BVA103 Tutorial Task 2 (Week 5)

1. Find an example of copyright infringement relating to film or animation

Bengal Mangle Productions sued Seth MacFarlane, Universal, and Media Rights Capital claiming the film Ted stole their idea, about a cursing teddy bear named Charlie who also slept with prostitutes and drank. Charlie had been featured in YouTube videos since 2009. However, they eventually withdrew their lawsuit believing that MacFarlane had sufficiently proved that he created Ted on his own.

2. Find an example of copyright infringement relating to music

Ray Parker, Jr. scored an Oscar nomination for his theme song to Ghostbusters, but one person not enthused by the song's reception was Huey Lewis. The popular '80s singer sued Parker and Columbia Pictures, claiming the song bore a striking resemblance to Huey Lewis and the News' "I Want a New Drug" from earlier that year. The parties settled out of court, though Lewis' alleged breach of the confidentiality agreement—he discussed the case on VH1's Behind the Music in 2001—led to Parker suing Lewis.

Discussing the film in Premiere magazine years later, the film's producers admitted that Lewis declined their offer to write the theme song and, upon hiring Parker, provided him with "I Want a New Drug" to help him write the theme song.