Published on August 8, 2012
Publisher Louise Blouin, whose firms produce Art+Auction, Modern Painters and the Web site artinfo.com - Sued by former housekeeper over an (alleged) wage dispute. The article alleges she has been sued over wage disputes before. The Times of London - Sued by Elton John for (alleged) libel. Virginian-Pilot - Not guilt of libel on appeal. Judge said, "There was no clear and convincing evidence of actual malice." …
Published on August 1, 2012
Chattanooga Publishing Company - Sued by former employee who alleges her boss fired her after she told him she needed surgery to treat cancer. The Apple + Big 5 Publishers Government Lawsuit - Barnes & Noble, independent booksellers unite on antitrust court case, cite harm to consumers British tabloid The Sun - Sued by Pakistan (yes, the country) for (alleged) libel. Beaverton Grace Bible Church - Loses libel suit against blogger. The judge also ordered the church to pay the plaintiff's costs and attorney fees. …
Published on July 25, 2012
Harlequin - More on the class-action lawsuit filed by Harlequin authors Linda Cook, a Republican activist - is the anonymous blogger sued for (alleged) libel by a local Republican official Why do they hate (and fear) Amazon? Count the ways by Charles Cooper …
Published on July 18, 2012
Farrah Gray Publishing - Sues author for (allegedly) not doing enough to promote her book. Chomikuj.pl, a popular file-sharing service in Poland - Might be sued by Poland's publishing industry trade body. …
Published on July 11, 2012
More Bookstores Refusing to Sell Amazon- and CreateSpace-Published Titles …
Published on July 4, 2012
Gallup Independent - libel lawsuit ends in mistrial Tribune columnist Clarence Page - under review for (alleged) "unauthorized paid speech at an event supporting an Iranian group designated as a terrorist organization" …
Published on June 27, 2012
Random House of Canada and author Bruce Livesey - Sued by Conrad Black over book, saying its publication brought him "into hatred, ridicule and contempt in Canada." Jay-Z - Served with handwritten lawsuit alleging copyright inrfringement. Daily Mail and Evening Standard - Loses libel suit by student. …
Published on June 20, 2012
PublishAmerica / PublishAmerica.com - Class action lawsuit filed by authors. VTi Group / publisher Shawna Vercher - Must pay author $1.3 MILLION for "breach of contract, conspiracy to commit civil theft, civil theft, intentional infliction of emotional distress and tortious interference with business relations." …
Published on June 13, 2012
Times-Picayune - Being pressured by New Orleans civic leaders to "reverse its decision to reduce print publication to three days a week" VTi Group / publisher Shawna Vercher - "Gambling NBA ref says his book publisher never paid him" Philadelphia Magazine - Indie blogger has accused them of trying to get her fired Joseph Farah, CEO and editor-in-chief of WorldNetDaily.com - Loses lawsuit against Esquire Magazine. Judge rules post was satire. …
Published on June 6, 2012
Sakura Publishing - OUCH! Don't miss this one! It's pretty long. If you're busy, skip down to the red line that says: "WARNING: DEREK HAS A FILTHY MOUTH." Apple and the big five publishers - The Author's Guild is asking authors to contact the justice department; says the settlement will help Amazon, hurt other stores. Penguin Group USA and Macmillan - Deny price-fixing. States the lawsuit by the justice department is based "entirely on the little circumstantial evidence it was able to locate" and it "sides with a monopolist." (Of course, they are referring to Amazon.) The Central Basin Municipal Water District (California) - Files libel lawsuit against unnamed authors of an email. Oakland-based Summit Bank - Defamation lawsuit they filed against former V.P. has been dismissed by state appeals court. In doing so, the court struck down a 1917 law that made it illegal "to circulate untrue statements or rumors about the financial condition of a bank." …
Published on May 30, 2012
Amazon - Settles with Independent Publishers Group (IPG). Terms not disclosed. University of Missouri Press - Shutting down. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Co. - Files for bankruptcy. …
Published on May 23, 2012
ESPN - Sued by Bernie Fine's wife, Laurie Fine, for (alleged) libel The Wrap (a blog) and writer Steve Pond - Sued for (alleged) libel, defamation and invasion of privacy …
Published on May 16, 2012
Apple and publishers - Judge denies motion to dismiss ebook price fixing civil suit. John Wiley & Sons - Trying to get info. on Verizon consumers "accused of unlawfully sharing electronic copies of books in the popular 'Dummy' self-help series." Georgia State University - "Cleared of MOST copyright violation claims brought by academic publishers." …
Published on May 9, 2012
Tumblr - Sued by adult publisher for (allegedly) "knowingly allowing its users to post and reblog content from (the publisher)." Google - Trying to get The Author's Guild removed from the 6-year-long copyright infringement lawsuit againt Google, which would force authors to sue individually. Doesn't look like the judge is buyin' it! Charles LeBlanc, Canadian blogger - Won't be charged with criminal libel but still doesn't have computer back after his arrest and the search of his home. Search/seizure occurred after the blogger published negative comments about police. An independent third party will be reviewing the police department's actions. …
Published on May 2, 2012
Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools - Judge dismisses fraud and racketeering lawsuit against him and Penguin. Apple - Now faces antitrust lawsuit in Canada. Amazon vs. Publishers: The Book Battle Continues. Time magazine - Accused of removing councilmember's arrest photo from their website after (alleged) pressure from city officials. …
Published on April 25, 2012
Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald - Libel lawsuit filed by former Democratic Senate candidate has been dismissed. Anderson News LLC - Anti-trust lawsuit they filed against publishers, which was dismissed, has been restored by an appeals court. ABC and the TV show Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo - Settle with man who filed a defamation suit. …
Published on April 18, 2012
Pulitzer Prize board - Chooses not to award a Pulitzer in fiction for the first time in 35 years. Greg Mortenson, author - Accused by readers of racketeering, fraud, deceit, breach of contract and unjust enrichment. …
Published on April 11, 2012
Apple, Hachette SA, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster - As promised, the federal government has sued them all for (alleged) ebook price fixing. Copyright lawsuit to keep an eye on - Former Village People lead singer "is testing a 1976 law that lets creators regain U.S. copyrights to their works." Huffington Post - Ex-bloggers appeal ruling denying them payment...after they agreed to work for no pay. HBO - "Files series of lawsuits in landmark intellectual property rights battle. Key script elements for 'Game of Thrones' and 'Boardwalk Empire' have been pirated and leaked by literary and textbook publishers." …
Published on April 4, 2012
Apple - May settle DoJ e-book investigation in coming weeks. Avvo - WINS lawsuit. "Protected under Washington state's anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuits against public participation) law." Amazon.com - Once again "trying to wring deep discounts from publishers." INTERESTING CASE REGARDING COPYRIGHTS OF THE DECEASED - Read this. …
Published on March 28, 2012
Credit Union Times in Hoboken, NJ - Sued by CEO of financial firm for alleged defamation. Nebraska Book Company - Preparing to to EXIT Chapter 11. …
Published on March 21, 2012
The Charlie Rose Show - Sued by an intern who claims she should have been paid for work performed. Shamayim Productions Ltd. - Apologizes and pays $40K for libel. Le Canard Enchaine - Wins libel case against Bouygues SA. CBS journalist - Sued for libel in Uganda. …
Published on March 14, 2012
Apple - "admits to two key allegations in ebook price fixing case" Urban Outfitters and photographer - Sued for (allegedly) using "blatantly salacious" photos of a minor. Simone Kelly-Brown - Loses trademark lawsuit filed against Oprah Winfrey. …
Published on March 7, 2012
Perfect 10 - Loses copyright lawsuit against Google. Montreal Gazette - Takes hard stance against plagiarism...by its own reporters. …
Published on February 29, 2012
Rupert Murdoch's News of the World - Pays celebrity nearly $1M in phone hacking scandal. RIDICULOUS!! - "Firm Says Bird Songs Can Be Copyrighted" "Start-Ups 'Shame' Bigger Companies in Trademark Fights" …
Published on February 22, 2012
Twitter - Sued for (alleged) defamation in Australia after individual parties settled. HarperCollins - Receives response to their lawsuit against Open Road. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Settles libel lawsuit with drug company. …
Published on February 16, 2012
Meltwater Group - sued by The Associated Press for alleged copyright infringment. Ghost Rider Co-Creator - Loses Lawsuit. Ordered To Pay Marvel $17K Shawnee County (Kansas) - settles with Prison Legal News for $75K. …
Published on February 8, 2012
Herman Cain and Simon and Schuster - Sued over alleged paying for photo for campaign use but then using it on Cain's book cover, too. Harper's Bazaar / Hearst Corporation - Sued by former intern for allegedly using interns to do labor the company should have paid employees to do, which, according to her lawyer, is a violation of labor laws. …
Published on February 1, 2012
Fang Zhouzi, the "science cop" - sued by a Chinese writer. Confusing but interesting case! TMZ, the Huffington Post, and London's Daily Mail - sued for $30 million by Toddlers and Tiaras mom …
Published on January 25, 2012
Associated Newspapers Ltd., publisher of the Daily Mail tabloid - Loses ruling over secret evidence. Baltimore's City Paper and reporter Van Smith - Cleared of wrongdoing in libel lawsuit. Digital Music News - Is saying media shield laws protect it from having to reveal "whistleblower" source. …
Published on January 18, 2012
Toledo Public Schools - Sued by a publisher for alleged copyright infringement. …
Published on January 11, 2012
Apple - Sued for $1.84 million by authors' group in China for alleged copyright infringement. …
Published on January 4, 2012
Chicago Public Schools - Sued by an author for allegedly firing him as a result of a book he wrote. Gary Friedrich, Writer - Loses lawsuit against comic book publisher Marvel Entertainment. "The judge said Friedrich gave up all ownership rights when he signed checks containing language relinquishing all rights." Antarctic Press - Sued by Wimpy Kid creator for alleged trademark infringement. …
Published on December 28, 2011
Ebook publisher Open Road Integrated Media - sued by HarperCollins for ebook rights over a children's book published in 1974. Phonedog.com - sues former employee in an attempt to gain control of the employee's Twitter account. …
Published on December 21, 2011
Art Pedroza / the Orange Juice Blog - accused of cybersquatting, trademark and copyright infringement Arbitrator finds for publisher in dispute with three authors. …
Published on December 14, 2011
Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. (SPH) - Countersued by Yahoo after they sued the search engine for alleged copyright infringement. Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver (the Hurt Locker lawsuit) - ordered to pay the defendants' $187,000 legal fees. Brooklyn photographer Bernard Belair - His copyright lawsuit against company behind Bratz dolls has been dismissed. FHM magazine - Sued by model for $2M. She claims they altered a cover photo to make her appear nude. They claim they have video to prove she was. …
Published on December 7, 2011
Elsevier and Wiley - Lose lawsuit against firms placing ads on a website that allegedly offers illegal downloads. HathiTrust - Files response to Authors Guild lawsuit. …
Published on November 30, 2011
Yahoo.com - sued by Singapore media company for alleged copyright infringement. The plaintiff alleges Yahoo reproduced content from its newspapers without permission Forty-six more individuals (John Does) - sued by John Wiley for illegally sharing Dummies books online. Publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Stephens Media - Concedes that posting brief excerpts of a articles in forums is not copyright infringement. …
Published on November 23, 2011
Whispers and Warnings will return after the Thanksgiving holiday. …
Published on November 17, 2011
Amazon's Kindle Lending Library - Called "nonsense" by the Author's Guild, which is accusing Amazon of "boldly breaching its contracts" with publishers in "an exercise of brute economic power." Read more HERE. QR Markham (a.k.a. Brooklyn bookseller and poet Quentin Rowan), author of Assassin of Secrets - accused of plagiarism. It was published by Little, Brown, which has withdrawn the book, and is offering refunds. …
Published on November 9, 2011
MaineToday Media Inc., publisher of the Portland Press Herald and other newspapers - sued by paper company for allegedly not paying for "tons of paper" delivered to their facility. Creative Publishing Consultants - Judge is asking why book's profits are not in designated escrow account. Zebra E Publisher, a Russian publisher - guilty of copyright infringement, owes comedian MAXISM - Wins defamation lawsuit filed by dairy plant over cartoon …
Published on November 3, 2011
Seven John Does - sued by John Wiley and Sons for allegedly posting copies of the publisher's books on BitTorrent. …
Published on October 26, 2011
"Richardwhier" - Writer alleges she's owed money. Sober Nation - Writer alleges they offered her a rate lower than their online ad. Scholastic - sued by Canadian author for $2.5M for alleged copyright infringement. Les Editions Ecosociete in Quebec - settles defamation lawsuit. WSJ Europe - denies circulation scam allegations. …