Top 10 Copyright Infringement News Stories of 2011 | Copyright Laywer

January brought more seizures by ICE and copyright infringement lawsuits by media giants. Here are the top 10 copyright lawyer stories of January 2011:

1. Justin.tv sued for copyright infringement. Copyright gorilla Zuffa, LLC, owner of Ultimate Fighting Championship, has sued video streaming website Justin.tv for failing to adequately implement measures to prohibit users from streaming copyrighted materials over the service. Though the DMCA typically shields service providers like Justin.tv from these types of lawsuits, Zuffa's copyright lawyer argues that Justin.tv does not do enough to prohibit copyright infringement.

Kansas City Artist Sues CVS for Copyright Infringement

Kansas City artist Susan Lordi Marker has sued CVS Pharmacy, Inc. for copyright infringement alleging that CVS has copied Marker's Willow Tree figurines, which are small human-like sculptures. Marker alleges that CVS has created imitation copies of the Willow Tree figurines that are substantially similar to her copyrighted works. 

Under the Copyright Act, a party that holds a registered copyright may recover up to $150,000 in statutory damages per copyrighted work infringed. Therefore, it is wise for copyright holders to register their copyrighted works, as a copyright registration is a necessary prerequisite to filing a copyright infringement lawsuit.

Copyright Law Firms Blog | MPAA Suges Hotfile.com for Copyright Infringement

Copyright Litigation & Law Firms Update:

Hotfile.com is being sued by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for copyright infringement.  MPAA alleges that hotfile.com has been encouraging its users to upload and share copyrighted material, namely copyrighted movies.  MPAA claims profiting from the collection of membership fees and rewarding members for uploading copyright-protected material.  DMCA's Safe Harbor provisions protect service providers from being held liable for content uploaded by its users. However, MPAA is claiming that Hotfile has had knowledge of the copyright infringement. 

The alleged charges in MPAA's complaint include inducement of infringement, contributory infringement, and vicarious infringement. 

Related Story:

MPAA sues Hotfile for "staggering" copyright infringement, Ars Technica