Daily News Feed 11.12.08

Actor Tyler Perry Sued For Copyright Infringement; Trial Held In Marshall
Actor and screenwriter Tyler Perry will be in appear in a real life drama in December, as he faces federal charges in a copyright infringement lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed against Perry in U.S. District Court in Marshall back in May 2007. The lawsuit was filed by a woman named Donna West, who claims Perry’s film “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” was copied and based on an original story she wrote entitled “Fantasy of a Black Woman” back in November 1990. The lawsuit names Perry individually, his company Tyler Perry Studios, and Lionsgate Entertainment. In the lawsuit West says she obtained a copyright for her story back in March 2006, Perry’s movie was released in February 2005. Perry’s lawyers claim west has no legal ground because she did not register her work until after the alleged infringement. (Continue Reading…)

Kwame Kilpatrick Hopes to Salvage Law License
Attorneys for jailed former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick say they’re hoping to salvage his license to practice law. As part of plea bargain in which he pleaded guilty to felony obstruction of justice charges, Kilpatrick agreed to disbarment, but noted that he was doing so “under protest.” Now, his attorneys are appealing the decision to the state’s lawyer regulatory board, the Detroit News reported Tuesday. (Continue Reading…)

Ancient 4,300-year-Old Pyramid Discovered in Egypt
The 4,300-year-old monument is believed to be the tomb of Queen Sesheshet, the mother of Pharaoh Teti, the founder ancient Egypt’s 6th dynasty. The 4,300-year-old monument is believed to be the tomb of Queen Sesheshet, the mother of Pharaoh Teti, the founder ancient Egypt’s 6th dynasty. Once nearly five stories tall, the pyramid—or at least what remains of it—lay beneath 23 feet (7 meters) of sand. The discovery is the third known subsidiary, or satellite, pyramid to the tomb of Teti. It’s also the second pyramid found this year in Saqqara, an ancient royal burial complex near current-day Cairo. “I always say you never know what the sands of Egypt might hide,” said Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA). (Continue Reading…)