Why an Allegation That Beyoncé Plagiarized Dance Moves Is Truly Unique (Analysis)

By Eriq Gardner
THR, Esq. | Article Link

A Belgian choreographer is really bucking the trend by accusing the pop star of infringing a copyright to her choreography. How claims over choreography compare to ones made over music, film, and yes, maps.

Pop star Beyoncé is currently defending herself against charges of plagiarizing the work of the Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker in the music video, "Countdown."

Since the choreographer went public with charges that Beyoncé plundered movements from two films, Rosas danst Rosas and Achterland, the film's lawyers have contacted Sony about alleged similarities, and there's been tremendous chatter in the press and on blogs about whether the singer is really in legal jeopardy.

Artists’ Logos Show Reach and Hostility of the Web

By Kevin Drew
New York Times | Article Link

HONG KONG — Few personal journeys can shed as much light on the age we live in as the one traveled by Jonathan Mak in the last week.

 Mr. Mak, a university student in Hong Kong, went from being an unknown aspiring graphic designer to an Internet sensation after an image he produced spread rapidly across digital platforms after the death of Steven P. Jobs, the co-founder of Apple.

Mr. Mak’s design of a silhouetted profile of Mr. Jobs in the Apple company logo was shared across the Web and reported by media. And then, nearly as fast, Mr. Mak found himself being vilified.

Top 10 Most Pirated Movies of All Time

By Ernesto
TorrentFreak | Article Link

Netflix recently published a list of the ten most rented movies of all time. This got us thinking; what are the most downloaded movies on BitTorrent? Today we present the full chart of the top ten most pirated movies transferred via the now ubiquitous protocol, a list headed by Avatar.

Every day millions of people use BitTorrent to download and share movies. But what are all these people downloading?

For nearly half a decade we have compiled weekly and yearly lists of the most popular downloads, and following on from Netflix’s publication of the most rented movies of all time, we today present the equivalent for BitTorrent downloads.

ZIPped Back Up: Williams-Sonoma Gains Federal Dismissal Of New Jersey Consumer Privacy Claim in Feder

By Valentina Shenderovich
Sheppard Mullin Fashion & Apparel Law Blog | Article Link

In Feder v. Williams-Sonoma Stores, Inc, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey joined the New Jersey Superior Court in weighing in on the issue of whether a retailer violates consumer privacy state law by requesting a customer's zip code at the point of purchase. Feder was brought by the same plaintiff’s lawyers and with claims similar to those in the state court case Imbert v. Harmon Stores, Inc. (Bed, Bath & Beyond). Imbert was decided last month, but without any written decision, and permitted that case to proceed past the pleading stage. The District Court in Feder, however, issued the first written opinion under the New Jersey statutes, finding that allegations that a zip code was verbally requested could not support a claim under New Jersey law.

Stan Lee Media's Attempt To Reclaim 'Conan the Barbarian' Is Called 'Untimely'

By Eriq Gardner
THR, Esq. | Article Link

In August, just as Conan the Barbarian 3D was released, Stan Lee Media Inc. filed a lawsuit in an effort to reclaim ownership on the fictional Conan character. The move by SLMI, which was founded by comic book legend Stan Lee but now operates independently, is part of a larger campaign to put back the pieces from a turbulent bankruptcy from nearly a decade ago.

SLMI believes that finally having a court-recognized board of directors will give it the necessary standing to pursue reclamation of its intellectual property, but the current owners of the Conan character say it's too late.