The absurd expansion of intellectual property law has reached a new level.
It's now feeding on itself.
U.S. Copyright Group and Media Copyright Group are two outfits that are trying to do a volume business in taking legal action against alleged internet pirates and then getting quick, low-dollar cash settlements.
In a delicious plot twist, U.S. Copyright Group is now threatening Media Copyright Group with a claim for trademark infringement over the group's name! U.S. Copyright Group wants $25,000 to drop the matter.
Media Copyright Group has responded by charging U.S. Copyright Group with fraud on the trademark office.
BTW, what a silly trademark complaint. How weak is it to claim that another business named "Copyright Group" will confuse potential customers? But hey, it's irony, it's karma, and it's great stuff.
The whole thing reminds me of a book my kid likes, Ten Sly Piranhas: A Counting Story in Reverse, by William Wise & Victoria Chess. It's about a school of conniving piranhas that inevitably gobble each other up:
And with a gulp, and a gurgle — there was only one ...
Nate Anderson of Ars Technica is on the case.
(Ha'p: Hollywood Reporter, Esq.)
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