Jury Trial Set in Michael Baisden’s Fight to Stop Copyright Infringement
The Wire
A trial date has been set in a lawsuit filed by best-selling author and nationally syndicated radio and TV personality Michael Baisden.
Documents filed in the lawsuit allege that Defendants I’m Ready Productions, Inc., Image Entertainment, Inc., ALW Entertainment, Inc., Je’Caryous Johnson and Gary Guidry conspired to tour a stage-play without Baisden’s permission and sold DVD’s based on Baisden’s best-selling novels, The Maintenance Man and Men Cry in the Dark, in violation of the Federal copyright laws.
The lawsuit also alleges that I’m Ready Productions and Image Entertainment made millions of dollars using Baisden’s name, likeness and popularity to sell the DVD’s by implying that he was involved in, or endorsed, the distribution. Baisden did not authorize the sale of the DVD’s.
“This is my day in court in my fight to recover my intellectual property rights and prevent these Defendants from continuing to infringe upon my copyrighted novels,” said Michael Baisden. “These novels are like my children. They reflect years of hard work in writing them and promoting them to the level where they became best sellers. In the end, I hope I can also send a message to other copyright holders that they have a right to take a stand and fight those who are trying to steal their copyrighted works.”
In the lawsuit, Baisden seeks an injunction to prevent the Defendants from any further use of the copyrighted works The Maintenance Man and Men Cry in the Dark. Baisden is also seeking an award of actual damages, enhanced damages and attorneys’ fees for having to institute a lawsuit to stop Defendants’ infringement. He is represented by noted entertainment lawyers Daryl K. Washington and Aubrey “Nick” Pittman.
Trial is set to begin on February 14, 2011, in Houston, Texas, in the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas – Bob Casey Federal Courthouse Court Room 9-B.
