Epress.am News from Armenia
On June 25, the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork Marash Administrative Districts of Yerevan presided over by Judge Karine Petrosyan will examine writer Arpi Voskanyan's lawsuit against local news provider 1in.am.
According to the plaintiff, without her prior consent, 1in.am republished one of her political riddles that was originally published in the local daily Haykakan Zhamanak. The riddle was accompanied by a photo of Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan. The site also announced a contest for music to the text in the riddle, promising the winner a prize of $1,500.
"Despite my numerous appeals, the editor didn't remove my riddle from the site and didn't cancel the contest. I went to the police, but they didn't take up the case, urging me to solve the issue in court. The Media Ethics Observatory advised me to consider the case in court and tried to reconcile us. When the First News [1in.am] editor said that I should apologize to them, it was clear that the issue could be settled only in court," Arpi Voskanyan informed Epress.am. She is asking for compensation in the symbolic amount of 200,000 AMD (about $485) and to remove the republished piece from the site.
Yerevan State University's Legal Clinic attorney Hasmik Balabekyan told Epress.am that this case could set a precedent in the area of copyright.
"Until now, copyright was not violated to this extent — lines, words were stolen, but not the whole poem. In the past, there were grounds for going to court to defend a violation of the right of the author's reputation and dignity and to demand compensation, but to what extent, it wasn't clear. Now, fortunately, likewise there are grounds, which for the first time became the basis for a lawsuit related to creative work," said the attorney.
Voskanyan's riddle is posted on the Haykakan Zhamanak website [AM].
Updated at 8:40 am on June 18, 2014: The direct quote by the attorney was updated with additional information to clarify the grounds for going to court.