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Blogger sued over missapropriatng video

Perhaps the average law blogger need not worry about getting sued for this, but Hollywood studio Universal City Studios Productions has brought a lawsuit against a blogger for publishing a topless picture of actress Jennifer Aniston.

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who maintains a popular gossip blog site, was sued on the basis that video footage from a movie scene was ‘misappropriated and illegally copied.’ Upon previous demands of the studio, Hilton refused to remove the video.

The defendant will likely be defending the case upon the fair use exception to the copyright laws. But the suit highlights liability issues founded on the violation of a right to privacy and use of copyrighted materials.

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  • David

    How would the blogger have licensed it, if he wanted to? I mean, the cat is out of the bag. Users can copy any media, and post it anywhere they want. Now, sure, that’s illegal — but how can we do it legally?
    It’s the same with music, or video. Users need a way to license easily. There’s a good recent essay advocating this on Media 3.0 (“It’s Time To Completely Overhaul Music Licensing!”)
    The article focuses on music — but it applies to video too. There is clearly a market for this stuff — now how can we do it, within the bounds of the law?
    David