LAS VEGAS — A federal judge in Nevada says a Las Vegas law firm targeting unauthorized content on the Internet cannot sue others over a news company's copyrights.
The Las Vegas Sun reported Tuesday the dismissal of a lawsuit by copyright enforcer Righthaven LLC against the website Democratic Underground.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Roger Hunt says copyright plaintiffs must control the rights to material in order to sue for copyright infringement.
Righthaven's biggest client is Las Vegas Review-Journal owner Stephens Media LLC.
The news company lets the law firm sue alleged copyright violators, but the company retains copyright control under its contract with Righthaven.
It's unclear how Hunt's ruling will impact Righthaven. It has filed 274 copyright lawsuits since March 2010.
Righthaven CEO Steve Gibson could not immediately be reached.
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