Copyright Infringement

July 16, 2018

Indiana Copyright Litigation: Lafayette Based Company Sues California College for Copyright Infringement

Indianapolis, Indiana – Attorneys for Plaintiff, National Federation of Professional Trainers, Inc. (“NFPT”) of Lafayette, Indiana, filed suit in the Northern District of Indiana alleging that Defendant, Carrington College, Inc. (“Carrington”) of Sacramento, California, infringed its rights in United States Copyright Registration No. TX 8-515-798 (“NFPT 0241 Exam”). Plaintiff further alleges misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of contract, and fraud. Plaintiff is seeking damages, profits received from unauthorized copying and distribution of the copyrighted work, attorney’s fees, costs, and injunctive relief.

NFPT creates and administers examinations for the certification of personal trainers. Their certification programs have been accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies since 2005. Carrington has utilized NFPT’s examinations and educational materials as a part of its Physical Therapy Technology Program. At the end of the course, students were able to sit for the NFPT certification exam for the opportunity to become a certified personal trainer upon obtaining a “passing” score.

Carrington administered an NFPT examination December 10, 2015 via their proctor, Mr. Phillip Schauer (“Schauer”). As proctor, Schauer had to sign a confidential disclosure agreement, which included maintaining the confidentiality of the exams and not duplicating any of the testing materials. The December 10, 2015 exam produced extremely abnormal results for the students’ test scores. Of the twenty-six candidates, fifteen had identical or similar response strings while the remaining candidates response strings differed by a maximum of four responses out of 120. All of the candidates obtained a “passing” score. Due to the abnormalities in the results, NFPT voided the results and required all candidates to retake the examination with new questions on August 26, 2016. Only six candidates chose to retake the exam and of those, only two obtained a passing score.

July 12, 2018

Indiana Copyright Litigation: Indiana Company Sued for Copyright Infringement for Unauthorized Reproduction and Use of Photograph Online

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – Attorneys for Plaintiff, FOTOHAUS, LLC (“Fotohaus”) of Tallahassee, Florida filed suit in the Southern District of Indiana alleging that Defendant, OFS BRANDS, INC (“OFS”) of Huntingburg, Indiana infringed its rights in United States Copyright Registration No. VA 1-832-736 photograph titled “Light Collector” (“Photograph”). Plaintiff is seeking statutory damages, actual damages, Plaintiff’s costs, and attorneys’ fees.

The Photograph in question was first captured by Daniel Foster, Manager of Fotohaus, in Shanghai, China on July 1, 2010. Foster posted the Photograph to his Flickr account on July 13, 2010 and later registered the Photograph with the United States Copyright Office on July 17, 2012. Fotohaus was assigned the copyright to the Photograph on March 8, 2017. On or about June 2, 2016, OFS copied the Photograph and posted it to their commercial website accompanying a post advertising the design of a product they offered. Defendant also posted a copy of the Photograph on their Twitter page on June 6, 2016.

Fotohaus mailed their first letter identifying the infringement of the Photograph to OFS on September 5, 2017 demanding among other things that OFS remove the infringing material. At least ten communications between the Plaintiff and Defendant occurred between October 17, 2017 and February 19, 2018. The offending Twitter post was not removed by OFS until February 19, 2018. Plaintiff claims the Defendant not only violated their exclusive rights of reproduction and distribution, but the act of infringement was willful, intentional, and without regard to the rights of the Plaintiff. For this, Plaintiff is requesting a declaration that Defendant’s unauthorized conduct violated Plaintiff’s rights under the Federal Copyright Act, maximum allowable statutory damages, and actual damages.

June 14, 2018

Indiana Copyright Litigation: Illinois Photographer Sues Indiana Company Over Unauthorized Use of Photograph

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – Attorney for Plaintiff, Linda Matlow of Chicago, Illinois filed suit in the Southern District of Indiana alleging that Defendant, Rodgers Broadcasting Corp. of Richmond, Indiana, infringed its rights to the “Parr Photo” registered on December 7, 2011 with the U.S. Copyright Office, Registration Number VAu 1-085-861. Plaintiff is seeking actual and/or statutory damages, costs, attorney’s fees, an injunction, and any other relief as is just and proper.

Plaintiff’s Attorney, Bell, has filed many lawsuits on his own behalf asserting copyright infringement in Indiana federal courts. Bell has been unsuccessful as a plaintiff in many of his own infringement cases and has been ordered to pay the Defendant’s fees as a result. See:

According to the complaint, the Plaintiff took the photograph in question in the 1980’s and proceeded to register the photograph with the U.S. Copyright Office in 2011. Plaintiff alleges that the Defendant infringed on her copyright when its subsidiary KMIX 106.9 published the photograph on their Twitter account in 2017.

June 12, 2018

Indiana Copyright Litigation: Maker of Movie “Once Upon a Time in Venice” Suing BitTorrent Users Who May Have Pirated Movie

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indiana – Attorneys for Plaintiff, Venice, P.I. had filed suit in the Northern District of Indiana alleging that many anonymous Defendants, as listed below, infringed the Plaintiff’s copyright:

May 22, 2018

Indiana Copyright Litigation: Indiana Sculptor Sues City of Seymour Over Mishandling of Sculpture

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – Attorneys for Plaintiff, Terry Champ of Jackson County, Indiana filed suit in the Southern District of Indiana alleging that Defendant, The City of Seymour of Jackson County, Indiana infringed a work of visual art under the Visual Artists Rights Act (“VARA”). Plaintiff is seeking judgment in the amount of $150.000, attorney’s fees, and other relief the Court deems appropriate.

In 2010, Plaintiff completed a 9-foot tall sculpture named Trinity, meant to symbolize the Holy Trinity in Christianity. The sculpture contains steel beams and a combination of gold and silver paint. The sculpture was sponsored by the city of Seymour, as part of an initiative to enhance various spots around town with artwork.

Trinity was loaned to the city and then displayed at an intersection in town, until a member of the Department of Public Works requested it be removed. The sculpture was removed and stored in a garage, where Plaintiff eventually found it laying on its side in the gravel. According to the complaint, the sculpture was damaged all over with scratches and gouges in the steel and bent parts.

May 10, 2018

Indiana Copyright Litigation: Bell Sues Another, Targeting Credit Score Company

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – Attorney Richard Bell of McCordsville, Indiana filed suit in the Southern District of Indiana alleging that Defendant, Improve My Credit Fitness LLC infringed its rights to the “Indianapolis Photo” registered on August 4, 2011 with the US Copyright Office, Registration No. VA0001785115. Plaintiff is seeking statutory damages, attorneys’ fees, and any other relief as is just and proper.

Bell is notorious for suing over his copyrighted photo, having filed dozens of previous lawsuits against a variety of defendants across the country. In March 2000, Bell took a photo of the Indianapolis skyline, and has published it or licensed it for publication since that time. He registered the copyright for the photo in 2011. According to the complaint, Bell uses the photo to promote his photography business.

May 9, 2018

Indiana Copyright Litigation: Richard Bell Sues Real Estate Business Owner Over Indianapolis Photo

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – Attorney Richard Bell of McCordsville, Indiana filed suit in the Southern District of Indiana alleging that Defendant, David Brenton infringed its rights to the “Indianapolis Photo” registered on August 4, 2011 with the US Copyright Office, Registration No. VA0001785115. Plaintiff is seeking actual and statutory damages, attorneys’ fees, and any other relief as is just and proper.

Bell is notorious for suing over his copyrighted photo, having filed dozens of previous lawsuits against a variety of defendants across the country. In March 2000, Bell took a photo of the Indianapolis skyline, and has published it or licensed it for publication since that time. He registered the copyright for the photo in 2011.

May 8, 2018

Indiana Copyright Litigation: Bell Sues Website Developer Over Indianapolis Photo

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – Attorney Richard Bell of McCordsville, Indiana filed suit in the Southern District of Indiana alleging that Defendant, Leapgo, Inc. infringed its rights to the “Indianapolis Photo” registered on August 4, 2011 with the US Copyright Office, Registration No. VA0001785115. Plaintiff is seeking actual and statutory damages, attorneys’ fees, and any other relief as is just and proper.

Bell is notorious for suing over his copyrighted photo, having filed dozens of previous lawsuits against a variety of defendants across the country. In March 2000, Bell took a photo of the Indianapolis skyline, and has published it or licensed it for publication since that time. He registered the copyright for the photo in 2011. Additionally, Plaintiff uses the photo to promote his photography business.

May 3, 2018

Indiana Patent Litigation: Texas Home Goods Store Sues Menards Over Cutting Board Patent

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – Attorneys for Plaintiff, Dexas International, LTD., of Coppel, Texas filed suit in the Southern District of Indiana alleging that Defendant, Menard, Inc., of Eau Claire, Wisconsin infringed its rights in United States Patent No. D563,739 (“the ‘739 Patent”) for “Cutting Board With Snap-In Pop Strainer”. Plaintiff is seeking an injunction, lost profits, pre-judgment and post-judgment interest, attorneys’ fees, and destruction of infringing items.

Plaintiff is a Texas-based corporation specializing in manufacturing kitchen gadgets and pet care items. Defendant is a Wisconsin-based corporation that owns and operates large-scale hardware and home improvement stores across the country.

March 27, 2018

Indiana Copyright Litigation: Bell Sues Atlanta-Based Real Estate Developer Over Indianapolis Photo

By Overhauser Law Offices, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – Attorney Richard Bell of McCordsville, Indiana filed suit in the Southern District of Indiana alleging that Defendant, ROI Property Group Management, LLC, infringed its rights in the “Indianapolis Photo” registered on August 4, 2011 with the US Copyright Office, Registration No. VA0001785115. Bell seeks injunctive relief along with statutory damages, costs and attorney fees.

Bell has filed many lawsuits on his own behalf asserting copyright infringement in Indiana federal courts. See:

Bell’s lawsuit against the Defendant stems from Defendant’s alleged use of the copyrighted photo on its commercial website. Plaintiff claims that Defendant used the picture without authorization in November 2017, and the use continued through December 2017.

According to the complaint, the Defendant did not request or receive permission or authorization to use the photo, and instead claimed it owned the copyrights of all images appearing on its website.

Plaintiff has formally alleged copyright infringement and violations of the Lanham Act.