‘Fake Hack’ Website Copying Service Willfully Infringed, Liable for $150K Damages, Fees

A business that copies, alters, and republishes existing websites and enables users to enter website addresses to “fake hack” is liable by default for maximum statutory damages under the Copyright Act, $13,9013 in attorneys’ fees, and is subject to a permanent injunction barring future infringements, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York ruled June 25 (Electronic Creations Corp. v. Gigahertz Inc., N.D.N.Y., 5:12-cv-01423-GTS-DEP, 6/25/13).

Judge Glenn T. Suddaby had little trouble finding that the plaintiff—which holds several copyright-protected websites allegedly copied by the defendant—had stated a claim for copyright infringement, trademark infringement, and ...