mac Themes Project -- Apple has issued a cease and desist order against Mac Themes Project (MTP) for creating a theme editor. Apple claims the editor enables third parties to copy its copyrighted trademark themes by "improperly copying Apple's copyrighted software code and graphic files".
posted by shauna on Apr 17, 2001 - 15 comments