Business litigation going both ways between photographer and CBS

Copyright property laws are often complex and determining whether infringement has occurred can be challenging. Many California business owners are currently battling such issues out in court; others are wondering whether they have grounds to launch business litigation against parties who have possibly infringed upon their intellectual property rights. In either case, reaching out for experienced guidance and support is often the best way to handle such matters.

In one ongoing situation, a photographer says he saw his work published on a CBS website without his permission. He says it is not the first time the same online writer has used his photos to accompany news stories without seeking permission to do so. The CBS employee posted a response to the photographer's fiery Twitter demand to remove the photo from the internet by saying the photo was given to him by the subject of the photo himself; therefore, he did not know the photograph belonged to the photographer.

The photographer apparently didn't buy that excuse and filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement against CBS. CBS didn't take the attack lying down. Instead, it filed its own lawsuit against the photographer claiming he posted still frames from an old TV show, Gunsmoke, without obtaining permission from CBS first. CBS says it is outrageous that the photographer has filed a lawsuit for something he himself is guilty of doing.

The two cases are separate and the court will have its work cut out to determine if either plaintiff's claims are true. Business litigation often takes months, if not years, to process. California business owners typically increase their chances for litigation success by hiring experienced business and commercial law attorneys to represent them in court.

Source: petapixel.com, "Photographer Sues CBS for Copyright Infringement, CBS Sues Back", Michael Zhang, Nov. 2, 2017