IP and Media

Gingrich's Tiger like Eyes

United States presidential candidate from the Republican Party, Mr Newt Gingrich, is being sued by the composer of the Rocky III theme song Eye of the Tiger, Frank Sullivan. The lawsuit has outlined that Mr Gingrich has, as early as 2009, entered rallies and public events to the song.

Anti-piracy protest triggers Wikipedia shutdown

Online encyclopaedia Wikipedia will shut down for 24 hours tomorrow (18 January 2012) to protest against US piracy laws backed by the music and film industries but rigorously opposed by internet companies.

The Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act will force internet-service providers to block non-US websites that offer pirated content if served with a court order.

Samsung Electronics Co. Limited v Apple Inc: Balance of convenience and justice favours Samsung

The Full Court of the Federal Court has upheld Samsung’s Appeal in Samsung Electronics Co. Limited v Apple Inc. [2011] FCAFC 156, overturning the injunction prohibiting the sale of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Apple had claimed that Samsung had slavishly copied the iPad’s interface and had successfully won an injunction banning the Galaxy’s sale until a court could decide on whether Samsung had infringed Apple’s patents.

Facebook - a litigator's best friend

No matter how many times you adjust the latest privacy setting on Facebook there is, ultimately, no such thing as privacy in social media.

Telcos volunteer to help police piracy

FIVE of Australia's largest internet service providers have volunteered their help in policing infringements by their customers in a major reversal of tactics in the copyright wars.

The about-face comes just days before the High Court is due to hear an appeal by a group representing many of the largest entertainment industry rights holders in Australia against a Federal Court judgment in February that found telco iiNet was not responsible for copyright infringement by its clients.

Australian woman sues Google over comments posted online

An Australian woman is suing Google for defamation, saying she had no choice but to litigate after spending months trying to persuade the search engine giant to remove links to a site hosting inflammatory comments about her.

Famous Author Salmon Rushdie at Twitter War with Facebook

It’s probably a new thing in the world of online that someone has had to fight to claim their real identity even though the war between Salman Rushdie and Facebook and has ended with an apology.

Recent US decision confirms the fragility of Social Media & Internet Privacy Policy

In the US as a user of social network or online services like Twitter or Facebook you have now less right to expect privacy if the entity trying to get access to your personal information happens to be the U.S. Department of Justice.

Big tobacco ready for plain packaging legal challenge

The tobacco industry is set to take the Government to the High Court after world-first plain packaging laws passed the Senate last night.

The legislation requiring all cigarettes be sold in drab olive-brown packs with prominent health warnings will have to return to the lower house for a final tick of approval after the start date was amended to December 2012 - six months later than planned.

Can big tobacco sue for compensation over the plain packaging laws, by virtue of Section 51(xxxi) of the Constitution?

The Tobacco Plain Packaging Bill 2011 will tonight pass the Senate and both British American Tobacco and Philip Morris have repeated threats of legal action against the government over what they claim is the effective seizure of their intellectual property.

Phillip Morris has filed a notice of claim against the Australian government for allegedly breaching the Australia-Hong Kong (SAR) Bilateral Investment Treaty which forbids the seizure or expropriation of foreign assets without compensation.