by: Tamera H. Bennett
May 2, 2008

This is NOT our client.

From the Fort Worth Star Telegram:

Charles Ray Fuller must have been planning one big record company.

The 21-year-old North Texas man was arrested last week for trying to cash a $360 billion check, saying he wanted to start a record business, authorities said. Tellers at the Fort Worth bank were immediately suspicious - perhaps the 10 zeros on a personal check tipped them off, according to investigators.

by Tamera H. Bennett
April 30, 2008

The documentary Expelled (see my post earlier) released on April 18, 2008 had and still has some legal wrangling regarding content.

Four days before the theatrical release, the producers of the film filed a declaratory judgment action in the Northern District of Texas after receiving a demand letter from XVIVO, LLC claiming certain animation in the film infringed XVIVO’s copyright.

A week after the film’s release Yoko Ono, John Lennon’s sons and EMI Blackwood Music, Inc. (publishing administrator) sued Premise Media Corporation, LP for copyright infringement for use of the lyrics to “Imagine.”

The complaint states: …The Film prominently featured the use of John Lennon’s recording of [Imagine] together with reproduction, by subtitle, of a portion of the lyrics of [Imagine] on the screen.

The wording in the complaint at first leads you to believe the plaintiff’s are asserting a claim for copyright infringement of the master recording, along with copyright infringement for the use of the song. But, the master issue is not raised again.

Also of interest is a claim for Lanham Act violations of 1125(a). The complaint reads: The name “Imagine” is distinctive and arbitrary and has acquired secondary meaning. “Imagine” is entitled to protection from misappropriation and from use on unauthorized goods and products.

Premise’s answer is not yet due, but the press release from Premise and a review of other reports, show Premise is claiming the use of 10 words from the lyrics of “Imagine” are for commentary purposes and fall within the defense of fair use under the copyright act.

On a footnote…. the copyright nerd in me thought it was pretty cool to see the copyright registration filed for “Imagine” which was attached to the Ono Lennon complaint.

Premise Media Corporation, LP v XVIVO, LLC
Northern District of Texas
April 14, 2008
3-08CV0639-D

Ono Lennon v. Premise Media Corporation
Southern District of New York
April 24, 2008
08-CV-3813

By Tamera H. Bennett

From Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, my alma mater:

My name is Zach Burt and I am currently a second-year student at Texas Wesleyan School of Law. Recently, I was elected to serve as the Symposium Editor of the Texas Wesleyan Law Review for the upcoming academic year of 2008-2009. I am writing this email because I want to inform you of an exciting symposium that the Wesleyan Law Review will be hosting this Fall. This symposium will be held at Texas Wesleyan School of Law on Friday, October 10, 2008. The topic of the symposium is Intellectual Property and Indigenous Peoples and its purpose is to examine intellectual property concepts - copyrights, trademark rights, patent rights, and trade secrets - as applied to the cultural heritage, art, and artifact of indigenous peoples. The Law Review is currently accepting proposals for presentations and papers on subjects related to the conjunction (or disjunction) of intellectual property law and policy with the interests of indigenous peoples. We anticipate the dialogue to represent a variety of perspectives, and include both academics and practitioners. Accepted papers will be published in Texas Wesleyan Law Review.

I want to personally extend an invitation to each of you to participate in this symposium and submit an article on this topic if you so desire. I also want to solicit your help to reach out to practitioners and academics who you feel would be interested in writing a paper and participating in a symposium on this topic. If you are an interested author or speaker, or if you know of anyone who would be an interested author or speaker, please submit an abstract of fewer than 300 words to jzachburt at gmail.com by May 30, 2008.

If you have any questions or comments, or you need any additional information, please feel free to contact me any time at jzachburt at gmail.com. Questions and requests for further information can also be directed to Megan Carpenter, Associate Professor of Law in Intellectual Property, at mcarpenter at law.txwes.edu.

Sincerely,
Zach Burt
Symposium Editor
Texas Wesleyan Law Review

By: Tamera H. Bennett and Stephanie A. Prince

Below is a summary of some of the copyright cases filed in the Northern District of Texas during the first quarter of 2008.
Northern District
Arcadia(MSI) v. Univision Communications, Inc. (4:08cv023y) Arcadia, an Austrian company engaged in the business of publishing and distributing musical works along with Premier Tracks, Arcadia’s subpublisher in the United States, filed suit against Univision on January 16, 2008 for the use, performance, publication, and exploitation of several of Arcadia’s licensed musical works in and for a television series.

Arcadia seeks injunctive relief, an order requiring Defendants to impound and destroy all copies of the television series, and damages.

Great Notions, Inc. v. Brown (8:08cv0092k)
Great Notions, a Texas and Illinois corporation filed suit on January 22, 2008 against Carol Brown for the copy, reproduction, duplication, trade, dissemination, and sale of some of Great Notions’ “Amazing Designs” copyrighted art and character embroidery designs over the internet.

Great Notions seeks injunctive relief, punitive damages, exemplary damages, and attorneys’ fees.

Michael Massingill v. Stream Energy Ltd. (8:08cv0091m)
Massingill, one of two co-authors and owners of all right, title, and interest in and to the copyrights in the Arsenal CIS software, filed suit on January 22, 2008 against Stream Energy, Ltd and others for the knowing and willful direct copying of Plaintiff’s Arsenal Software for the maintenance of its business. Massingill further alleges that while Stream Energy has not recorded a single dollar’s worth of sales of energy without using Arsenal Software, Stream Energy has wholly refused to pay any license fees for the software.

Massingill seeks injunctive relief, damages, and attorneys’ fees.

Reinfield Music Publishing, Inc. v. I Gotcha, Inc. (4:08cv193y)
Reinfield Music Publishing, Inc. and others filed suit on March 20, 2008 against I Gotcha, Inc. and Waldrow W. Duncan for copyright infringement based on Defendants’ public performances of copyrighted musical works. I Gotcha, Inc. is a Texas corporation that controls, manages, operates, and maintains Main Stage, a bar in Fort Worth, Texas. Among the copyrighted musical works at issue are: “Before He Cheats,” “Hells Bells,” and “Runnin’ With The Devil.”

Plaintiffs seek injunctive relief, damages, and attorneys’ fees.

Gouldd v. Accetta (3:08cv04970)
Bill Gouldd filed suit on March 21, 2008 against Marc Accetta and others for copyright infringement by illegal and unauthorized copying, sale, distribution, and performance of Gouldd’s copyrighted works as well as the illegal and unauthorized creation and performance of derivative works, breach of contract, interference with business relations, and misappropriation and wrongful use of trade secrets.

The complaint alleges that Gouldd is the creator and sole copyright owner of collections of audio recordings based on Gouldd’s original performances, referred to as the “Character Stories.” These “Character Stories” include such pieces as: “The Doctor,” the “High Plains Drifter,” “The Fisherman,” “The Construction Worker,” “The Farmer,” “The Professor,” “The G.I.,” “The Golfer,” “The Karate Master,” “The Prisoner,” “The Prospector,” “The Hockey Player,” “The Joker,” “The Mechanic,” and “The Indian Chief.”

The complaint further alleges that the Defendants are engaged in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of written materials, audio recordings, and live lectures and performances in the field of motivation and life coaching, private consulting services, and related products and services in the field of motivation and life coaching. The complaint goes on to allege that Defendants infringement includes making or having made and placed on the market, written materials, audio and video recordings of copies and/or derivative works of Gouldd’s copyrighted works, and that Defendant Accetta, encouraged by the other Defendants, interfered with Gouldd’s business relations by breaching an agreement with Advanced Marketing Seminars, Inc., and misappropriating Gouldd’s trade secrets that had been licensed to Advanced Marketing Seminars, Inc.

Gouldd seeks injunctive relief, damages, and attorneys’ fees.

CHM Industries v. Structural & Steel Products, Inc. (8:08cv0217p)
Plaintiff CHM creates high mast lighting applications for use in the commercial transportation, and sporting sectors.

CHM maintains a series of copyrighted scaled and unscaled drawings depicting its high mast lighting applications. CHM filed suit on February 7, 2008 against Structural Steel Products, Inc. and others for the illegal publication and other use of CHM’s copyrighted works, as well as for the misappropriation and unlawful use of CHM’s trade secrets, misappropriation of CHM’s effort, conversion of CHM’s property, common law and statutory theft of trade secrets, harmful access by computer, breach of fiduciary duty, knowingly participating in fiduciary breach, breach of contract, tortuous interference with CHM’s contractual and/or prospective business relationships, and conspiracy. CHM alleges that Steel Structural Products, Inc. maintained access to CHM’s trade secrets and other property through employees who were former CHM employees.

CHM seeks injunctive relief, economic damages, exemplary damages, and attorneys’ fees.

College Entrance Examination Board v. Karen Dillard College Prep, LP (3:08cv0034)
The College Board filed suit on February 20, 2008 against Karen Dillard for copyright and trademark infringement. The College Board alleges that Karen Dillard copied and distributed, among other documents, a test form from a live SAT form used by the College Board. To add insult to injury, the College Board further alleges that Karen Dillard named this test form “PVA,” meaning “Pirated Version.”

The College Board seeks injunctive relief, damages, and attorneys’ fees.

Arista Records LLC v. DOES 1 – 16 (4:2008cv00132) The record labels are busy with copyright infringement claims for unauthorized downloading and distribution of music in the Northern District of Texas.

by Tamera H. Bennett
April 23, 2008

Forty-seven years ago Thomas Kenneth Abraham d/b/a Paddle Tramps started selling keepsakes to sororities and fraternities, featuring Greek letters and house insignia. Now the Greeks are saying stop it.

A lawsuit in Southern Florida, naming Abraham as one of seven defendants, was dismissed April 1, 2008 because of lack of venue. There is a great article on LAW.COM with background on this case.

But, the saga continues … Abraham filed a declaratory judgment action in the Northern District of Texas on April 3, 2008 against 67 defendants. Who knew there were that many Greek organizations? Cut the number in half because the sorority/fraternity was sued as an unincorporated association along with the corporate organization for each sorority/fraternity.

Abraham seeks a declaration from the court on non-infringement on several grounds, but I think this may be his best argument:

Plaintiff [Abraham/Paddle Tramps] further requests a declaratory judgment from this Court that the Defendants’ failure to control the use of their alleged marks for decades by Paddle Tramps and others not only negates any likelihood of confusion, but this conduct along with other action or inaction by Defendants bars any claims against Paddle Tramps for infringement.

Abraham is represented by Dallas attorney Molly Richard.

Abraham v. Alpha Chi Omega et al
Assigned to: Judge Reed C O’Connor
Cause: 28:2201 Declaratory Judgment
Filed April 1, 2008
Northern District of Texas, Dallas

by Tamera H. Bennett
April 23, 2008

The folks over at Seton Hall Law Review requested I pass along the following information:

Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law
Call for Submissions!

The Seton Hall School of Law Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law is seeking submissions for possible publication in future issues. If you are a law professor, other type of professor, practicing attorney, judicial clerk, law student, or graduate student who has written a substantive piece that pertains to sports or entertainment law, please consider submitting your work.

For more information or to submit a piece, please e-mail Tara Touloumis, Articles Editor, ttouloumis at gmail.com. Thank you!

by Tamera H. Bennett

Congratulations to our friend and colleague Melody Wilkinson on winning the run-off election for the republican nominee for judge of the Tarrant County, Texas 17th Judicial District.

It was a close one. Twenty votes made the difference.

by: Tamera H. Bennett

Testimony began today in Britain to enforce a 2006 California court judgment against a British prop designer held liable for copyright and trademark infringement of the Star Wars’ “Storm Trooper” design.

Andrew Ainsworth, sculpted the Stormtrooper helmet for the first “Star Wars” movie in 1977. Ainsworth now sells replicas of the helmets and armor “casted from the original molds.”

Lucasfilms won a $20 million judgment in 2006. Now that they are enforcing the judgment, Ainsworth is countersuing claim he owns the copyright and is entitled to a portion of the $24 Billion in “Star Wars” merchandising revenue.

May the Force be with you in all your litigation.

by Tamera H. Bennett and Katherine Stimson
April 4, 2008

Deutsche Telekom, better known as T-Mobile in the U.S., sent a cease and desist letter this week to technology blog ENGADGET MOBILE demanding it ceases using the color magenta on its website.

Deutsche Telekom holds hundreds of trademark registrations for everything from clothing and beer to financial services, insurance, and cell phone communications. Some of Deutsche Telekom’s applications claim the color magenta as part of the trademark.

Read more at WIRED.

Here is ENGADGET’S view.

by Tamera H. Bennett
April 3, 2008

I enjoyed listening to this NPR news story last week regarding colleges, namely Auburn and Alabama, who do not own the copyright to their fight song.

It was a great opportunity to explain to my 8 year-old what Mom does for a living when it comes to licensing songs. His reply to the idea that Auburn does not make any money from their fight song … “they should become a vicious mob and get their money.”