3 Count: Photo Battles

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1: Pizza Companies Sued for Copyright Infringement of Advertising Photo

First off today, Kendall Heebink at Law Street reports that a pair of pizza companies have been sued by Prepared Food Photos, Inc. (PFPI), a company that does custom photography for food industry retailers and wholesalers.

According to the lawsuit, the two companies used the photograph “ColdCutAsst040” on their websites despite not having a license to do so. As such, the company to sue for copyright infringement.

They are seeking an injunction barring further infringement, actual and statutory damages, as well as other relief deemed appropriate by the court.

2: British Photographer Files Copyright Claim Against California Bike Shop

Next up today, Bicycle Retailer and Industry News reports that a UK-based photographer has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against California-based Summit Bicycles, alleging that the company used his photo of an e-bike on their website without a license.

The photographer in question is Robin Thorn, who is also the director of Thorn Cycles Ltd. He claims to have used an automated service to track the photo and that the company is responsible for the legal action.

However, Summit claims that they actually took the image in question and did so against their building. As such, they’ve written a letter to the opposing counsel encouraging them to drop the lawsuit. It is worth noting that the two photos do not look very similar, with Thorn’s being on a white background and Summit’s against a painted stone wall.

3: Dune Leaked on Pirate Sites Before US Theatrical & HBO Max Release

Finally today, Andy Maxwell at Torrentfreak writes that the upcoming release of the movie Dune maybe one of the most hotly anticipated film releases of the year, but it’s already available on several pirate sites courtesy of the piracy group EVO.

This film is expected to make its debut in the United States on HBO Max on October 21 and in theaters the next day. However, it was featured at several film festivals before then and was released internationally to theaters on September 15. The version of the movie released is a high definition edition from Europe, which isn’t as high of quality as some had hoped.

These types of films are typically grabbed from festival screeners, which has led to a clampdown on such screeners in recent years. Nonetheless, Dune has been highly controversial for its unusual release windowing, a conversation this leak will no doubt be a part of.

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