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Why Media Companies Should Screen the Backgrounds of Copyright Infringement Claimants (+AUDIO)

Why Media Companies Should Screen the Backgrounds of Copyright Infringement Claimants – AUDIO – IPPIBlog.com

In an article published in the World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR) on September 25, 2017, it was reported that a copyright infringement claim made against Curtis Jackson (a.k.a. 50 Cent) and Starz was recently dismissed by a U.S. District Court judge because the claimant, “…had not met the pleading burden of showing “ ‘more than a bare possibility that defendants had access…’ ” to the claimant’s manuscript.

As a private investigation firm, we, of course, cannot speak to the merits of any particular copyright infringement claim, but there are two common themes that come up time and time again whenever we are called in by a media-defendant to look into the claimant’s background: 1) The claimant has no significant production credits, and, 2) The claimant is broke.

Of course, being broke and having no significant production credits (at the time of the claim) does not automatically discredit one’s claim, but for media companies—often faced with having to defend itself against disingenuous claims—it could shed some light on what is truly motivating the claimant.

Judge Dismisses Copyright Suit Against 50 Cent

Disclaimer: IPPIBlog.com is offered as a service to the professional IP community. While every effort has been made to check information in this blog, we provide no guarantees or warranties, express or implied, with regard to content provided in IPPIBlog.com. We disclaim any and all liability and responsibility for the qualification or accuracy of representations made by the contributors or for any disputes that may arise. It is the responsibility of the readers to independently investigate and verify the credentials of such person and the accuracy and validity of the information provided by them. This blog is provided for general information purposes only and is not intended to provide legal or other professional advice.

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Ron Alvarez is an IP investigations and protection consultant and writer in New York City. He is a former NYPD lieutenant where he investigated robbery, narcotics, internal affairs, and fine art theft cases. Ron has since coordinated the private investigation of international fraud and money laundering cases, as well as IP-related investigations and research involving the four pillars of IP: copyright, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. Ron is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and earned a B.A. in Government and Public Administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. He has written a number of articles for various investigative publications, as well as published "The World of Intellectual Property (IP) Protection and Investigations" in November 2021.

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