3 Count: Carlin’s Settlement

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1: George Carlin’s Estate Settles Lawsuit Over Ai-Generated Comedy Routine

First off today, Blake Brittain at Reuters reports that the estate of George Carlin has reached a settlement with a pair of podcasters who used AI to generate a “new” comedy routine featuring the comic.

The estate sued the creators of the Dudesy podcast for using AI to create a one-hour comic special imitating George Carlin in both appearance and content. The lawsuit claimed that the comics violated Carlin’s rights to his likeness and his copyrights.

The lawsuit was filed in January and could have been a significant test of AI and publicity rights. However, the case has been settled and most of the terms of the settlement were not disclosed. What we do know is that the podcasters have agreed to take down the video in question as well as not use Carlin’s work or his likeness in the future.

2: Napster Dispute with British Photographer Puts the Spotlight on The Music Industry’s Artwork Deals

Next up today, Chris Cooke at Complete Music Update reports that the streaming service Napster is facing a lawsuit filed by photographer Adrian Boot over an image of reggae artist Sugar Minott.

Boot claims that he holds the copyright to an image featured on one of Minott’s albums that was then used as cover art on Napster. However, Napster alleges that Boot was paid for the image and the use was licensed through Minott’s record label.

To counter that, Boot claims that, while he did license the image, the use of it broadly in Napster, rather than just as an album cover, violates the terms of his license. Boot is seeking statutory damages in the area of $15,000 but may have issues with that due to his late registration of the work. Napster is seeking to have the case dismissed.

3: Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Actor Alfonso Ribeiro Denied ‘Carlton Dance’ Copyright Claim

Finally today, Sky News reports that Alfonso Ribeiro, best known for his role as Carlton on the TV show Fresh Prince of Bel Air, has been denied a copyright registration on his famous “Carlton dance” that he performed on the show.

Ribeiro sued the video game company Take-Two Internactive over alleged copyright infringement of the dance in their NBA 2K16 basketball game. As part of that lawsuit, Take-Two says that the United States Copyright Office denied Ribeiro’s registration for the dance, saying that it is a simple dance routine and not a protectable work of choreography.

Ribeiro is also suing Epic Games over the use of the dance in Fortnite, that case is ongoing.

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