Piratical N.C. Copyright Law Deep-Sixed by Blackbeard Videographer ! In a story line the infamous pirate himself would love, North Carolina has repealed its own “ Blackbeard's Law .” The law, passed in 2015, had targeted famous underwater photographer Rick Allen and his footage of Blackbeard’s flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge by converting all photography and videos of shipwrecks that came into State hands into public records that the State could use without payment. The State apparently hopes this will end a lawsuit...but it won’t. The backstory is almost as old as the law. In 2013, North Carolina’s Department of Natural and Cultural Resources violated copyrights owned by Allen and his company, Nautilus Productions—and paid $15,000 to settle their copyright infringement claim. Desperate to keep using Allen’s unique footage but unwilling to pay, the State passed “Blackbeard’s Law” and the State resumed its buccaneering ways. Nautilus and Allen answered with their own broadsi...