3 Count: Safaera Settlement

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1: Bad Bunny Reaches Preliminary Settlement Over Reggaeton Hit ‘Safaera’

First off today, Nancy Dillon at RollingStone reports that Bad Bunny as well as other collaborators on his track Safaera have reached a preliminary settlement with a music company that claimed the song used unlicensed samples.

The lawsuit was filed by AOM Music over allegations that Safaera contained unlicensed samples from DJ Playero’s Playero mixtapes. Though the case was prepared to go to court, both sides entered into mediation and, at a January 17 conference, produced a “settlement in principle.”

Because of that settlement, the judge has put the case on hold, pending a finalized settlement between the parties. As for DJ Playero, he has said that he is not a party to the lawsuit and prefers to avoid “scandals.”

2: Software Glitch Revokes Copyright Protection for AI-Generated Comic Book

Next up today, Katyanna Quach at The Register reports that news about the revocation of an AI-generated comic book’s copyright registration appears to have been premature as the registration was falsely reported as cancelled due to a glitch in a new system at the United States Copyright Office (USCO).

The case involves Kris Kashtanova, an artist who used an AI to create the images for a graphic novel entitled Zarya Of The Dawn. They filed with the USCO for a copyright registration and was initially granted one under their name. However, as discussion about the AI-generated nature of the book began to swirl, the USCO said that it was investigating the issue and may wind up revoking the registration as it doesn’t grant registrations to AI-generated works.

That registration appeared to have been revoked after several news outlets reported that the registration was marked as cancelled on the USCO’s website. However, the USCO has clarified that it has not made a decision yet, saying that the label was an error in their new Voyager system, which serves as the USCO’s official public catalog.

3: Copyright Troll Lawyer Can’t Hire an Undercover to Sue More Pirates from Prison

Finally today, Ernesto Van der Sar at Torrentfreak writes that Paul Hansmeier, a former attorney with a reputation for being a copyright troll, has been denied in his attempt to be released from prison and an attempt to hire a private investigator to continue enforcing his copyrights.

Hansmeier was a key figure in Prenda Law case. The law firm became famous for filing lawsuits against suspected file sharers, earning them the reputation of being a copyright troll. However, the case became a criminal matter when it was discovered that lawyers leading the case had uploaded the pirated videos themselves, committed identity theft and misled the court about who was the owner of the copyrights.

Three years ago, Hansmeier was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his part in the operation. Recently, he filed a petition to have his sentence either reduced or vacated, citing harsh conditions in prison. That petition was denied, as was another petition seeking to hire an outside agent to resume enforcing copyrights on content he owned while he was in prison.

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