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Righthaven Loses In Colorado; Abused the Copyright Act

First time accepted submitter djl4570 writes "Federal Judge John Kane ruled that Righthaven LLC of Las Vegas lacked standing to file copyright infringement lawsuits in Colorado under its lawsuit contract with the Denver Post and abused the Copyright Act in doing so. Righthaven was ordered to reimburse the defendant his costs including reasonable attorneys fees."

9 of 43 comments (clear)

  1. There is no such thing.... by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    as "reasonable legal fees."

    $300.00 an hour is the bottom feeder discount price. a "good" lawyer runs well over $1200.00 an hour.

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    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    1. Re:There is no such thing.... by Xacid · · Score: 2

      It's amazing what innocence is going for these days.

    2. Re:There is no such thing.... by bugs2squash · · Score: 4, Funny

      I thought you were going to say that there's no such thing as a reasonable attorney.

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      Nullius in verba
  2. Re:Still no punishment. by houstonbofh · · Score: 2

    Bullying people with the legal system is not legal.

    But it is. It shouldn't be, but right now it is. I wonder if it is related to the fact that everyone who makes the law is a lawyer...

  3. Re:It ain't over... by Thruen · · Score: 5, Funny

    The fat lady was going to sing, but the RIAA accused her of copyright infringement and the out of court agreement bars her from singing without paying them.

  4. Re:Still no punishment. by i.r.id10t · · Score: 3

    Plain 'ol bullying is barratry.

            * Barratry, in criminal and civil law, is the act or practice of bringing repeated legal actions solely to harass. This action is a crime in some jurisdictions.

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    Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
  5. Re:Still no punishment. by spottedkangaroo · · Score: 2

    It's legal but actionable. You can sue for "malicious prosecution." personally, I think they have a case... but I wouldn't' know.

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    Imagine if you weren't allowed to use roads because a bus company complained about your driving 3 times. --skunkpussy
  6. Refreshing to see "abuse of copyright law" by Quila · · Score: 2

    We see abuses all around, especially in the form of EULAs and DMCA, but judges rarely call it for what it is, and in fact usually let the abuse stand. I can only hope this is the beginning of a positive trend.

    Next, I can't wait for a court to rule a copyright law by Congress is an abuse of the Copyright Clause. Unfortunately, SCOTUS tucks its tail between its legs when it comes to this.

  7. Re:Still no punishment. by whoever57 · · Score: 2

    Bullying people with the legal system is not legal.

    But it is. It shouldn't be, but right now it is. I wonder if it is related to the fact that everyone who makes the law is a lawyer...

    When does it become criminal extortion? Everything Righthaven did fits the definition on Wikipedia -- but taking legal advice from Wikipedia is a very bad idea. Righthaven used threats to coerce people into giving them money. If they were not the copyright owners, the threats amounted to something along the lines of "we will cost you a lot of money unless you give us some money now". Suing people is a protected activity, but if RIghthaven got settlements based on a mere threat to sue, is that protected?

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    The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!