Tag Archives: Photography

Richard Bell Sues IU, Purdue, A Place for Mom

21 Wednesday Sep 2016

Posted by in Copyright, Indiana, Indianapolis, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Southern District of Indiana

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Richard Bell strikes again…and again…and again. Mr. Bell has filed eight more copyright lawsuits over his Indianapolis skyline photo. Several individuals, a senior living facility, Indiana University and Purdue University all join the illustrious list of Bell defendants.

People, stop using Mr. Bell’s photographs!

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Court Case Number: 1:2016-cv-02434-TWP-DKL
File Date:  Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Buckley
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Tanya Walton Pratt
Referred To: Denise K. LaRue

Court Case Number: 1:2016-cv-02436-JMS-DML
File Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Tipton
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Jane Magnus-Stinson
Referred To: Debra McVicker Lynch

Court Case Number: 1:2016-cv-02451-SEB-DML
File Date: Wednesday, September 14, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: A Place for Mom, Inc.
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Sarah Evans Barker
Referred To: Debra McVicker Lynch

Court Case Number: 1:2016-cv-02463-TWP-DML
File Date: Thursday, September 15, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Indiana University
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Tanya Walton Pratt
Referred To: Debra McVicker Lynch

Court Case Number: 1:2016-cv-02482-SEB-DKL
File Date: Friday, September 16, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: East Coast Health Insurance, Inc.
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Sarah Evans Barker
Referred To: Denise K. LaRue

Court Case Number: 1:2016-cv-02488-RLY-DML
File Date: Friday, September 16, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Purdue University
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Richard L. Young
Referred To: Debra McVicker Lynch

Court Case Number: 1:206-cv-02491
File Date: Sunday, September 18, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Powell et al
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Tanya Walton Pratt
Referred To: Debra McVicker Lynch

Court Case Number: 1:2016-cv-2501
File Date: Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Hornberger Imports, Inc.
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Sarah Evans Barker
Referred To: Debra McVicker Lynch

Rich Bell sues Aramark Corporation over unauthorized use of Indianapolis skyline photograph

29 Monday Aug 2016

Posted by in Copyright, Indiana, Indianapolis, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Southern District of Indiana

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This time around Mr. Bell has snagged a big fish, the Aramark Corporation, specifically the Indianapolis branch of their Refreshment Services Division.

Somebody has unwisely used Mr. Bell’s skyline photograph on the Indianapolis branch’s website: http://www.aramarkrefreshments.com/webstore/nav/locations/Indianapolis.action

Use the “Richard Bell” tag at left to view his other litigation.

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Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-02291-SEB_MJD
File Date: Friday, August 26, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Aramark Corporation
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Sarah Evans Barker
Referred To: Mark J. Dinsmore

Complaint:

Exhibit B (Screen Shot of Defendant’s website):

Richard Bell sues infant health organization over use of Indy skyline photo in a 2011 PowerPoint presentation

27 Friday May 2016

Posted by in Copyright, Indianapolis, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Southern District of Indiana

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Richard Bell’s skyline photo crusade continues, this time against an organization “committed to improving birth outcomes and health disparities that exist within communities of color throughout the United States.”

In 2011, the National Healthy Start Association held its annual Spring Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. One presentation focused specifically on Indianapolis’ efforts to enhance infant survival and family well-being. One slide of the accompanying PowerPoint included 4 photographs of Indianapolis, one of which was Mr. Bell’s skyline photo. You can view the full PowerPoint and the allegedly infringing slide here.

Five years later, Google Images apparently found the image buried within the old PowerPoint and Mr. Bell pounced.

Let this be a lesson to all PowerPoint presenters…time does not exist on the internet. Even old uses of photos from past slideshows need to be checked and cleared of potential copyright infringement. If Google can find it, so can zealous rights holders. Copyright law is strict liability (meaning your intent doesn’t matter, just whether you did it or not) and while fair use defenses might save the day here, litigation is still time-intensive and expensive.

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Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-01301-JMS-DKL
File Date: Thursday, May 26, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: National Healthy Start Association
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Jane Magnus-Stinson
Referred To: Denise K. LaRue

Complaint:

Today’s Richard Bell copyright targets…community development consulting firm, importer of European vacuum products, hospitality management company

24 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by in Copyright, Indiana, Indianapolis, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Southern District of Indiana

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Indy skyline photographer Richard Bell has filed three additional copyright infringement lawsuits, this time against a community development consulting firm, an importer of European vacuum products and a hospitality management company.

Use the “Richard Bell” tag at left to view his other litigation.

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Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-01256-TWP-DML
File Date: Saturday, May 21, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Progressive Urban Management Associates
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Tanya Walton Pratt
Referred To: Debra McVicker Lynch

Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-01257-WTL-DML
File Date: Saturday, May 21, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Vacuforce, LLC
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: William T. Lawrence
Referred To: Debra McVicker Lynch

Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-01260-WTL-DML
File Date: Monday, May 23, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Alliance Hospitality Management, LLC
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: William T. Lawrence
Referred To: Debra McVicker Lynch

Representative Complaint:

Today’s Richard Bell copyright targets…wholesale insurance brokerage, IT company and judgment enforcement agency

19 Thursday May 2016

Posted by in Copyright, Indiana, Indianapolis, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Southern District of Indiana

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Skyline photographer Richard Bell has filed three additional copyright infringement lawsuits, this time against a wholesale insurance brokerage, an IT company and a judgment enforcement agency.

Use the “Richard Bell” tag at left to view his other litigation.

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Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-01211-SEB-DML
File Date: Monday, May 16, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Knapp, Judgment Recovery of Indiana
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Sarah Evans Barker
Referred To: Debra McVicker Lynch

Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-01225-WTL-DKL
File Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Future Technology Solutions, LLC
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: William T. Lawrence
Referred To: Denise K. LaRue

Court Case Number: 
File Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: AmWINS Group Inc.
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Larry J. McKinney
Referred To: Mark J. Dinsmore

Representative Complaint:

Today’s Richard Bell copyright targets…Marian University, a business brokerage, 2 real estate firms and a moving company

16 Monday May 2016

Posted by in Copyright, Indiana, Indianapolis, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Southern District of Indiana

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Proving that he’s neither superstitious nor a resting man, Richard Bell has filed five more copyright infringement lawsuits, two on Friday the 13th and three on Saturday. No rest for the wicked…at least those wicked enough to find Mr. Bell’s Indianapolis skyline photo on Google Images and use it on their website without permission.

Today’s targets include Marian University, a business brokerage, 2 real estate firms and a moving company.

Use the “Richard Bell” tag at left to find his other litigation.

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Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-01197-SEB-MJD
File Date: Friday, May 13, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Sunbelt Business Advisors of Indiana
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Sarah Evans Barker
Referred To: Mark J. Dinsmore

Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-01199-SEB-MJD
File Date: Friday, May 13, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Marian University, Inc.
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Sarah Evans Barker
Referred To: Mark J. Dinsmore

Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-01207-SEB-MJD
File Date: Saturday, May 14, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Vivona & Peyton
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Sarah Evans Barker
Referred To: Mark J. Dinsmore

Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-01208-TWP-MPB
File Date: Saturday, May 14, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Top Class Moving, Inc.
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Tanya Walton Pratt
Referred To: Matthew P. Brookman

Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-01209-SEB-DML
File Date: Saturday, May 14, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Profusion 360
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Sarah Evans Barker
Referred To: Debra McVicker Lynch

Representative Complaint:

Richard Bell sues Forensics Expert over use of Indianapolis skyline photo

13 Friday May 2016

Posted by in Copyright, Indiana, Indianapolis, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Southern District of Indiana

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It’s official…this being the third day in a row of him filing copyright lawsuits, we have another Richard Bell litigation spree! It had been awhile but Mr. Bell is apparently making up for lost time. Stay tuned to this blog over the next few days as we find out just how many people unwittingly used Mr. Bell’s Indianapolis skyline photographs.

In this action, Mr. Bell is suing a forensics consultant/trainer from Kansas City who used a skyline photo on his company’s website back in 2014.

Use the “Richard Bell” tag at left to find his other litigation.

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Richard N. Bell v. Maloney

Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-01193-RLY-DML
File Date: Thursday, May 12, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Michael Maloney
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Richard L. Young
Referred To: Debra McVicker Lynch

Complaint:

Richard Bell sues Real Estate Company over use of Indianapolis skyline photo

12 Thursday May 2016

Posted by in Copyright, Indiana, Indianapolis, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Southern District of Indiana

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Use the “Richard Bell” tag at left to find other similar litigation involving these Indianapolis skyline photographs.

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Richard N. Bell v. Carmen Commercial Real Estate Services

Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-01174-TWP-MPB
File Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Carmen Commercial Real Estate Services
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Tanya Walton Pratt
Referred To: Matthew P. Brookman

Complaint:

Richard Bell files two more lawsuits over Indianapolis skyline photos

11 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by in Artists, Indiana, Indianapolis, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Southern District of Indiana

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Somehow there are still people out there using Richard Bell’s Indianapolis skyline photos on their website, despite years of reporting about it here on this blog!

This time around, Mr. Bell’s photos have snared a lawyer and an IT staffing firm.

People, don’t use Richard Bell’s Indianapolis skyline photos! He WILL sue you.

Indianapolis Skyline but NOT Richard Bell's Indianapolis Skyline

Use the “Richard Bell” tag at left to view his past lawsuits.

Bell v. TeamSoft, Inc.

Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-01159-SEB-DML
File Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: TeamSoft, Inc.
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Sarah Evans Barker
Referred To: Debra McVicker Lynch

Bell v. Patrick

Court Case Number: 1:16-cv-01160-TWP-DML
File Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Michael F.S. Patrick
Cause: Copyright Infringement, Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Tanya Walton Pratt
Referred To: Debra McVicker Lynch

Representative Complaint:

Another Richard Bell Copyright Suit

26 Friday Jun 2015

Posted by in Copyright, Indiana, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Southern District of Indiana

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Richard Bell is suing another website for allegedly using an unauthorized copy of his photograph of downtown Indianapolis. In a previous ruling against Mr. Bell (more here), the court was less than pleased with shortcomings in his complaint:

While providing specific facts is not necessary in a complaint, Mr. Bell is required to do more than recite legal conclusions of conduct with generic applicability to various defendants. . . . Legal conclusions are not afforded the assumption of truth. . . . [T]he Court will not afford the assumption of truth to the legal conclusions in Mr. Bell’s complaint. Neither does the Court find any factual allegations that are not legal conclusions, which could entitle him to relief and satisfy the standard of review.

Bell v. McCann, No. 1:13-CV-00799-TWP, 2014 WL 900961, at *2 (S.D. Ind. Mar. 7, 2014)

Mr. Bell did offer more than legal conclusions in this most recent Complaint (see below) by adding a factual allegation. And although he needed to allege “only enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face,” Mr. Bell decided to unnecessarily add proof of these alleged facts. Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007). He included a link to a screenshot of the alleged infringement, although the link just resolves to a blank page.

In any case, don’t use pictures you find on the internet without authorization. Just don’t.

Richard N. Bell v. Proact Search LLC

Court Case Number: 1:15-cv-01005-JMS-DKL
File Date: Thursday, June 25, 2015
Plaintiff: Richard N. Bell
Plaintiff Counsel: Richard N. Bell of Bell Law Firm
Defendant: Proact Search LLC
Cause: Copyright Infringement and Unfair Competition
Court: Southern District of Indiana
Judge: Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson
Referred To: Magistrate Judge Denise K. LaRue

*Dismissed August 5, 2015*