The Miniatures Page being Sued [Slightly OT]

[TheAuldGrump]

Is it just me or has silly season begun? First I read that Avalache is complaining about a bad review, then I read that The Miniatures Page (www.theminiaturespage.com) is being sued for a posting on their message board, and an article in their news section. Charges include that a letter to the editor was 'copyrighted' and should not have been quoted by the editor! (I could be wrong, but I somehow doubt that the letter included a copyright notice.)

Come on people! Bad reviews happen! Messageboards happen! get over it!

The Auld Grump, slightly steamed...

 

[Dragongirl]

Well if the sample sentence they quoted is any example, the email would be worth posting just for laughs.

 

[Buttercup]

Well, anyone can file a lawsuit against anyone else for any reason at all. Winning is another thing entirely....

 

[Xeriar]

Not a lawyer, but I thought you could typically only collect damages unless you had registered the copyright?

 

[Grazzt]

Not a lawyer, but I thought you could typically only collect damages unless you had registered the copyright?

It might be hard to for them to win, but technically anything you pen (that is write on your own, including email) can be assumed to be copyrighted even if you don't register it. I am not a lawyer either, but I am pretty well-versed in copyright laws as I had to deal a lot with them many years ago.

 

[Aitch Eye]

Also not a lawyer, but I believe that registering the copyright is what allows you to collect punitive damages, though you can collect actual damages (there's probably a better term) without it.

 

[Khan the Warlord]

Is there a page somewhere that can confirm or at least explain in greater detail what the TheAuldGrump is talking about?

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Ummm, there is, it is in the original post...

 

[Khan the Warlord]

Ummm, there is, it is in the original post...

You mean this?

http://theminiaturespage.com/polls/?id=1270754395

Sorry, I detest having to search for something and didn't see it the first time on the main page.

If the above link is it, it is still kinda cryptic as to what exactly happened.

Nevermind, I think I finally found what you mean here:

http://theminiaturespage.com/news/?id=362335

 

[kenjib]

Also not a lawyer, but aren't there usage laws to allow quotations in works such as in scholarly work, reviews, and in this case journalism? If a journalist can't quote someone without being sued we are living in a dark world indeed. Does anyone know how this works?