Blackbeard Copyright Lawsuit Sails Forward in NC! North Carolina’s Department of Natural and Cultural Resources received a stern reminder that those who don’t remember history are doomed to repeat it. The lesson came on Friday, August 30, from Judge Terrence Boyle, in a lawsuit involving DNCR’s repeated piracy of documentary footage created by videographer Rick Allen: unique underwater images of Blackbeard’s flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge. Judge Boyle’s ruling allows Allen to proceed with his claims against DNCR. “Allen has plausibly stated a claim that the DNCR infringed on his copyrights. It is undisputed that Allen holds valid copyrights in the materials he alleges th[at] DNCR infringed… Allen provides detailed accounts of his copyrights and the DNCR's alleged infringements of specific copyrights by copying, displaying, distributing, and performing his works without permission online and in a state museum.” This isn’t the first time DNCR has faced liability for pira...