3 Count: Radio Trio

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1: Trio Of Radio Groups Sued By GMR Challenge Copyright Infringement Claims

First off today, Inside Radio reports that a trio of radio organizations have hit back at a lawsuit filed by Global Music Rights, saying that the claims are an example of “shotgun pleading” and are bound by the statute of limitations.

Global Music Rights (GMR) is a performing rights organization (PRO) similar to ASCAP and BMI in that they license the rights to compositions to third parties, including radio stations. They recently filed a lawsuit against three radio groups, Southern Stone, One Putt and Red Wolf over allegations that they played GMR-controlled music without obtaining a license.

However, those groups have hit back. Though they stopped short of asking the case to be dismissed, they say that some of the claims that were brought are barred by statute of limitations and that the case itself is confusing and makes it impossible to determine what infringement occurred, if any. GMR has reached similar settlements with other radio groups, including one with the Radio Music License Committee.

2: ISPs Sued Over Pirate Movie Hosters Fembed, Uqload, Upvid, & Uvideo

Next up today, Andy Maxwell at Torrentfreak writes that, in France, a group of local media companies and trade groups have filed a lawsuit against several of the nation’s largest internet service providers (ISPs) in hopes of getting key pirate sites blocked.

The lawsuit specifically targets four of the nation’s largest ISPs but, rather than seeking damages, they are demanding that they block access to four sites, Fembed, Uqload, Upvid, & Uvideo. According to the lawsuit, though each of the sites does attract millions of visitors, they’re most commonly used to embed illegal video in other pirate sites.

Though some of the sites involved do claim to have DMCA agents and claim to take other steps to reduce piracy, the lawsuit claims that these efforts are a farce and that, in addition to earning revenue from pirated content, the sites actually reward those that upload infringing material.

3: Singaporean Photographer Who Claimed Artist ‘Ripped Off’ Her Work Loses Plagiarism Trial

Finally today, Chandler Treon at NextShark reports that, in Luxembourg, a court has ruled that artist Jeff Dieschburg did not infringe the work of a Singaporean photographer.

The lawsuit was filed by Jingna Zhang, who alleged that Dieschurg copied a photo she took in 2017 when creating a painting. A side-by-side comparison of the two images highlighted how similar the model and pose were. By that point, Dieschurg’s painting had already won a significant award and was on display in a prominent gallery.

However, the court has ruled that, despite the similarities, Dieschurg did not infringe Zhang’s work. According to the court, the model’s pose was not unique and, as such, did not enjoy copyright protection. It is unclear if Zhang intends to appeal the ruling.

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