Copyright Infringement

May 26, 2022

Popular Night Club Accused of Copyright Infringement for Unauthorized Public Performances

Terre Haute, Indiana – Plaintiffs, Broadcast Music Inc. (“BMI”), Peer Music III LTD, Universal – Songs of Polygram International, Inc., Songs of Universal, Inc., EMI Consortium Songs, Inc. d/b/a EMI Longitude Music, Fourteenth Hour Music, Inc., Springtime Music, Inc., EMI Blackwood Music, Inc. Sony/ATV Songs LLC, and Fall out Boy Inc. d/b/a Chicago X Softcore Songs have allegedly contacted Warehouse L.L.C. d/b/a The Verve over 60 times since March 2018 to discuss their obligations under the Copyright Act without success.

April 20, 2022

Photographer, Lisa Corson sues for Copyright Infringement

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Fishers, Indiana – Plaintiff Lisa Corson creates photos, which she licenses for various uses including online and print publications. Corson’s client list includes AARP, Country Living, Delta Airlines, Google, House & Garden, The National Geographic Channel, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.

August 23, 2021

Auralex Acoustics Sued for Alleged Copyright Infringement

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – Apparently Sayre Berman (“Berman”), the Plaintiff, creates photographic images, which she licenses for various uses including online and print publications. Berman claims she took a photograph of Ray Luzier (the “Photograph”) on March 25, 2019 and registered that photograph with the U.S. Copyright Office under Registration No. VA 2-145-705.

According to the Complaint, Berman observed a copy of the Photograph on Auralex Acoustics, Inc.’s (“Auralex”) website on July 13, 2021. Auralex, the Defendant, apparently also uploaded the Photograph to its Instagram and Facebook accounts. Berman claims because the Photograph was copied, stored, and displayed without license or permission, Auralex infringed on her copyrights. Further, the infringing posts each apparently included a URL “for a fixed tangible medium of expression that was sufficiently permanent or stable to permit it to be communicated for a period of more than transitory duration and therefore constitutes a specific infringement.”

August 20, 2021

Shelbyville-Based Photographer Sues Dr. Brite for Alleged Copyright Infringement

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – Apparently, Amy Haehl (“Haehl”), the Plaintiff, is a nationally renowned photography that promotes her work through her photography studio, Coffee Creek Studio. Haehl claims she first gained national notoriety in 2018 after she recreated scenes from “A Christmas Story” featuring a baby wearing pink bunny pajamas. Her work has apparently been featured on “Fox & Friends” and the websites for the “Today” show and “Good Morning America.”

Haehl claims that she drew inspiration from her previous success with using model babies to use photo editing software to add teeth to her infant subjects. According to the Complaint, she registered a series of those images with the U.S. Copyright Office as Group Reg. No. VA0002191510. Further, Haehl claims she posted a copyright notice alongside each photograph posted on her Facebook page.

June 23, 2021

Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act Enacted by Congress

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

USA – The Copyright Alternative in Small-Clams Enforcement (CASE) Act was enacted on December 27, 2020. This creates a Copyright Claims Board consisting of three officers chosen by the Librarian of Congress and the Register of Copyrights. The officers will act as arbitrators for civil copyright claims and counterclaims capped at $30,000 in damages for declaratory judgment of non-infringement or for notices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The Board is expected to be operational by December 27, 2021.

Parties may affirmatively opt out of adjudication before the board within 60 days of service. Failure to do so will serve as consent to the proceeding before the Board and will waive the right to a jury trial.

The proceedings before the Board are also less formal. While parties can conduct written discovery, they may not conduct depositions under the CASE Act. Further, unlike federal district courts, attorneys’ fees are not generally awardable to prevailing parties.

June 21, 2021

Indianapolis Bouldering LLC Seeks Declaratory Judgment of Non-Infringement

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – Apparently Indianapolis Bouldering LLC, the Plaintiff, provides bouldering facilities as part of its fitness facility. According to the Complaint, Indianapolis Bouldering intends on opening a 52,000 square foot fitness facility (“North Mass Boulder”) in May 2021 using images of rocks and natural surfaces to create an organic branding aesthetic. The Defendants, BP Holdings Company, LLC, Seattle Bouldering Project, LLC, Minneapolis Bouldering Project, LLC, and Austin Bouldering Project, LLC (“Defendants”), allegedly operate climbing gyms in Washington, Texas, and Minneapolis with colorful and geometric branding.

Indianapolis Bouldering acknowledges in the Complaint that for “a brief period of time in late 2020, one of its members used content from one of Defendant’s websites (the “Website Content”) as a placeholder text during the website design process.” It further claims the Website Content was removed after being publicly available for two weeks and was replaced. The Parties apparently exchanged multiple letters regarding the Website Content and various other intellectual property rights. According to the Complaint, Defendants continued to threaten suit to enforce their purported intellectual property rights.

Therefore, Indianapolis Bouldering is seeking a declaratory judgment that (1) the intellectual property interests asserted by Defendants are invalid and/or unenforceable; (2) it is not infringing, has not infringed, and is not liable for infringing any allegedly enforceable intellectual property interest; and (3) non-violation of alleged trade secrets of Defendants.

June 18, 2021

La Porte-Based Company, Anglotopia, LLC, Sued for Alleged Copyright Infringement

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indiana – Apparently Stefan Schnebelt, the Plaintiff, is a professional photographer that licenses his photographs. Schnebelt claims he took a photograph of Murlough Bay in Northern Ireland (the “Photo”) and later placed it on his website www.stefanschnebelt.com with a gutter credit. Schnebelt also claims to have registered the Photo with the U.S. Copyright Office under Registration No. VA 2-111-254.

According to the Complaint, Anglotopia, LLC, the Defendant, operates the website www.Anglotopia.net. Schnebelt claims Anglotopia posted an article entitled The Telly Fiver-Five Game of Thrones Filming Locations You Can Visit along with the Photo on its website without his permission or a license. Therefore, Schnebelt is seeking damages for copyright infringement pursuant to 17 U.S.C. §§ 106 and 501. Further, Schnebelt is claiming Anglotopia removed his copyright management information in violation of 17 U.S.C. § 1202.

June 1, 2021

Indiana Copyright Infringement Litigation: Two Marion County Residents Sued for Alleged Copyright Infringement

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – LHF Productions, Inc. and Fallen Productions, Inc. (the “Plaintiffs”) own copyrights for the screen plays and motion pictures London Has Fallen (Certificate Number PA0001982831) and Angel Has Fallen (Certificate Number PA2197434) (hereinafter the “Works”), respectively. The Plaintiffs claim Derek S. Dueker (“Dueker”) and Doel aka byanski@gmail.com (“Doel” and collectively the “Defendants”) “registered for accounts with a notorious piracy website referred to as YTS” (the “YTS Website”). According to the Complaint, Dueker downloaded, reproduced, and shared copies of the Works numerous times in 2019. Doel also allegedly downloaded, reproduced, and shared copies of Angel Has Fallen.

According to the Complaint, Dueker and Plaintiffs entered into a settlement agreement in which Dueker would provide certain information relating to the copyright infringement along with paying $950. However, Plaintiffs claim Dueker failed to provide the signed declaration or pay the $950 as required by the agreement.

The Plaintiffs are seeking damages for direct copyright infringement in violation of 17 U.S.C. §§ 106 and 501. Plaintiffs are further claiming willful contributory copyright infringement in violation of 17 U.S.C. § 504(c)(2). Third, Plaintiffs claim Defendants knowingly concealed infringement of the Works by removing or altering the copyright management information in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 1202. Finally, Plaintiffs are suing Dueker for breach of contract.

March 16, 2021

Indiana Resident Sues Amazon for Alleged Copyright Infringement

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – Allen L. Asher-Butler (“Asher”), the Plaintiff, claims he designed and illustrated the covers for at least four books (the “Books”). Asher claims Defendants, Amazon-KDP and Jeffrey Bezo (collectively “Amazon”) have been selling the Books authored by William “Will” Wills since 2009 without his authorization. According to the Complaint, Asher filed a claim of copyright infringement with Amazon but apparently the Books have still been sold in both Kindle and paperback versions.

Asher is seeking damages for the sales of the Books in the form of a percentage of sales as a royalty. The approximate amount of royalties claimed by Asher is $5.4 million. Asher is further seeking to recover all court costs and fees.

December 28, 2020

Photographer, Larry Philpot, Files Another Copyright Infringement Case

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – Apparently, Larry G. Philpot, the Plaintiff, is a well-known photographer of concerts and musicians throughout the United States. Mr. Philpot has filed multiple copyright infringement lawsuits to protect and enforce the rights to his photographs. In this case, Mr. Philpot claims Mustard Seed Media, LLC and The Prosper Group Corporation, the Defendants, infringed his rights in copyright registration no. VAu 1-182-727, a photo Mr. Philpot allegedly took of Kid Rock. Mr. Philpot is seeking damages for copyright infringement against both Defendants pursuant to 17 U.S.C. §§ 504 and 505.