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posted by martyb on Thursday March 26 2020, @10:00PM   Printer-friendly
from the they-aren't-until-they-are dept.

A state government that infringes someone's copyright doesn't have to worry about getting sued, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday. The high court held that federalism trumps copyright law, effectively giving states a free pass.

The case pitted a North Carolina videographer, Frederick Allen, against the state of North Carolina. The state was the legal owner of a famous shipwreck, the Queen Anne's Revenge. It was the flagship of legendary pirate Blackbeard until it ran aground off the coast of North Carolina in 1718. A company discovered the wreck in 1996 and got a contract from the state to do recovery work. The company hired Allen to document those efforts with photos and videos.

Allen spent more than a decade documenting the recovery operation, and he retained copyright protection for his work. But North Carolina published some of his photos on its website without permission. Eventually, the state agreed to pay Allen $15,000 in compensation. But then North Carolina published his work online a second time without permission, and Allen sued.

The Tar Heel state argued that Allen's lawsuit should be dismissed under the principle of sovereign immunity. Since the 1990s, a series of Supreme Court rulings has severely limited the ability of individuals to sue state governments.

Source: ArsTechnica


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  • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Friday March 27 2020, @06:27PM

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Friday March 27 2020, @06:27PM (#976399) Journal

    Wait, are you telling me . . .

    The racist movie that Disney tries to pretend does not exist is . . .


    Song of the South!

    They would be able to completely whitewash its entire existence. Except for one inconvenient truth.

    That movie is where a very popular Disney song comes from. A song that is used often. Even in daily parades at Disney World. (yes, I've been there too many times and for too long.)


    Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah [lyrics.com]
    Zip-A-Dee-A

    My oh my, what a wonderful day
    Plenty of sunshine heading my way
    Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
    Zip-A-Dee-A

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2