RICK PORTER, The Hollywood Reporter; Judge Backs A&E in ‘Live PD’ Copyright Lawsuit
"Failla wrote in her ruling that while individual elements of a show like Live PD, including live footage from law enforcement and analysis from in-studio hosts, aren’t eligible for copyright protection, “the particular selection and arrangement of the elements as a whole — namely, the mix of live police footage and in-studio commentary; the black screen displaying a message regarding a suspect’s innocence in white text each time the show begins or returns from a break; the red and blue lights to mirror police cars; the use of hosts Dan Abrams and Sgt. [Sean] Larkin, sitting around virtually identical tables with virtually identical mugs; the sequencing of the ‘Missing’ and ‘Crime of the Week’ segments and the guest on the ‘Missing’ segment; the positioning of the hosts; the specific and consistent camera angles used; and the following of specific police departments across weeks — considered together, are sufficiently creative to state a cognizable copyright claim.”"
