Amazon, Netflix, And Major Hollywood Studios File Massive Suit Against Rogue Copyright Infringer Jason Tusa

Copyright violations from illegal streamers and downloads are nothing new, but repeat offenders may ... [+] face sizable lawsuits like the one being brought by a group of studios and content creators against one unrepentant streamer.

In the summer of 2020, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment shut down illegal pirate streaming network Area 51. The event was allegedly accompanied by a settlement agreement that the operator of Area 51 could not launch any new copyright infringing services. However, in a new lawsuit just filed, Amazon, Netflix, and a group of prominent Hollywood studios allege that the agreement over the shutdown of Area 51 has been breached several times over by a rogue serial copyright infringer named Jason Tusa.

The massive copyright infringement and breach of contract lawsuit filed on July 6, 2021, by Amazon, Netflix, and studios including Warner Brothers, Universal, Sony, Columbia, Disney, and Paramount alleges how, in the months following the shutdown of Area 51, Tusa rebranded and rebuilt his streaming service platform three additional times under three new names, all of which infringed copyrights owned by the plaintiffs. These rebranded platforms include Singularity Media, Digital Unicorn Media, and Tusa’s latest allegedly infringing streaming endeavor Altered Carbon. Each new iteration has exploited the copyrighted works of networks and studios alike, with a list of hundreds of familiar titles that have been infringed upon.

According to the lawsuit, Tusa’s business model is simple: for a nominal subscription fee, most recently to Altered Carbon, he provides his subscribers with an internet protocol television (IPTV) service that includes offerings from major broadcast networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox, cable channels such as BET, SyFy, USA Network, and premium channels HBO and Showtime, among others. Subscribers access the copyright infringing content through Altered Carbon applications that download directly onto smart TVs, computers, and mobile devices, as well as via a web portal. As alleged, because none of the content is properly licensed, Tusa keeps subscription prices low and does not have to pay the plaintiffs any license fees for exploiting their copyrights. So, the plaintiffs allege, Tusa benefits from an unfair advantage on the competition. According to the plaintiffs, previously reached settlements demonstrate conclusively that Tusa is well aware that he lacks the licenses to share these works, and he has even formally agreed to stop this conduct in the past—yet the existence of the latest platform Altered Carbon demonstrates how his infringing conduct has knowingly continued with no intent on stopping.

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