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Authors sue this AI company for copyright infringement

Authors sue this AI company for copyright infringement

Three Authors filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Amazon-backed artificial intelligence alleging that it committed "large-scale theft" in training its popular chatbot Claude.
The lawsuit was filed by writers Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber and Kirk Wallace Johnson in a federal court in California claiming that they were not paid "a cent" for copying their work.
They allege that Clau

Fashion retailer H&M sues Chinese rival Shein in Hong Kong for copyright infringement

Fashion retailer H&M sues Chinese rival Shein in Hong Kong for copyright infringement

Chinese fast fashion retailer Shein is now facing yet another action for copyright infringement, this time filed in Hong Kong by Swedish retail giant H&M.
H&M accused Shein and Zoetop Business Co, the Hong Kong-based entity previously owned by Shein, of infringing its copyright-protected designs, including swimwear and sweaters.
According to Bloomberg, the lawsuit included details an

Twitter may sue Meta over its challenger app Threads

Twitter may sue Meta over its challenger app Threads

Twitter has threatened Meta with legal action following the successful launch of Meta's new Twitter rival, Threads.
In a letter dated July 5th, Twitter attorney Alex Spiro accused Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg of "systematic, willful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter's trade secrets and other intellectual property" in the course of creating Threads.
Spiro claimed that Meta hired dozens of

Nigerian court orders Coca-Cola to pay compensation for copyright infringement

Nigerian court orders Coca-Cola to pay compensation for copyright infringement

Coca-Cola Nigeria Plc and it’s local bottler, the Nigeria Bottling Company (NBC), have been ordered by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, Nigeria, to pay three million Naira (approximately USD 3,875) for copyright infringement of a person’s literary work, despite NBC’s argument that the works in question were not protected by copyright.
The plaintiff, Onilemarun, claimed in the lawsuit t

American-Dutch coffee conglomerate Moccona maker sues Australia’s Vittoria over glass jar

American-Dutch coffee conglomerate Moccona maker sues Australia’s Vittoria over glass jar

The American-Dutch coffee conglomerate behind Moccona, Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) and Koninkliijke Douwe Egberts BV (KDE), has accused Australia's Vittoria Coffee of copying Moccona's "iconic" shape of instant coffee in a glass jar.
The company sued Vittoria in Federal Court on the grounds that the latter was selling coffee in a glass jar that consumers might confuse for a Moccona product, whic

Katy Perry loses trademark battle with fashion designer Katie Perry

Katy Perry loses trademark battle with fashion designer Katie Perry

Pop singer Katy Perry has lost a 15-year trademark dispute with an Australian fashion designer Katie Perry.
Katie Taylor, who sells clothing under her birth name Katie Perry, filed a lawsuit against the pop diva, alleging that her merchandise violated a trademark she held.
The Australian designer launched her clothing business in late 2006 and registered “Katie Perry” as a trademark in Austr

Kakao Games

South Korean gaming company NCSOFT accuses Kakao Games of plagiarism

The creators of the mobile role-playing game ArcheAge War are being sued by South Korean video game developer NCSOFT for allegedly violating the copyright in its mobile game Lineage 2M.
The company filed the lawsuit in the Seoul Central District Court against the game's publisher Kakao Games and developer XL Games for copyright infringement and unfair competition, claiming that ArcheAge War “im

Korean start-up claims LG H&H stole its concept of tattoo printer

Korean start-up claims LG H&H stole its concept of tattoo printer

South Korean start-up Prinker Korea has accused LG Household & Health Care of copying the design of its personalized tattoo printing device, sold under the name Prinker M.
Prinker said that LG H&H had applied for a design patent in September 2020 under the name "tattoo printer," despite signing a non-disclosure agreement in June 2019 regarding a potential commercial relationship.
The

Coachella accuses ‘Coachillin’ Business Park of trademark infringement

Coachella accuses ‘Coachillin’ Business Park of trademark infringement

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival's organizers have accused a cannabis business park in California of trademark infringement for adopting and using the term "Coachillin".
Coachillin Holdings and several associated entities have been accused of taking advantage of a common hashtag and expression associated with the music festival.
In the lawsuit, AEG’s Goldenvoice, the owner of the

Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” copyright lawsuit may cost US$100 million

Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” copyright lawsuit may cost US$100 million

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran will face a jury trial for plagiarizing Marvin Gaye’s 1973 hit Let’s Get It On to write his song 2014 song Thinking Out Loud, after he failed to dismiss the case.
The lawsuit alleges that Sheeran and his co-writer Amy Wadge "copied and exploited, without authorization or credit."
They are accused of using melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, instrumental, and dynamic ele

Image source: BBC.com / equineteurope.org / Nyome Nicholas-Williams Instagram account

Spanish beach body campaign used a model’s image without her consent

British model Nyome Nicholas-Williams has accused Spain’s Ministry of Equality of using her photo from Instagram and featuring it in their advertisement without her permission.
The ministry launched a summer campaign that features five diverse women chilling out on a beach to persuade women who are worried about their body looks and, therefore, avoid going to the beach.
The Institute for Wom

Screengrab of www.dreamstime.com

Dreamstime launches new tool to help, educate and persuade naive copyright infringers

Dreamstime, one of the world’s leaders in photo licensing, has introduced LicenseGuard, a proprietary copyright tracking tool that seeks to resolve disputes by offering cost-effective licensing as well as education.
The tool will use AI-powered scanning technology, cutting-edge image recognition algorithms, and human assessment to track, detect, and flag potentially unlicensed uses of the agenc

Image comparing two pieces side-by side. Pulled from Case 2:22-cv-04128-PA-GJS

Chinese fast fashion giant Shein sued by artist Magdalena Stephenson for copying her artwork

US-based artist Magdalena Mollman, professionally known as Maggie Stephenson, has accused Chinese fast-fashion retailer Shein of using her artwork without permission.

She has sued Shein and its distribution company for more than US$100 million in damages on account of four claims: copyright infringement, vicarious and/or contributory copyright infringement, removal of copyright management i

Image source: theguardian.com / sneakernews.com

Kanye West accused Adidas of copying of his Yeezy slides design

Rapper Kanye West made a surprise return to Instagram to accuse Adidas of ripping off his Yeezy slides design.
The Adillette slides, which Adidas first introduced in May on social media, are similar to Kanye West's Yeezy slides from 2019, which also had a slip-on design, and were made of natural and renewable materials.
To express his displeasure, the 45-year-old rapper wrote a lengthy post,

How independent creators or screenwriters can safeguard their original ideas and negotiate better terms with the film industry

How independent creators or screenwriters can safeguard their original ideas and negotiate better terms with the film industry

The ongoing disruption in the film and television industry has changed the way movies are produced, distributed, and consumed. With the proliferation of subscription-based video-on-demand (SVOD) and Over the Tops (OTTs), the demand for original as well as regional content has increased enormously, which in turn has opened up a gamut of opportunities for independent creators.
Gone are the days w

Bodyright image source: www.unfpa.org/bodyright

Can UNFPA’s “bodyright” initiative stop women from getting abused in the virtual world?

UNFPA, a United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, wants to change the way women are treated in the virtual world and is urging them to join their global movement.
The internet provides an important space for women who want to express themselves and garner professional opportunities. However, this access acts as a double-edged sword because they disproportionately face all forms of

Makers of Tom Cruise's "Top Gun: Maverick" sued for copyright infringement

Makers of Tom Cruise's "Top Gun: Maverick" sued for copyright infringement

The film ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ has joined the billion-dollar club as it continues to dominate at the box office. The studio behind it, Paramount Pictures, is embroiled in a legal dispute over the blockbuster though.
The widow and son of Ehud Yonay, who wrote a 1983 article in California magazine titled, "Top Guns," about fighter pilots and the Navy's elite Top Gun program, has sue

Images from respective Instagram accounts

Kim Kardashian’s skin care brand SKKN called out for similarities to two existing brand names - SKKN+ and SKN by LH

SKKN by KIM, Kim Kardashian's recently launched skincare brand has been accused of stealing its name from two already existing beauty brands SKKN+ and Lori Harvey's skincare line SKN by LH.
In July 2021, Kardashian’s legal team received a cease-and-desist from a company, Beauty Concepts LLC, whose owner Cyndie Lunsford claimed that she has been operating salons under

CTTO: GoNintendo.com

Epic Games sued for copying Kyle Hanagami’s dance moves in its ‘Fortnite’ game

Epic Games has been hit with a lawsuit by a Los Angeles-based choreographer Kyle Hanagami alleging it ripped off his dance steps in its Fortnite game.
Hanagami, who has choreographed for pop stars such as Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears, claimed in court that Epic Games took the "hook" segment of his dance from the viral video and used it without his permission in the "It's Complicated" Emot

CTTO: Katten.com

Did Nike really come up with the 'Ballin' concept, or was it Adobe Bryant who pitched it to them?

Graphic designer Landon T. Jones has filed an idea theft suit against Nike for stealing his design for the NCAA’s “March Madness” promotional campaign.
Jones, aka Adobe Bryant, claims to have pitched his idea to Nike’s marketing executive in April 2020 by providing a Dropbox link.
He further claims that the executive looked at the deck multiple times, but never contacted him to approve or re

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Let your clients get the idea, without taking it.

PitchMark deters idea theft and provides you with options if it happens.

PitchMark protects the expression of your original concepts, designs, proposals, business plans, creative pitches, music - in short, any idea that you conceived and published, and claim as your own. It gives you peace-of-mind by signalling to whoever you share it with that you are its creator, and that you wish to be respected as such.

If you receive or evaluate ideas or pitches, join PitchMark as a sign of your commitment to respect the Intellectual Property rights of their creators. Attract more in-depth pitches from a wider range of sources. Highlight your PitchMark membership in your Sustainability or CSR Report.

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