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News and commentary about a dad’s big oops is fair use. Proud dad, Kali Kanongataa, accidently live streamed a video of his partner giving birth to their son. The video went viral. As often happens in the world of viral videos, Kanongataa’s video gave rise to a commentary by the media. Much of the commentary involved showing short clips from the 45 minute video. Kanongataa sued ABC, NBC, Yahoo and COED Media for copyright infringement. The judge dismissed the case on the basis of fair use. But, it didn’t stop there. The judge ordered Kanongataa to pay the defendants’ attorney’s fees. The judge said, "no reasonable lawyer with any familiarity with the law of copyright" would have filed the cases.
WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS. Copyright infringement is the unauthorized use of the works of another. Fair use is a defense to copyright infringement. Fair use is a necessary component of copyright law because it protects uses that are essential to open dialog and creativity. A fair use analysis isn’t always simple or straightforward. But using small clips of a video for news or commentary falls squarely within the parameters of fair use. This case points out that no matter how aggrieved one may feel about the use of their content, rushing into court without an objective fair use analysis can cost a plaintiff far more than the embarrassment of a viral video.