Want To Give Righthaven's Backers A Taste Of Their Own Medicine?

from the getting-meta dept

Okay, I had missed this last week, but this is absolutely hilarious. You may recall, last week we noted the utter hypocrisy of Righthaven's biggest supporter, Sherman Frederick of the Las Vegas Review Journal, defending Righthaven by blatantly copying articles from the blog GametimeIP.com -- and doing so in a manner where it was not at all clear who created the post (I mean, Frederick can't even figure out how to use quotation marks, let alone something as simple as a blockquote).

If you thought it was already convoluted and twisted enough that Frederick would copy someone else's blog to defend his support of Righthaven suing other sites for doing the exact same thing to Frederick and others at the LVRJ, it's now getting even more meta. That's because, as ken points out, the owner of GametimeIP, Patrick Anderson, who had been inundated with questions about this, has decided to put the copyrights for the three blog posts in question up for sale, so that if someone wants to sue Stephens Media and the LVRJ over Frederick's potential infringement, they can do so.

In his explanation for why he is doing so, he basically notes (in much more complicated legalese -- lawyers!) that some of the folks sued by Righthaven over LVRJ content, may find it useful to sue back, in order to highlight the "inconsistent legal positions" of the LVRJ/Stephens Media. And yes, unlike Stephens Media and Righthaven, he's apparently willing to sell all of the Section 106 rights to the buyer...
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Filed Under: copyright, sherman frederick
Companies: las vegas review journal, righthaven, stephens media


Reader Comments

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  • icon
    Chris Rhodes (profile), 28 Jun 2011 @ 2:45pm

    Only One Word Fits:

    "Awesome"

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    RadialSkid (profile), 28 Jun 2011 @ 2:53pm

    Pure schadenfreude reading each of these Righthaven articles. It just gets better and better...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Poster, 28 Jun 2011 @ 2:55pm

    That's the kind of crazy that's good.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    bordy (profile), 28 Jun 2011 @ 3:01pm

    I hope someone takes Anderson up on his offer to sell and then opens a professional dialogue with Frederick aimed at affecting a reasonable solution, only after which meaningful litigation may ensue.

    . . .

    On second thought, just extort the everliving shit out of him.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ChimpBush McHitlerBurton, 28 Jun 2011 @ 3:16pm

    Smiles

    WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    DogBreath, 28 Jun 2011 @ 3:30pm

    The odds will be even

    Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 28 Jun 2011 @ 3:50pm

      Re: The odds will be even

      Sauce is delicious.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        DogBreath, 28 Jun 2011 @ 4:10pm

        Re: Re: The odds will be even

        It will not be hot or even a warm sauce because in this case: "Revenge is a dish best served cold".

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Khstapp, 28 Jun 2011 @ 3:32pm

    Karma

    Karma - it must be a real phenomenon. This is truly cosmic justice at work.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    james, 28 Jun 2011 @ 3:54pm

    myspace

    Myspace sucks!!!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 28 Jun 2011 @ 4:15pm

    I saw we all buy it and sue.
    Kickstarter FTW!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Chris Rhodes (profile), 28 Jun 2011 @ 5:04pm

      Re:

      This . . . is a fantastic idea. I would love to see a "Sue Righthaven!" project on KickStarter. I can imagine the donation levels.

      $5 Backer - You get: A photograph of Righthaven CEO Steven Gibson crying into his briefcase as his sham of a career dissolves around him.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Jay (profile), 28 Jun 2011 @ 5:26pm

    Odd question #31567

    Just an odd question that may boggle minds around here...

    When has it ever been a good idea to sell a "right" you have to anyone else?

    I'm looking at the Bill of Rights, along with the Constitution. Out of everything in either document, the ONLY "right" I could see that needs to be taken off is the 16th Amendment.

    Imagine if someone sold the right to bear arms.

    Imagine if you could sell the right to your free speech to someone else.

    And yet somehow, this right to copy aspects of entertainment is allowed to be sold off for income.

    How does that make sense?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 28 Jun 2011 @ 6:47pm

      Re: Odd question #31567

      Jay:

      When has it ever been a good idea to sell a "right" you have to anyone else?


      Because that’s how property rights work.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        David Muir (profile), 28 Jun 2011 @ 7:56pm

        Re: Re: Odd question #31567

        AC, your answer to a legitimate question is as good as saying "because" without further elaborate. I predict your response to this observation will be "is not."

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        Jay (profile), 28 Jun 2011 @ 8:18pm

        Re: Re: Odd question #31567

        "Because that’s how [tangible] property rights work."

        FTFY

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 28 Jun 2011 @ 9:31pm

          Re: Re: Re: Odd question #31567

          You didn't fix it, you broke it the techdirt way, by ignoring the obvious and eliminating what you don't agree with.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Ed C., 28 Jun 2011 @ 10:34pm

      Re: Odd question #31567

      Well, a copyright is not so much a "right" but an exclusive government granted privilege for certain uses of an artistic work. The grant itself can be transferred to others, similar to the transfer of property ownership. It's basically the only real legal basis for calling copyright "intellectual property". Some people however have mistakenly assumed that meant the idea of exclusive property rights applied to all aspects of copyright.

      That's basically the copyright "IP" debate in nutshell.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      G Thompson (profile), 29 Jun 2011 @ 12:55am

      Re: Odd question #31567

      "Imagine if someone sold the right to bear arms."

      Someone... please think of the bears!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      dwg, 29 Jun 2011 @ 11:35am

      Re: Odd question #31567

      Dude, "rights" are gotten all sorts of ways. They stem from laws, only one source of which is the Constitution. Your pinched view of the word just fails. And I'm with you on the copyright part--I'm just saying: don't over-simplify to get to the good point.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Ken, 28 Jun 2011 @ 5:45pm

    If anyone buys it they should file with the exact same wording as Righthaven lawsuits including the domain name of the LVRJ and computers etc and $150,0000 in "irreparable damages". Then call them and tell them it is a lot cheaper to settle than fight it.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    A Guy, 28 Jun 2011 @ 8:54pm

    It is funny... but I would worry about RightHaven buying the copyright directly or by proxy. Make sure to vet your customers.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Pixelation, 28 Jun 2011 @ 10:26pm

    A poem...

    My name is Righthaven
    my job is to sue
    rights have been given
    so you I will screw

    I have no real right
    but why would that stop me
    in court I will fight
    'cause no one should copy

    We're arrogant pricks
    we act quite obtuse
    a lawsuit that sticks
    will destroy your fair use


    *Feel free to add to this. Claim it as your own if you need to. Have fun!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      dwg, 29 Jun 2011 @ 11:38am

      Re: A poem...

      There once was a dickhead named Gibson
      On TV he seems sort of glib, son
      His sweater reflected, bullshit was detected
      Hope the court hangs him high by the jib, son.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        dwg, 29 Jun 2011 @ 11:44am

        Re: Re: A poem...

        Righthaven is in quite a jam.
        Turns out that it's "Right" was a sham.
        But the judge saw Right through
        And told Gibson to screw
        Bloggers blogging? We don't give a damn.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Jimr (profile), 29 Jun 2011 @ 6:23am

    So I wonder who will buy: Sherman Frederick, Stephens Media or Righthaven?

    Could be an interesting bidding war to watch.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Androgynous Cowherd, 3 Jul 2011 @ 8:43pm

    (I mean, Frederick can't even figure out how to use quotation marks, let alone something as simple as a blockquote).


    Really? Even some of the ACs in the comments at this blog know how to use blockquote...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Frederick, 9 Nov 2011 @ 1:44am

    Frederick

    This is a nice web site. Good fresh interface and nice informative articles. I will be coming back soon, thanks for the great article.keep it up.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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