MANHATTAN (CN) - The Associated Press claims All Headline News, AHN Media, W. Jeffrey Brown and Danielle George created an ersatz "news service" that competes unfairly and violates trademark and copyright by employing no reporters, but merely "hir(ing) poorly paid individuals and instruct(ing) them to 'surf the Web' and copy breaking news stories from Internet news Web sites," including the AP.
The AP claims the defendants misappropriated its "Hot News" trademark, that Brown calls himself a "CEO" and George calls herself a "managing editor," but they simply copy or minimally rewrite AP stories and remove the AP credit from them.
The AP also claims the defendants, based in West Palm Beach, owe it $4,200 on a subscription to the AP.
The AP wants the defendants enjoined from misappropriating AP's trademarks and intellectual property, from removing AP's trademark, competing unfairly, and other violations. It demands punitive damages.
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