Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Warner V Tusa
Warner V Tusa
1 owns or controls the copyrights or exclusive rights in the content that it or its
2 affiliates produce or distribute.
3 14. Plaintiff Universal Television, LLC (formerly known as NBC Studios,
4 Inc. and NBC Studios LLC) (“UT”) is a limited liability company duly organized
5 under the laws of the State of Delaware with its principal place of business in
6 Universal City, California. UT owns or controls the copyrights or exclusive rights
7 in the content that it or its affiliates produce or distribute.
8 15. Plaintiff Amazon Content Services LLC (“Amazon”) is a corporation
9 duly organized under the laws of the State of Delaware with its principal place of
10 business in Seattle, Washington. Amazon owns or controls the copyrights or
11 exclusive rights in the content that it or its affiliates produce or distribute. Amazon
12 was a party to the Settlement Agreement, which settled claims related to Tusa’s
13 infringement through the services, Area 51 and Singularity. Amazon was a party to
14 the Settlement Agreement with the Tusas and currently joins this action only as a
15 Contract Plaintiff.4
16 16. Plaintiff Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. (“Columbia”) is a
17 corporation duly incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware with its
18 principal place of business in Culver City, California. Columbia owns or controls
19 copyrights or exclusive rights in content that it or its affiliates produce or distribute.
20 Columbia was a party to the Settlement Agreement with the Tusas.
21 17. Plaintiff Disney Enterprises, Inc. (“Disney”) is a corporation duly
22 incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware with its principal place of
23 business in Burbank, California. Disney owns or controls copyrights or exclusive
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Area 51 and Singularity included a video-on-demand (“VOD”) feature, which
26 offered 24/7 streaming access to, among others, Amazon and Netflix titles. Altered
27 Carbon does not appear to include VOD content and, at present, Plaintiffs are not
aware of any Amazon or Netflix titles that have been infringed via the Altered
28 Carbon service.
1 rights in content that it or its affiliates produce or distribute. Disney was a party to
2 the Settlement Agreement with the Tusas.
3 18. Plaintiff Netflix Studios, LLC (“Netflix”) is a limited liability company
4 duly organized under the laws of the State of Delaware with its principal place of
5 business in Los Angeles, California. Netflix owns or controls copyrights or
6 exclusive rights in content that it or its affiliates produce or distribute. Netflix was a
7 party to the Settlement Agreement, which settled claims related to Tusa’s
8 infringement through the services, Area 51 and Singularity. Netflix joins the other
9 Plaintiffs here in their breach of contract claim against Tusa. Netflix was a party to
10 the Settlement Agreement with the Tusas.
11 19. Plaintiff Open 4 Business Productions LLC (“O4BP”) is a limited
12 liability company duly organized under the laws of the State of Delaware with its
13 principal place of business in Universal City, California. O4BP owns or controls the
14 copyrights or exclusive rights in the content that it or its affiliates produce or
15 distribute.
16 20. Plaintiff Paramount Pictures Corporation (“Paramount”) is a
17 corporation duly incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware with its
18 principal place of business in Los Angeles, California. Paramount owns or controls
19 copyrights or exclusive rights in content that it or its affiliates produce or distribute.
20 Plaintiffs have obtained Certificates of Copyright Registration for their Copyrighted
21 Works. Exhibit A contains a representative list of motion pictures television shows,
22 along with their registration numbers, the registered copyright owner, and the date
23 of registration, that Tusa has infringed. Paramount was a party to the Settlement
24 Agreement with the Tusas.
25 21. Plaintiff Screen Gems, Inc. (“Screen Gems”) is a corporation duly
26 incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware with its principal place of
27 business in Culver City, California. Screen Gems owns or controls copyrights or
28 exclusive rights in content that it or its affiliates produce or distribute.
1 infringing conduct. Time and again, however, Tusa has covertly rebranded his
2 services and resumed his infringing conduct. Tusa believes he is both under the
3 radar and above the law. He is neither. Tusa willfully and continuously infringes
4 the Copyrighted Works, in blatant disregard for his written commitments, and the
5 law.
6 Tusa’s Current Illegal IPTV Service
7 31. Tusa’s IPTV Service provides infringing streams of the Copyrighted
8 Works, in violation of Plaintiffs’ exclusive public performance rights, 17 U.S.C.
9 § 106(4).
10 32. Tusa offers customer subscription packages for the IPTV Service at
11 prices ranging from $7.00 to $10.00 per month, depending on the package and
12 billing cycle selected.
13 33. When accessing an Altered Carbon Platform, Tusa’s customers first see
14 the option to access “Live TV,” a link housing Tusa’s IPTV offerings.
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27 Altered Carbon subscribers who select Live TV have at their fingertips an enormous
28 collection of television channels. The volume of channels that Tusa offers is
1 staggering, totaling nearly 2,600 channels from across the globe. Tusa has
2 configured the Altered Carbon Platforms to organize the channels by nationality and
3 genre (e.g., USA, Kids, International Sports).
4 34. The channels that Tusa’s IPTV Service offers include major networks
5 like ABC, NBC, and Fox, as well as paid channels like BET, SyFy, USA Network,
6 and premium channels like HBO and Showtime, among others. At no additional
7 cost to the customer, Tusa’s IPTV Service also includes live sportscasts and pay-
8 per-view events, as well as a range of local and international versions of the most
9 popular television networks.
10 35. Tusa’s live television channels are streamed contemporaneously with
11 the original source of the telecast. For example, television programs airing on
12 channels such as ESPN or NBCSN also appear on the Altered Carbon Platforms,
13 where Tusa streams those programs in high definition and with little to no delay.
14 This contemporaneous streaming enables Altered Carbon subscribers to view new
15 releases and exclusive programming simultaneously with the original telecast, but
16 without paying for that content through a legitimate service.
17 36. Once a subscriber clicks a channel offering, Tusa streams the content
18 playing on it to the subscriber. On any given day, Tusa streams thousands of
19 Plaintiffs’ Copyrighted Works to subscribers through the Altered Carbon Platforms.
20 Because Tusa provides localized versions of channels across time zones, a particular
21 Work may appear multiple times per day, such that subscribers can access the Work
22 at their convenience. The screen capture below shows Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph,
23 streaming live through an Altered Carbon Platform.
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37. Altered Carbon also offers a “TV Guide” view, which enables
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subscribers to browse scheduled programming in the same manner as they would do
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with a traditional cable device. Subscribers scroll through live channels, select a
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program, and are taken to a full-screen player that instantly streams the desired
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content. In many respects, the experience of watching television programming
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through Altered Carbon is indistinguishable from a legitimate cable service.
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However, because Altered Carbon operates outside of a legitimate, licensed
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framework, Altered Carbon offers more channels than those offered by any
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authorized service. The screen capture below shows upcoming programming—
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including Spider-Man 2, Miami Vice, and other Copyrighted Works owned by
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Plaintiffs—on one of the fourteen Starz channels available on Altered Carbon.
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14 38. Tusa has also recently launched “24/7,” title-curated channels devoted
1 39. Because Tusa operates without a license, he does not pay the fees that
2 authorized services pay for the exercise of Plaintiffs’ exclusive rights. The fact that
3 Tusa pays Plaintiffs nothing for licenses deprives Plaintiffs of payment for the
4 exploitation of their Copyrighted Works. And, by paying nothing for the content he
5 exploits, Tusa reaps an unlawful competitive advantage, since he is able to price his
6 offerings well below the prices charged by licensed distributors that play by the
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8 40. In addition to streaming content through the Altered Carbon Platforms,
9 Tusa gives his subscribers direct access to the streams through his server—the Portal
10 URL—so they can view the illicit streams through the viewing applications of their
11 choice. Every customer who purchases an Altered Carbon subscription receives the
12 Portal URL link to Tusa’s hosting server and a set of login credentials. Customers
13 use those login credentials to stream from Tusa’s servers directly through a range of
14 also unauthorized third-party applications that may offer additional features or
15 content. Subscribers who use the Portal URL with third-party viewing applications
16 have the same instant and effortless access to Copyrighted Works as they would
17 through the Altered Carbon Platforms but enjoy two additional, illicit benefits over
18 and above those the Altered Carbon Platforms provide. First, Portal URL
19 subscribers can search for and view infringing content through the user interface of
20 their choice. Second, those subscribers gain access to offerings from other
21 infringing IPTV services, meaning that Tusa has provided an even more
22 comprehensive library of infringing content in a single location. The screen capture
23 below shows The Godfather III streaming via the Portal URL to the application,
24 TiviMate.
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12 41. Tusa’s public internet postings show him obtaining the streams that
13 power Altered Carbon through a process of redirecting licensed transmissions from
14 legitimate cable services. A video posted to Tusa’s social media account shows him
15 stringing together a series of cable boxes, indicating that Tusa is using the signals
16 routed through those cable boxes as the source for his infringing streams.
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1 49. In June 2020, Plaintiffs served Tusa, his wife, and his sister with a
2 cease-and-desist letter, notifying them of their copyright violations and demanding
3 they refrain from any further exploitation of Plaintiffs’ Copyrighted Works. The
4 three Tusas hired an attorney and shut down Area 51 while negotiating a settlement.
5 While feigning good faith efforts to resolve Plaintiffs’ claims, Jason Tusa was
6 apparently already at work on the second iteration of his service.
7 50. Singularity Media. On July 1, 2020, Jason Tusa registered the domain
8 singularitymedia.net and created a website that closely mirrored the Area 51
9 websites. The same day that Area 51 closed, its subscribers received an email
10 welcoming them to “Singularity Media” and providing download instructions for a
11 Singularity IPTV application, which could be accessed using subscribers’ Area 51
12 login credentials. Programming and pricing remained nearly identical to Area 51.
13 51. On July 8, 2020, Plaintiffs demanded that the Tusas stop their
14 infringement through Singularity. Shortly thereafter, Singularity went offline.
15 52. On October 12, 2020, Plaintiffs and the Tusas executed a confidential
16 Settlement Agreement, which resolved claims arising from the Tusas’ infringing
17 operation of Area 51 and Singularity. In that agreement, the Tusas promised, inter
18 alia, to “[n]ever again operate or develop” an infringing service or assist anyone else
19 trying to do the same thing. (Ex. B, Settlement Agreement, § 6(f)–(g)) Again, the
20 Tusas’ promises were apparently insincere, as Jason Tusa was already relocating
21 and relaunching his infringing operation.
22 53. Digital UniCorn Media. In or around September 2020, Tusa launched
23 his third infringing IPTV service, “Digital UniCorn Media” (“DUM”). DUM
24 offered similar pricing, programming, and design as Area 51 and Singularity. This
25 time around, however, Tusa attempted to conceal his involvement in the service.
26 For example, registration information for the DUM website was privacy protected.
27 54. After the October 12, 2020 Settlement Agreement was executed,
28 Plaintiffs identified Tusa as the operator behind DUM through its IP address and
23 rights. It appears instead that Tusa has launched yet another infringing IPTV
24 Service, this one called “Altered Carbon.” Tusa knows he is being monitored and
25 has not publicly acknowledged his connection to Altered Carbon. The ownership of
26 the domains underlying the service are shielded by privacy proxies, he relies on
27 cryptocurrency-based transactions with subscribers, and limits his personal
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1 77. As a direct and proximate result of the foregoing acts and conduct,
2 Plaintiffs have sustained and will continue to sustain substantial, immediate and
3 irreparable injury, for which there is no adequate remedy at law. Unless enjoined
4 and restrained by this Court, Tusa will continue to infringe Plaintiffs’ rights in the
5 Copyrighted Works. Plaintiffs are entitled to injunctive relief under 17 U.S.C.
6 § 502.
7 SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION
8 Contributory Copyright Infringement by Knowingly and Materially
Contributing to the Infringement of the Copyrighted Works
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(Brought by All Plaintiffs Other Than Amazon and Netflix, Against Defendants
10 Jason Tusa and Does 1-10)
11 78. Plaintiffs incorporate herein by reference each and every averment
12 contained in paragraphs 1 to 68 inclusive.
13 79. With respect to the 24/7 channels, and with respect to all other
14 offerings as to which Tusa claims that third parties, and not Tusa himself, directly
15 infringes Plaintiffs’ exclusive rights under the Copyright Act, Tusa is knowingly and
16 materially contributing to such infringement.
17 80. Tusa has actual knowledge of the third parties’ infringement. Tusa
18 systematically amasses thousands of live television channels, containing
19 Copyrighted Works that can only be lawfully accessed through a limited number of
20 legitimate services, in specific geographic regions, and in specific content packages.
21 Tusa knows that third parties are not authorized to reproduce Plaintiffs’ Copyrighted
22 Works to make 24/7 channels, nor to publicly perform Copyrighted Works by
23 streaming these channels en masse. Still, Tusa sells access to these streams to his
24 own subscribers. Tusa knows, from among other sources his correspondence with
25 Plaintiffs and his having executed the Settlement Agreement, that his subscribers
26 have no authorization to receive the streams of the Copyrighted Works he provides
27 to those subscribers.
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1 94. Plaintiffs further are entitled to recover their attorneys’ fees and full
2 costs pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 505.
3 95. As a direct and proximate result of the foregoing acts and conduct,
4 Plaintiffs have sustained and will continue to sustain substantial, immediate and
5 irreparable injury, for which there is no adequate remedy at law. Unless enjoined
6 and restrained by this Court, Tusa will continue to infringe Plaintiffs’ rights in the
7 Copyrighted Works. Plaintiffs are entitled to injunctive relief under 17 U.S.C.
8 § 502.
9 FOURTH CAUSE OF ACTION
10 Breach of Contract
11 (Brought by the Contract Plaintiffs Against Defendant Jason Tusa)
12 96. Plaintiffs incorporate herein by reference each and every averment
13 contained in paragraphs 1 to 68 inclusive.
14 97. On October 12, 2020, Plaintiffs, Jason Tusa, and Korinne Tusa
15 executed a confidential Settlement Agreement, Exhibit B, which will be filed under
16 seal.
17 98. The Settlement Agreement mandated that Tusa, inter alia, immediately
18 and permanently cease infringing Plaintiffs’ Copyrighted Works, and pay an agreed
19 financial sum (the “Settlement Sum”).
20 99. Pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Agreement, in the event of a
21 breach by Tusa, Plaintiffs are entitled to pursue legal action against him for any and
22 all copyright claims arising out of his infringing activities—past and present.
23 Plaintiffs may bring these claims without waiving their right to receive full and
24 immediate payment of the Settlement Sum.
25 100. Plaintiffs have performed all obligations required of them under the
26 Settlement Agreement or, to the extent Plaintiffs have not done so, their
27 performance is excused.
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