Tag Archives: infringement

Can’t Shake This Lawsuit

After achieving a dismissal in a copyright lawsuit, which alleged a similarity of lyrics between her song and the 2001 3LW song, ‘Playas Gon’ Play,’ Taylor Swift now must stand trial. The plaintiffs in the original case appealed the dismissal; and a three-judge panel ordered for the case to be reconsidered at the district court level in October 2019. Earlier this month, in the United States District Court of the Central District of California, Swift was denied a second dismissal. The judge who denied the dismissal reasoned that a trial would help to provide clarity on the true similarities between ‘Shake It Off’ and ‘Playas Gon’ Play.’ Swift’s legal team, however, challenges the argument that there are significant resemblances. Continue reading →

MLB Team May Strike Out

Baseball name dispute

In light of the upcoming third game of the World Series featuring the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves, a separate MLB baseball team is facing legal trouble. The former Cleveland Indians intend to adopt the Cleveland Guardians moniker in the 2022 season. Following this announcement of the baseball team’s newly adopted name this past July, the Cleveland Guardians roller derby team have alleged trademark infringement. One of the key pieces to the roller derby team’s argument is the perceivably hidden manner in which the trademark rights were obtained, which has contributed to the team’s frustrations and need to file a lawsuit. Continue reading →

Toy Stuntman Lands in Court

Not all fun and games

Fans of the Toy Story movies may recall the character Duke Caboom and his striking resemblance to Evel Knievel. The likeness of Evel Knievel is owned by K&K Productions, the company that is now suing Disney and Pixar, as well as subsidiaries that helped in the production of Toy Story 4. The character, portrayed by the voice of Keanu Reeves, was adapted into the film without prior authorization from the company that owns the branding rights to Knievel, who passed away in 2007. The movie itself is not only mentioned in the lawsuit, but also promotional toys sold in 2019 are included. Continue reading →

Things Get Stranger: Man Sues Netflix

There’s a storm coming

Netflix has had tons of success in the last few years, rising from the ashes to become a technology powerhouse. The business model is a low cost, subscription-based service providing content to consumers who love their tv shows and movies. One of the most successful pieces of original content is the Netflix-original Stranger Things, a sci-fi / fantasy series about kids in the 1980s who experience (you guessed it) “strange things”. Even stranger is that the now famous images used to promote the show, which an ominous thunderstorm system moving through the clouds, allegedly infringes on a Montana photographer’s copyright. As such, he is taking Netflix to court and seeking damages regarding this misuse of his image. Continue reading →

BlackBerry Sends Facebook a Lawsuit Request

‘member these?

In the ever-changing world of technology and information, it is sometimes easy to forget the trailblazers. BlackBerry, one of the first companies to consistently release top of the line smartphones, is now going to mat against the social media juggernaut Facebook. Claiming patent infringement related to messaging platforms and mobile apps, BlackBerry is seeking monetary damages of an undisclosed amount. Interestingly enough, BlackBerry recently went after Nokia for similar issues. Instagram and WhatsApp (owned by Facebook) were also named in the lawsuit. This could be seen as Blackberry trying to remind the public and their competitors who the “old guard” in mobile technology & messaging really is. Read More