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Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.
Sun archives
- Righthaven reaches another copyright settlement over R-J website content (9-30-2010)
- Amid new criticism, Righthaven sues additional website operators (9-29-2010)
- R-J owner faces counterclaim in copyright lawsuit campaign (9-28-2010)
- 5 more website operators sued over R-J copyrights (9-28-2010)
- Attorneys attack Review-Journal copyright suit arrangement (9-27-2010)
- Executive says suing over R-J copyrights worth the negative publicity (9-26-2010)
- Lawyers argue R-J stories on Web aren’t protected by copyright (9-25-2010)
- Attorney: Righthaven copyright suits a free speech threat (9-23-2010)
- Observers note uncertainty over future of Righthaven/R-J copyright suits (9-21-2010)
- Righthaven judge: Review-Journal ‘implied license’ defense may have merit (9-20-2010)
- Defendants fight back against Righthaven copyright lawsuits (9-20-2010)
- Copyright lawsuit filed against group fighting Pahrump prison (9-15-2010)
- Righthaven settles 2 lawsuits over R-J story copyrights (9-13-2010)
- Another company fights back against copyright lawsuit (9-11-2010)
- Quick settlement reached in copyright lawsuit against PR company (9-10-2010)
- Texas woman emerges as vocal critic of copyright lawsuit firm (9-9-2010)
- Righthaven CEO defends company during roundtable discussion (9-9-2010)
- Copyright lawsuits filed against U.S. Marijuana Party, dating website (9-9-2010)
- Righthaven’s suit against Sharron Angle draws increased attention (9-8-2010)
- Defendant accuses Righthaven of misusing legal system (9-5-2010)
- Sharron Angle hit with R-J copyright infringement lawsuit (9-3-2010)
- Righthaven wins key ruling as new criticism leveled over suits (9-3-2010)
- Righthaven sues D.C.-based group over R-J editorial posting (9-2-2010)
- PR firm Kirvin Doak sued by Righthaven over Celine Dion story it promoted (9-1-2010)
The Democratic Party of Nevada is among the latest defendants to settle copyright infringement lawsuits filed over the online re-postings of Las Vegas Review-Journal stories.
The settlement was disclosed in court papers this week by Righthaven LLC, the Las Vegas company that sues over Review-Journal copyrights. Terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed.
“On or about Sept. 14, the parties entered into a settlement agreement whereby Democratic Party of Nevada shall be released from all claims of copyright infringement in the above-entitled matter, upon full compliance with the terms of the agreement,” a court filing said.
The party was sued July 9 in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas by Righthaven, which typically in its latest lawsuits demands statutory damages of $150,000 and forfeiture of website domain names.
But legal insiders say Righthaven typically settles for less than five figures and allows settling defendants to keep their Internet names.
Righthaven, which through this week had filed at least 144 copyright infringement lawsuits since March, was in the news earlier in the week when it and the Review-Journal’s owner, Stephens Media LLC, were hit with a counterclaim by another defendant, the Democratic Underground.
Before settling the case, attorneys for the Nevada Democratic Party filed court papers admitting three Review-Journal stories and portions of two more Review-Journal stories at issue were displayed on the party’s website.
As for one story for which Righthaven obtained a copyright and sought $75,000 in damages for — involving February Nevada gaming win numbers — the party admitted it did not seek permission to display the story but said that its display of the story was allowed under the fair use concept of copyright law.
Other recently confirmed Righthaven settlements were with the Motorcycle Racing Association of Nevada and Erin Wilcox, whom Righthaven said had a website called Stranger Than Fiction.
The strangerthanfiction.org website allegedly posted without authorization a May 25 column by Review-Journal Publisher Sherman Frederick called “The TSA’s mini ‘Watch List’” complaining about unionization of Transportation Security Administration employees and a TSA list of “peeved travelers.” The strangerthanfiction.org post of the story credited it to the Review-Journal.
The Motorcycle Racing Association of Nevada was accused of displaying a Review-Journal story from February about proposed national monument designations.
An official at the Motorcycle Racing Association told the Las Vegas Sun that the lawsuits are a “scam,” but said the group chose not to fight Righthaven.
“We reached a settlement but the details are confidential and disclosure would open us up to another lawsuit. It was our feeling that it was more cost-effective to settle than to fight it and risk our financial well-being,” the official said.
An official at another settling defendant, the Idaho-based Armed Citizen, echoed that sentiment about the risk of fighting the suit.
“Most of our readers and fans thought these lawsuits were frivolous and worth fighting, but — as Righthaven knew — it simply wasn’t worth the risk and the headaches. Standing on principle is very expensive. It was simpler to pay some money and make it go away. There are many who would consider that legal extortion,” said David Burnett. “Fortunately for us, our readers and fans sent in enough donations that we won’t be out any money personally whatsoever. We’ll actually have some left over to reinvest in a better website, but I worry for the minimum-wage, spare-time bloggers victimized by Righthaven. Having nothing to lose is a scary place to be.
“Speaking as a future law student, it’s very disillusioning to see such greedy exploitation of a loophole that exists only because the law hasn’t caught up with technology. Had Righthaven existed a century ago, I have no doubt they would have sued someone’s grandmother for posting a newspaper clipping in a shop-front window. Industry pirates like that give the profession a bad name,” he said.
Righthaven and the Review-Journal, however say the lawsuits are necessary to stop infringements of Review-Journal material.
Does the Motorcycle racing assoc. advertise?
Also, at least the Democrats are stand-up people and settle when they make a mistake (?) unlike Sharon Angle and that right wing blogger Ron Frutell, who was fired from Channel 13 TV after a hit and run accident in the spaghetti bowl (charges dropped). Time to settle-up right wingers. I thought you believed in property rights and "personal responsibility."
Out of state medical care is expensive for the Bonanza Road crowd and they need the bread.
I wonder if this is what these clowns went to law school for? I'm not the least bit disillusioned about their motives for making a buck. Shameful conduct.
What's the point of all the confidentiality?
The point of the confidentiality is to ensure that existing and future Righthaven victims remain as helpless and "in the dark" as possible when trying to negotiate their settlements. Not all Righthaven defendants are treated equally (some are required to pay more than others and some, such as Pregame, appear to pay nothing at all). It also seems highly unlikely that Righthaven would want their "negotiation tactics" revealed publicly.