This law suit reminded me of the interesting article a few weeks back on the copyright issues surrounding taking a photo of a someone with their phone. It also highlights another potential barrier to publishing images of someone else; despite your copyright, the subject may still have rights to privacy and publicity over their likeness in many jurisdictions, including California and Canada.
One video the above law suit is seeking profits and injunctive relief from is composed from security camera footage. This made me think about how much originality is required to attract copyright. In the filming itself, the only exercise of skill and judgement would be the placement of the camera. Would editing and uploading this footage require a sufficient amount of intellectual effort, or would the addition of the music track be required to make this expression copyrightable? I’m not sure, but I do think Joseph Foreman would hold copyright in Canada over the final work he uploaded.
See you in class this afternoon!
Communications Law