DMCA (Copyright) Complaint to Google

sender

MITCHELL SILBERBERG & KNUPP, LLP

on behalf of Jennifer Shrader Lawrence

[Private] , , , US Sent on September 24, 2014

recipient

Google, Inc.

[Private] Mountain View, CA, 94043, US Received on September 24, 2014

Re: Websearch Infringement Notification via Online Form Complaint

Sent via: online form

Notice Type:: Dmca

Action taken:: Yes

Copyright claim #1

Kind of Work: image

Description Various private photos filed under Jennifer Lawrence blog posts.
Original URLs:
1. http://google.com Copyrighted work has been stolen from my client's electronic device and isn't freely available online.
Allegedly Infringing URLs:
1. http://thefappening.eu/category/jennifer-lawrence/
2. http://thefappening.eu/

Related FAQs

Do I need to register my copyright?

You get copyright automatically when you create a work and "fix" or record it. Registration with the Copyright Office is not a prerequisite, but it can give you additional protection: you can only get statutory damages for infringement of a registered copyright. A U.S. author must also register before filing a copyright lawsuit.

What may be copyrighted?

In order to be copyrightable, a work must be

1. fixed in a tangible medium of expression; and
2. original.

Copyrights do not protect ideas, procedures, processes, systems, methods of operation, concepts, principles, or discoveries: they only protect physical representations. 17 U.S.C.

What constitutes unlicensed copy and display of copyrighted material?

Unlicensed use or distribution of copyrighted works is illegal and may be considered a criminal act. Copyright law grants the exclusive right to use, copy, distribute, display, and perform a copyrighted work to the owner of the copyright. The owner of the copyright is the only entity that may grant permission for anyone to use, copy, distribute, display and perform the work.

What is an exclusive right in intellectual property?

Most governments recognize a bundle of exclusive rights in relation to works of authorship, inventions, and identifications of origin. These rights are sometimes spoken of under the umbrella term "intellectual property". An example is copyright, which grants a copyright holder a negative right to exclude others from exploiting his or her artistic or creative work. The position is generally similar with patents and trademarks. Exclusive rights arise from a grant of patent or registration of a trademark, while in other cases such rights may arise through use (eg. copyright or common-law trademark).

Holding an intellectual property right generally means that the rights holder can maintain certain controls in relation to the subject matter in which the IP right subsists. For example, a person who buys a copy of a computer program which is subject to copyright may use the software for personal use, but will probably be prohibited from creating or distributing copies of that software, subject to certain exceptions such as fair use or fair dealing, which vary widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

What are screenshots, and is using them copyright infringement?

Screen shots or screen dumps are still images taken from computer programs. Screen shots are often used in training materials to explain how to use a computer program. Screen shots are protected by copyright law if the original work is protected. This is due to the fact that screenshots are viewed as derivative works.

The US Copyright Act of 1976, Section 101, says:

A "derivative work" is a work based upon one or more preexisting works, such as a translation, musical arrangement, dramatization, fictionalization, motion picture version, sound recording, art reproduction, abridgment, condensation, or any other form in which a work may be recast, transformed, or adapted. A work consisting of editorial revisions, annotations, elaborations, or other modifications which, as a whole, represent an original work of authorship, is a "derivative work."

May I freely copy from federal government documents?

Yes. Works produced by the US government, or any government agency or person acting in a government capacity, are in the public domain. So are the texts of legal cases and statutes from state or federal government. Private contractors working for the government, however, can license or transfer copyrights to the US government, and those copyrights remain enforceable.

What is a copyright notice?

A copyright notice is placed on copies of a work by the owner in order to inform the public that the owner - an individual or business - holds copyright in the work. The public is then "on notice" that the work is copyrighted and unauthorized copying may infringe the copyright owner's rights.

Generally, a proper copyright notice must contain: 1. The symbol ©, the word “Copyright”, or the abbreviation “Copr.” 2. The year of first publication of the work. 3. The name of the copyright owner, a recognizable abbreviation of the copyright owner's name, or a generally known alternative designation of the owner.

The notice must also be placed on copies of a work so that they give reasonable notice of the claim of copyright.

The legal effect of proper copyright notice is to prevent a defendant in a copyright infringement suit to raise a defense based on innocent infringement. Simply, it prevents a defendant from saying "I had no idea that this work was copyrighted and I should not have to pay damages for willful infringement."

The specific notice provisions are set forth in 17 U.S.C. § 401-406.

How does a Creative Commons license help?

Creative Commons licenses provide a standard way for authors to declare their works "some rights reserved" (instead of "all rights"). If the source you're quoting has a Creative Commons license or public domain dedication, you may have extra rights to use the content. Licenses don't trump fair use, but if you want to do more than fair use allows, look at the terms of the license to see what it permits and what, if anything, it requires you to do in return. The attribution license, for example, lets you copy, distribute, and display a work so long as you name the original author. Share-alike lets you make derivative works so long as you use the same license for your re-mix. A work in the public domain is no longer under copyright, so you can use as much as you want in any way you like.

Does copyright protect words or short phrases?

No. Names, titles, and short phrases are not subject to copyright protection. These are not deemed to be "original works of authorship" under the Copyright Act. Names may be protected by trademark, in some instances. See the  FAQ for more information.

What defenses are there to copyright infringement?

The primary defense to copyright infringement is "fair use." 17 U.S.C.

What is commercial reproduction of copyrighted materials?

Commercial reproduction is reproduction of multiple copies of copyrighted materials, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution. The permission granting process of copyrighted materials helps ensure individuals/organizations wishing to reproduce such materials for commercial purposes have access to the most accurate, up-to-date versions.

What is defamation?

Generally, defamation is a false and unprivileged statement of fact that is harmful to someone's reputation, and published "with fault," meaning as a result of negligence or malice. State laws often define defamation in specific ways. Libel is a written defamation; slander is a spoken defamation.

Speech that involves a public figure--such as a corporation--is only defamatory if it is false and said with "actual malice", meaning with knowledge of the statement's falsity or in reckless disregard for the truth. It also must be factual rather than an expression of an opinion. In the United States, because of our strong free speech protections, it is extremely difficult to prove defamation of a public figure.

Truth is an absolute defense to a claim of defamation, but of course, the truth can be difficult and expensive to prove.

Opinions are not defamatory, but the issue is whether a reasonable reader or listener could understand the statement in question as asserting a statement of verifiable fact, not whether it is labeled as "opinion."

Who may hold a copyright?

A copyright ordinarily vests in the creator or creators of a work (known as the author(s)), and is inherited as ordinary property. Copyrights are freely transferrable as property, at the discretion of the owner. 17 U.S.C.

What is the Universal Copyright Convention (UCC)?

The Universal Copyright Convention (UCC), adopted at Geneva in 1952, is one of the two principal international conventions protecting copyright; the other is the Berne Convention.

The UCC was developed by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as an alternative to the Berne Convention for those states which disagreed with aspects of the Berne Convention, but still wished to participate in some form of multilateral copyright protection.

What is the "first sale" doctrine?

First sale is a doctrine in copyright law saying the owner of a particular copy of a copyrighted work has the right to sell, lend, or transfer that copy. In other words, the copyright holder's rights over a physical copy of a work end with the "first sale." The doctrine is codified in the Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. 109.

Re: Websearch Infringement Notification via Online Form Complaint

Copyright claim #1