By Steve Hawley, Piracy Monitor
Triller, the emerging sports broadcasting powerhouse that acquired FITE TV in April and filed a complaint against a dozen ‘unknown’ business entities for copyright infringement in the US District Court for the Central District of California in April, filed a new complaint against an individual named Matthew Space, a YouTube channel called Eclipt Gaming, and ten “John Does.”
The individual defendants are associated with Eclipt, which “publicly displayed, without authorization, and with no supplemental commentary or other attempt at transformation, the Broadcast to the users of the YouTube Channel, as a video entitled “Jake Paul vs Ben Askren Full Fight + Highlights & Post Fight Interview,” which was available at https://youtube.com/watch?v=YAfEWF4tdco.” It was later taken down
The complaint contends that the video was watched by more than 300 viewers.
For copyright infringement, the complaint asks for the profits attributable to distribution over Eclipt, plus legal fees. For violation of the Federal Communications Act, 47 U.S.C. § 605, the complaint asks for damages of ‘up to the maximum of $110,000 per violation‘ (italics are used in the complaint). For vicarious copyright infringement, the complaint asks for profits of the defendants (Eclipt and associated individuals) and losses of the plaintiff (Triller) plus attorney fees.
Why it matters
This rights-holder hopes to deter theft of its content by pursuing even the smallest of pirates (300 viewers!). It will be surprising if the defendant is held liable for the full amount described in the complaint.
