Shiji’s Ice Portal Beats Photographer’s Copyright Metadata Suit

A travel photographer who accused a Shiji US unit of removing copyright-related information from his photos’ metadata lost his appeal when the Eleventh Circuit on Friday found no indication that the company knew its software would facilitate a copyright infringement.

A claim under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for wrongful removal of copyright management information (CMI) requires a showing that the defendant had reason to know that its actions “will” induce, facilitate, or conceal a copyright infringement, the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit said, resolving an issue of first impression in the circuit.

This statutory language creates ...