Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Bit Parts

By Stan Soocher
February 28, 2013

No Summary Judgment for Fair Use Issue in Takedown Notice

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California refused to grant summary judgment to either party in a suit filed by Stephanie Lenz alleging Universal Music lacked a good faith belief when it sent a takedown notice to YouTube complaining that a video Lenz posted of her son dancing to the Prince composition “Let's Go Crazy” was an unauthorized use of the song copyright. Lenz v. Universal Music Corp., 5:07-cv-03783. Lenz claims the takedown notice amounted to a “material misrepresentation” under '512(f) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, because Universal didn't engage in a fair-use analysis before writing YouTube. District Judge Jeremy Fogel noted: “While it agrees that requiring a copyright holder to engage in a full-blown fair use analysis prior to sending a DMCA takedown notice would be inconsistent with the remedial purposes of the statute, ' a copyright owner must make at least an initial assessment as to whether the fair use doctrine applies to the use in question in order to make a good faith representation that the use is not 'authorized by law.'” But Judge Fogel added: “Lenz presents substantial evidence that Universal did not consider explicitly whether her video made fair use of Prince's song before it sent the Takedown Notice.”


Episode Viewability on Website Doesn't Establish Personal Jurisdiction

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs Image

The parameters set forth in the DOJ's memorandum have implications not only for the government's evaluation of compliance programs in the context of criminal charging decisions, but also for how defense counsel structure their conference-room advocacy seeking declinations or lesser sanctions in both criminal and civil investigations.

Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar Investigations Image

This article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.

Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.