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20 August 2019CopyrightSarah Morgan

Netflix taken to court over another Fyre Festival video

Netflix has, once again, become embroiled in a copyright lawsuit over its documentary about the infamous luxury music festival Fyre Festival.

In a complaint filed Monday, August 19, Nicole Pinedo accused Netflix and Jerry Media, Fyre Festival’s marketing agency which co-produced the documentary, of using three of her copyright-protected videos.

Netflix’s documentary “Fyre” reportedly features each of the three videos, including one of rapper Ja Rule.

Ja Rule co-founded Fyre Festival, which was scheduled to take place in 2017 on the Bahamian island of Great Exuma, with convicted fraudster Billy McFarland.

It was McFarland who, in 2013, established Magnises, a company that marketed an invitation-only charge card, using $1.5 million of investor funding. Pinedo’s other videos feature a Magnises holiday party and Magnises’ Washington, DC launch party.

In June 2017, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York charged McFarland with one count of wire fraud. The following year, McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to forfeit $26 million.

Pinedo, who is represented by lawyer Richard Liebowitz, is seeking a permanent injunction, profits and damages.

Liebowitz, the founder of Liebowitz Law Firm, previously represented a Fyre Festival attendee in their suit against Netflix.

In March this year, Clarissa Cardenas accused Netflix of using her video (which features the accommodation at Fyre Festival) in its documentary.

Last month, WIPR reported that Netflix and Jerry Media had reached a settlement with Cardenas.

Liebowitz has previously been accused of being a “copyright troll” and “one of the most prolific filers of copyright lawsuits” in the US in a suit involving reality TV personalities Kendall and Kylie Jenner.

In April last year, the licensee of Kendall + Kylie Inc, a fashion brand set up by the two Jenners, requested damages from Liebowitz and his client for a “frivolous” copyright suit.

The complaint alleged that Liebowitz has filed more than 450 copyright infringement suits since December 2015.

Kendall Jenner, along with fellow model Bella Hadid and other social media influencers, were used to promote Fyre Festival.

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More on this story

Copyright
18 July 2019   Netflix has reached a settlement with a Fyre Festival attendee who had sued the studios for using her video footage without authorisation.
Copyright
1 March 2019   A Fyre Festival attendee has accused Netflix of using her video in its documentary about the infamous luxury music festival.