Showtime plans to show the documentary about Venus and Serena Williams beginning August 23, even though the United States Tennis Association wants the U.S. District Court in New York to ban it, reports Deadline.com.
The USTA sued VSW Productions on June 14, alleging that the filmmakers infringed on the group’s copyrights by including scenes — presumably Serena’s tirade at the 2009 U.S. Open — that are “not in the best interests of the sport.” But the defendants are mounting a vigorous defense, asking the court in a letter yesterday for a conference to discuss why the case should be dismissed.
They say that they shot virtually all of the footage. The big exceptions are “snippets of U.S. Open matches” that had been broadcast and are “easily justifiable” under the law’s “fair use” doctrine, which gives filmmakers and others a First Amendment right to use copyrighted material without permission when it serves the public interest.
The defendants also questioned whether the USTA has a legitimate copyright claim over the recordings, saying that the group didn’t register them with the U.S. Copyright Office “until May 2013, shortly before this lawsuit was commenced.” By that point “Venus And Serena” had already debuted at the Toronto Film Festival and was available on VOD and iTunes.
CLICK HERE to read story
article courtesy of Eurweb.com
Showtime To Air ‘Venus and Serena’ Despite USTA’s Legal Challenge was originally published on praisecleveland.com
