Thursday, April 30, 2009

Petition for rehearing en banc on telecasting issue denied by First Circuit in SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum

Hat tip to Copyrights & Campaigns for this news:

In SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum, the First Circuit has denied the defendant's motion for rehearing en banc on the telecasting issue.

Order denying rehearing en banc



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RIAA asks court to accelerate June 5th hearing to next week, to rule that Chicago deposition can be taken by telephone, & to consider 'new' evidence

In SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum, the RIAA has made a motion to:

-accelerate the June 5th hearing to next week; and
-take the Chicago deposition of a 'mystery witness' by telephone.

Plaintiffs' motion to accelerate June 5th hearing and for permission to conduct Chicago deposition of unnamed witness by telephone

Additionally, plaintiffs filed a "supplemental memorandum" in connection with a motion they made approximately 6 months ago, on the ground that they it contained "new evidence" they obtained 8 months ago.

Plaintiffs' Supplemental Memo in support of motion to compel discovery responses

[Ed. note. Time, once again, to remind the law students and fledgling lawyers out there not to practice law this way : (a) it is not recommended practice to tell a judge that she should accelerate the hearing date she set for decision of a number of motions, all involving voluminous paperwork, (b) there is no basis in the law for making a motion to compel a deposition without revealing the identify of the witness, the subject matter, etc., (c) it is inappropriate to attempt to submit as "new evidence" in support of a motion evidence which was in your possession two months prior to your making the motion, and (d) it is inappropriate to submit any "evidence" by a memorandum of law. Again I just want to remind you that this case is being litigated in a strange way by both sides, and there is nothing going on that should be emulated. It looks like both sides' attorneys are trying their hardest, not to win, but to lose, the case. Just disregard everything you see. I'm tempted to stop coverage of this case, because... well because I can't bear to watch. I'm going to start taking a poll on that; please respond by comment to this post. -R.B.]

Commentary & discussion:

Copyrights & Campaigns
p2pnet.net
gulli (German)




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Good story in p2pnet about RIAA taking revenge on teenager Brittany Kruger

Good story in p2pnet today about the RIAA's taking revenge against Brittany Kruger, a Michigan teenager:



RIAA punishes Brittany for resisting


p2pnet news view | RIAA News:- They’re nasty. They’re vicious. They’re hookers working for the RIAA.

And they’ll (try to) justify the evil they do to people such as Michigan student Brittany Kruger by saying they’re lawyers so it’s OK: that it’s their duty to do whatever they can to help their clients, the unprincipled representatives of a corporate street gang called the Big 4.

Why do I mention Brittany in particular out of the 40,000 innocent people, including very young children, across America who are being harried and harassed by RIAA hit lawyers, such as those working for Holme Roberts & Owen or, on this occasion, by Matthew E. Krichbaum (right)?

Because she and her father, Randy, have been standing against false accusations levelled at her - that she’s an illegal distributor of copyrighted ‘product’ owned by Sony Music, UMG (Vivendi Universal), Elektra, Atlantic, and Warner Bros Records.

Brittany wouldn’t do what she was ordered to do by smiling HRO partner Donald Kelso (below), so now the gang is tuning her up, with Krichbaum on the front end.
Complete article

Commentary & discussion:

p2pnet.net (5/1)




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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Plaintiffs file opposition papers to defendant's motion for leave to amend answer in SONY v. Tenenbaum

Plaintiffs have filed their opposition papers to defendant's motion for leave to amend his answer in SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum

Plaintiffs' opposition to defendant's motion for leave to amend answer

Commentary & discussion:

Copyrights and Campaigns





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Motions adjourned in SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum

In SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum, the defendant's motion for reconsideration as to video streaming was denied, and all of the other motions have been adjourned to June 5th.

The docket entries are as follows:

Judge Nancy Gertner: Electronic ORDER entered denying 786 Motion for Extension of Time to File; denying 787 Motion for Reconsideration. See Electronic Order entered on 3/24/2009. (Gaudet, Jennifer) (Entered: 04/29/2009)

ELECTRONIC NOTICE of Rescheduling Hearing on Motions: [709] MOTION to Compel Discovery Responses from Joel Tenenbaum, [686] MOTION to Amend [625] Amended Answer to Complaint, Counterclaim, [672] MOTION for Protective Order, [693] MOTION to Add the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as a Party to Defendant's Amended Counterclaim, [670] MOTION to Dismiss Counterclaims Asserted By Defendant Joel Tenenbaum, [806] MOTION to Amend [625] Amended Answer to Complaint, Counterclaim, [686] MOTION to Amend [625] Amended Answer to Complaint, Counterclaim, [779] MOTION to Dismiss : Motion Hearing is reset for 6/5/2009 02:30 PM in Courtroom 2 before Judge Nancy Gertner. (Gaudet, Jennifer)


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Free Software Foundation files brief arguing RIAA damages theory unconstitutional in Philadelphia case, SONY BMG Music v. Cloud

In SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Cloud, a case pending in Philadelphia, the Free Software Foundation has requested permission to file an amicus curiae brief arguing that the RIAA's statutory damages theory is unconstitutional.

Among other things, the brief:

-reviews case law and scholarship subsequent to the Supreme Court's decision in the State Farm case to the effect that statutory damages are subject to due process scrutiny under the test enunciated in State Farm and in the Gore case;
-analyzes the Supreme Court cases in Gore, State Farm, and Williams, as well as the 6th Circuit's decision in Zomba;
-discusses other authorities for the principle that statutory damages under the Copyright Act must bear a reasonable relationship to actual damages;
-argues that the RIAA and the Department of Justice ought not to be permitted to blur the distinction between their "downloading" claim and their "distribution" claim;
-argues that the RIAA and Department of Justice ought not to be permitted to speculate as to what the record companies' damages might have been had they been able to prove that the defendant was in fact a distributor;
-argues that the RIAA's theory that every unauthorized download is a lost sale for damages purposes has been discredited;
-argues that even under the Williams test, which the RIAA and DOJ claim to be applicable, the RIAA's statutory damages theory is still flagrantly unconstitutional;
-points out that even the Department of Justice, which has argued on the RIAA's behalf that "statutory damages" are different than "punitive damages", has itself taken the position -- but months ago -- that "statutory damages ...are similar to punitive damages"; and
-points out that the US Supreme Court has recognized that statutory damages are indeed similar to punitive damages.

Free Software Foundation Motion for Leave to File Amicus Curiae Brief
Proposed Amicus Curiae Brief Submitted by Free Software Foundation


Digg!



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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

IP Minister in UK rules out '3 strikes' law

According to this report in the Register, the IP Minister in Great Britain has ruled out a "3 strikes" law of the type sought by the RIAA/MPAA counterparts, under which an ISP would deny internet access to alleged file sharers.



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In SONY BMG Music v. Tenenbaum, defendant moves for rehearing en banc, & stay, plaintiffs oppose defendant's motion to amend answer

In SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum, defendant has moved for rehearing en banc of the 1st Circuit's ruling on internet streaming of the April 30th oral argument, and requested a stay in the lower court, while the plaintiffs have filed 'supplemental authority' opposing defendant's motion for leave to amend his answer. One of the authorities cited by the plaintiffs was a decision in a pro se case, UMG Recordings v. Martino.

Defendant's notice of motion for rehearing en banc, and district court motion for stay
Plaintiffs' supplemental authority opposing defendant's motion for leave to amend answer
Exhibit B-Decision in UMG Recordings v. Martino




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Monday, April 27, 2009

Santangelo II case settled for $7000 payable in instalments -- Associated Press

According to this report by The Associated Press, the case against two of Patti Santangelo's children, Elektra Entertainment Group v. Santangelo II, has been settled for $7,000.00, payable in instalments.


Commentary & discussion:

p2pnet.net
p2pnet.net (4/28)
ZDNet




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In Andersen v. Atlantic class action,plaintiff moves for class certification,papers sealed by court,defendant moves for dismissal of case

In Andersen v. Atlantic Recording, the Oregon class action, the following events have taken place:

-the plaintiff has moved for class action certification;
-the entire record of the motion for class action certification has been placed under seal; and
-the defendants have moved for "judgment on the pleadings" dismissing the case on the basis of the Noerr Pennington doctrine.

Additionally, on February 9th, the Court conducted an "in camera" conference with the defendants' counsel only, regarding a discovery motion. The transcript of that conference is also sealed.

Notification that plaintiff's brief for class action certification has been sealed
Defendant's brief in support of motion for judgment on the pleadings

[Ed. note. Very strange goings-on. Don't ask me what it means; everything significant has been "sealed". Question: are we still in the United States? -R.B.]

Commentary & discussion:

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Denise Cloud moves for leave to respond to DOJ brief in Philadelphia case, SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Cloud

In the Philadelphia case in which the Department of Justice filed a brief defending the constitutionality of the RIAA's statuory damages theory, SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Cloud, the defendant has requested leave to file a response to the Government's brief.

Defendant's motion for leave to respond to DOJ brief




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Denise Howell's "TWiL" show #23, in which I participated, now available online

Episode #23 of Denise Howell's internet show, "This Week in Law", which was streamed live last Wednesday, is now available.

This is the show in which I participated, along with Colette Vogele, Eric Goldman, Evan Brown, and Leo Laporte.

"TWiL 23: P2P... You And Me"

Wiki



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Saturday, April 25, 2009

Tenenbaum to move for rehearing en banc of decision barring internet streaming of oral argument

According to this report in ZDNet, the defendant will be moving for rehearing en banc of the First Circuit's decision which prohibited streaming of the April 30th oral argument in SONY BMG Music Entertainment v. Tenenbaum.

Rehearing "en banc" means a hearing by all of the judges of the First Circuit.




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