All in Copyright

DMCA Copyright Infringement Lawsuit: Record Companies v. RCN

A group of record companies has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Internet service provider RCN Telecom Services, LLC and its subsidiaries. The Plaintiff record companies argue RCN is not eligible for DMCA safe harbor immunity because RCN failed to terminate the accounts of repeat infringers or take any other meaningful action to curb subscribers’ copyright infringement. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District Of New Jersey (Case No. cv-19-17272).

Broadcasters File Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against Online Streaming Service Locast

A group of U.S. broadcast television networks have filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Locast, a free online streaming service offering local, over-the-air television. The broadcasters claim Locast is infringing their exclusive rights to perform copyrighted works publicly. Locast’s service operates under a belief that its unauthorized retransmission of copyrighted content is not an infringement because Locast is covered by an exemption provided to nonprofit organizations under the Copyright Act.

Death Blow: Texas Court Strips ISP Grande Communications Of DMCA Safe Harbor Defense

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas has ruled that Texas-based Internet service provider Grande Communications Networks, LLC may not use the Digital Millennium Copyright Act safe harbor as part of its defense against a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by a group of record labels. The case is now set to move to trial, where the record companies are seeking to hold Grande secondarily liable for over one million instances of direct copyright infringement by Grande broadband subscribers.

Update on UMG v. Grande Communications: UMG’s Files Summary Judgment Motion To Strip Grande of DMCA Safe Harbor Defense

In 2017, some of the largest record companies in the U.S. filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Grande Communications Networks, LLC, a Texas-based Internet service provider, alleging Grande broadband subscribers repeatedly infringed copyrighted works by reproducing and distributing them using BitTorrent. The record companies claim Grande is secondarily liable for these infringements because Grande does not follow its DMCA policy by terminating subscribers who are repeat infringers. The record companies have moved for summary judgment, seeking to strip Grande of its Section 512 DMCA safe harbor from secondary copyright infringement liability.