More Cases have Come to a Close
Charming Beats LLC v. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
A short-lived case ended just two months after we first reported it. On September 19, 2022, we published a post involving a music composer doing business as Charming Beats (“Beats”) and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (“Alpha”). The litigation initiated when Alpha used one of Beats' songs in one of their YouTube videos.
After nearly a year of unsuccessful efforts to persuade Alpha to remove the song, Beats decided to sue Alpha for copyright infringement. However, on November 22, 2022, approximately two months later, Beats filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal, requesting that the court close the case with prejudice, with each party responsible for its own legal fees. It seems likely that the parties reached a settlement out of court.
Bowers v. Johnson County Community College
Another case with a similar outcome was the one for which we published a post on October 17, 2022. At that time, Eric Bowers (“Bowers”) had sued Johnson County Community College (the "College”) for using one of his photographs without his permission.
The case did not last long either. The College did not even file an Answer before Bowers filed a Stipulation of Dismissal almost two months after his initial Complaint. In the Stipulation, Bowers requested that the court close the case with prejudice, with each party responsible for their own attorneys’ fees. This case is likely another example of peaceful resolution out of court as a result of mutual agreement.
Alabama v. Heydari
On December 05, 2022, we published a post about the case brought by The Board of Trustees for the University of Alabama (“Alabama”) against Vahid Heydari ("Heydari") for alleged copyright and trade secret infringement. In the complaint, Alabama alleged that Heydari improperly appropriated and distributed lines of code from a software program owned by Alabama that Heydari had created while a graduate student there.
After back-and-forth motions and memos about discovery, personal jurisdiction, and service of process, and a order from the court establishing procedures for the case, Heydari filed an Answer to the Complaint. Heydari argued that the software developed at his new job was an entirely new project, unrelated to the work he performed for Alabama. He also asserted that he had destroyed all files containing Alabama’s software code before beginning work with his new employer and maintained that Alabama’s claims were based on a misinterpretation of the facts.
Soon after the answer was filed, Alabama submitted a Joint Notice of Settlement, and the parties subsequently filed a Joint Stipulation of Dismissal requesting that the case be dismissed with prejudice,.