Gray•Duffy, LLP Prevents Potential Copyright Infringement of Client’s Website

March 2014

Overview

Patrick Roberts of Gray•Duffy’s Encino office traced photographs that were illegally obtained from the client and posted to other websites, which then were forced to remove those photographs upon threat of copyright infringement.

Discussion

Gray•Duffy’s client, a luxury custom homebuilder, places copyright protected photographs of its work on its website for promotional purposes. Several websites illegally obtained and utilized the client’s photos for their own personal gain. The firm was able to track the various websites involved, issued cease and desist letters indicating that the websites were making unauthorized use of the copyrighted work in violation of existing copyright law and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) 17 U.S.C. §512(c). The firm was successful in taking down 18 separate websites as far away as Australia that were inappropriately utilizing these photographs, and preserved the copyright for our client.

Please Note: This article is necessarily general in nature and is not a substitute for legal advice with respect to any particular case. Readers should consult with an attorney before taking any action affecting their interests.