CBS has reportedly filed suit against YouTube channel 8thManDVD.com for re-posting 16 episodes of sixties sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. Edward Helman III, who runs the channel through parent company ComedyMX, could face roughly $11.8 million if he’s found liable, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
8thmanDVD, which counts over 106,00 subscribers, regularly posts remastered clips of copyrighted cartoons, classic TV shows, and movies — including Looney Tunes, Popeye, The Beverly Hillbillies, and more. Heldman, for his part, claims he posted The Andy Griffith Show episodes legally, according to the suit, given that they entered the public domain in the nineties after a copyright-renewal application was filed too late.
Heldman also argues that the episodes have been remastered and therefore do not represent a copyright breach.
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CBS, however, says that the episodes are still protected because the network owns the copyright for the first 79 episodes of the series, the Reporter reports. Therefore, it would follow that characters and themes would be protected in all future episodes as well. The network is demanding an injunction, damages, and any profits Heldman made from posting the episodes, which have accrued roughly 2 million views. CBS is citing 79 instances of infringement, and damages could range from $750 to $150,000 per instance, according to the Reporter.
