Unauthorised reproduction and making available of 8-second clips of sports events? A copyright infringement, rules Arnold J
Bertie's favourite summer sport Can the unauthorised reproduction and making available of clips of cricket matches lasting up to 8 seconds amount to an infringement of copyright in works lasting several days hours minutes about this exciting and fast-paced sport? Unsurprisingly, the answer is yes. Last Friday Arnold J issued his 174-paragraph judgment in England And Wales Cricket Board Ltd & Anor v Tixdaq Ltd & Anor [2016] EWHC 575 (Ch). Background The claimants in this case own the copyrights in TV broadcasts (and films incorporated therein) of most cricket matches played by the England men's and women's cricket teams. The defendants operate a website, www.fanatix.com and various apps, in particular the fanatix app for iPhone/iPad [of all the things, this Vine -inspired app was at the centre of the dispute, and was advertised as follows on the AppStore: "Capture, Cap...