Copyright claim not so much extinguished as exterminated

[major_clanger]

Good grief, did someone organise HighCourtCon yesterday? Whilst I was watching discussion of Stormtroopers, it turns out that Mr Justice Norris was giving judgment on the Daleks, or rather on who owned the rights to write books about them (full judgment here).

Comments

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

And apparently the JK Rowling/WB vs SVA/RDR case in New York is likely to be settled out of court and so the case is likely to close "this morning" (NY time).

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

This report from the Wall St Journal Law Blog suggest that they've agreed to settle on one area (misleading use of a Rowling quote, i.e. false endorsement) and they are discussing a settlement regarding trademark and unfair competition ('passing off' in English legal terms - the implication that this is in some way a work involving Rowling). It looks like the copyright issue may go on, and indeed be appealed whatever the outcome.

[nwhyte]

Great quote:

I do not consider that the material he wrote about "The Time Space Visualizer" was copied: I am satisfied that the language and detail on that topic is derived from a memorably bad "Dr Who" series called "The Chase".

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

Reading the judgment, I do wonder if Norris J might be a Who fan himself - he discusses aspects of the series in great detail, more so than I would expect even from an attentive and assiduous judge without some prior familiarity with the subject.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

There's nothing like greed to set the copyright hunters running... Sigh. Heaven help the poor (literally) originator who isn't best-selling.

[hatusu.livejournal.com]

If I tell my mother that we were discussing copywrite infringement on Live Journal, she wouldn't believe me.

I agree that the judge must be a fan. The judgement had way too much accurate detail. I feel like I read a history of the "Doctor Who" corporation.