Case 1:16-cv-01260-WTL-DML Document 1 Filed 05/23/16 Page 1 of 11 PageID #: 1

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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF INDIANA
INDIANAPOLIS DIVISION

RICHARD N. BELL

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) Case No. 1:16-cv)
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Plaintiff,
v.
ALLIANCE HOSPITALITY
MANAGEMENT, LLC
Defendant.

COMPLAINT
Summary of lawsuit
1.

The Plaintiff, Richard N. Bell, took photograph of the Indianapolis Skyline in

2000 and the Indianapolis photo was registered with the U.S. Copyright office. In
2016, the Plaintiff discovered that the Defendant ALLIANCE HOSPITALITY
MANAGEMENT, LLC (Alliance) had published the Indianapolis photo in
advertising which appears on a website owned by Defendant Alliance, even though
the Defendant had no rights or authority to publish the Indianapolis Photo. The
Plaintiff requests damages and injunctive relief against Defendant Alliance for
violations of the U.S. Copyright laws.
JURISDICTION AND VENUE
2.

This copyright infringement action arises under 17 U.S.C. 101 et seq. This

Court has jurisdiction over this action under 28 U.S.C. 1331 (federal question), and
28 U.S.C. 1338 (acts of Congress related to copyright).

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3.

This Court has personal jurisdiction over the Defendant by virtue of their

transacting, doing, and soliciting business in this District, and because a substantial
part of the relevant events occurred in this District and because a substantial part of
the property that is the subject of this action is situated here.
4.

Venue is proper in this district pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1391(b) and 1400(a)

because the named plaintiff Richard N. Bell resides in this district and because a
substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to the claim occurred, or a
substantial part of property that is the subject of the action is situated; and/or conduct
business in this district.
PARTIES
5.

The Plaintiff, Richard N. Bell is an attorney and a professional photographer

and lives in McCordsville, Indiana.

6.

Defendant ALLIANCE HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT, LLC (Alliance) is

located 1001 Wade Ave, Suite 215, RALEIGH, NC, 27605. Alliance created a website with
the domain name of indianapoliscarmelhotel.com and conducts business in this district.
FACTS
7.

In March 2000, the Plaintiff, a United States citizen, took a photograph of

downtown Indianapolis skyline from overlooking the canal from St. Clair Avenue.

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8.

The photograph is an original work that is copyrighted under United States

law.

A copy of the photo is attached as Exhibit A, hereinafter referred to as

Indianapolis Photo
9.

Since March 2000, the Plaintiff has either published or licensed for publication

all copies of the Indianapolis Photo in compliance with the copyright laws and has
remained the sole owner of the copyright.
10.

Indianapolis Photo was first published on the World Wide Web on August 29,

2000 by the users account on Webshots. It was recently published on a website

created by the Plaintiff under the domain name: www.richbellphotos.com
11.

The Indianapolis Photo was registered on August 4, 2011 with the United

States Copyright Office and assigned Registration Number VA0001785115.

12.

Plaintiff and others authorized by the Plaintiff have used the Indianapolis

Photo in advertising to such an extent that the Indianapolis Photo is identified by the
public as being created by the Plaintiff.
13.

Plaintiff and others authorized by the Plaintiff have used the Indianapolis

Photo in advertising to promote your photography business.

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COUNT I
COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
AND UNFAIR COMPETITION
14.

Defendant Alliance created a website for the World Wide Web at

http://indianapoliscarmelhotel.com/gallery to promote and advertise its hotel

business and used the Indianapolis Photo on the website.
15.

Defendant used the Indianapolis Photo to draw or attract prospective

customers to Defendants business.

16.

Defendant is liable to Plaintiff because it had the right and ability to control

and supervise the content of http://indianapoliscarmelhotel.com/gallery and to control

and supervise the access of third party Internet users to that website.
17.

Upon information and belief, the Defendant Alliance downloaded or took the

Indianapolis Photo from the internet without permission from the owner, Richard
N. Bell and copied on to a webserver controlled by the Defendant.
18.

In April 2016, the Plaintiff discovered through the computer program Google

images displayed the Indianapolis Photo at

http://indianapoliscarmelhotel.com/gallery Defendant did not disclose the source of
the stolen Indianapolis Photo or otherwise conferred credit to the owner; instead,
the Defendant willfully and recklessly falsely claimed that it owned the copyrights
of all images and photos contained on the website of indianapoliscarmelhotel.com
including Indianapolis Photo and thereby disparaged the Plaintiff.

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19.

During the year 2016, the website of Defendant Alliance published the

Indianapolis Photo for its commercial use without paying for said use and without
obtaining the necessary authorization from the Plaintiff, the copyright owner.
20.

While the Defendant will know the exact date of first publication, based upon

the Plaintiffs investigation, during the year 2016, Defendant began publishing the
Indianapolis Photo and used the Indianapolis Photo for their commercial use
without paying for said use and without obtaining the necessary authorization from
the Plaintiff.
21.

The Defendant knew that they did not own Indianapolis Photo and knew the

Defendant had not obtained the rights to publish the Indianapolis Photo, but
recklessly and falsely represented to the world otherwise.
22.

Defendant Alliance has not paid anyone for the right to publish the

Indianapolis Photo, but instead fraudulently declared that the Defendant owned the
copyrights to the Indianapolis Photo.
23.

Defendant refuses to pay for the unauthorized use of Indianapolis Photo.

24.

Defendant has not agreed be enjoined from using the Indianapolis Photo.

25.

Defendant has engaged in unfair trade practices and unfair competition in

connection with its publication of the Indianapolis Photo, and that Defendants
publication of the Indianapolis Photo failed to designate the source of the stolen

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Indianapolis Photo or otherwise confer credit to the owner and thereby such conduct
has disparaged the Plaintiff thus causing irreparable damage.
26.

Defendant Alliance continues infringing conduct which has caused and is

causing substantial and irreparable injury and damage to Plaintiff in an amount

not capable of determination, and, unless restrained, will cause further irreparable
injury, leaving the Plaintiff with no adequate remedy at law.
27.

There is a risk of infringing conduct which has caused and will likely cause

substantial and irreparable injury and damage to Plaintiff in an amount not

capable of determination, and, unless restrained, will cause further irreparable
injury, leaving the Plaintiff with no adequate remedy at law.
28.

After the Defendant published the Indianapolis Photo, Defendant permitted

third parties to access to the webpage indianapoliscarmelhotel.com and copy the

Indianapolis photo to third party Internet Users computers.
29.

Defendant is vicariously liable for each such downloaded copy of the

Indianapolis Photo initiated by each third party Internet User regardless of whether
Defendant was aware that the third party was creating the downloaded copy.
30.

Defendant is liable for all profits resulting from each downloaded copy of the

Indianapolis Photo created by each such third party Internet User.

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31.

Defendant is liable for copyright infringement regardless of whether

Defendant knew that any use of the Indianapolis Photo would infringe copyrights
Plaintiff owns.
32.

Plaintiff has complied in all respects with 17 U.S.C. 101 et seq., and

secured the exclusive rights and privileges in and to the copyrights of the abovereferenced works.
33.

Plaintiff has been and still is the sole proprietor of all rights, title, and

interest in and to the copyrights in their respective works as referenced above.

34.

Defendant Alliances conduct violates the exclusive rights belonging to

Plaintiff as owner of the copyrights, including without limitation Plaintiffs rights

under 17 U.S.C. 106.
35.

Plaintiff seeks damages for Defendants use of Plaintiffs advertising idea

comprising the Indianapolis Photo.

36.

On information and belief, Plaintiff alleges that, as a direct and proximate

result of their wrongful conduct, Defendant Alliance has realized and continues to
realize profits and other benefits rightfully belonging to Plaintiff. Accordingly,
Plaintiff seek an award of damages pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 504 and 505.
37.

Defendants infringing conduct has also caused and is causing substantial

and irreparable injury and damage to Plaintiff in an amount not capable of

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determination, and, unless restrained, will cause further irreparable injury, leaving
the Plaintiff with no adequate remedy at law.
38.

Plaintiff seeks an injunction to enjoin Defendant from republishing any of

your copyrighted materials that, if granted, would require that the Indianapolis
Photo not be available on indianapoliscarmelhotel.com, which would thereby make it
impossible for third party Internet users to download copies of the Indianapolis Photo
from said webpage.
39.

Defendant has willfully and deliberately engaged in, and, is willfully

engaging in, the acts complained of with oppression, fraud, and malice (Acts) and
in conscious disregard of the rights of Plaintiff. Plaintiff is, therefore, entitled to the
maximum statutory damages allowable.
40.

Examples of these willfully and deliberately Acts, include but not limited to

the following:
a. Defendant downloaded or took the Indianapolis Photo from the internet
and included said photo on the Defendants website.
b. Defendant failed to designate the source of the stolen Indianapolis Photo
or otherwise confer credit to the owner.
c. Defendant recklessly, willfully and falsely asserted that the Defendant
owned the copyrights of all content, images and photos contained in the
Defendants website including Indianapolis Photo.

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d. Defendant knew that it did not own Indianapolis Photo and knew the
Defendant had not obtained the rights to publish the Indianapolis
Photo, but deliberately and falsely represented to the world otherwise.
e. Defendant has not paid anyone for the right to use Indianapolis Photo,
but instead fraudulently declared that the Defendant owned the
copyrights to the Indianapolis Photo.
41.

As a consequence of this dispute between the parties as to the rights, title, and

interest in the copyrighted articles described above, and pursuant to the Federal
Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. 2201 and 2202, Plaintiff also seek a
resolution of this ongoing controversy by a declaration of this Court as to the rights
of the respective parties in this matter.
THEREFORE, Plaintiff prays for judgment against Defendant Alliance as follows:
a. Declaring that Defendants unauthorized conduct violates Plaintiffs
rights under common law and the Federal Copyright Act;
b. Immediately and permanently enjoining Defendant Alliance, their
members,
officers,
directors,
agents,
servants,
employees,
representatives, attorneys, related companies, successors, assigns, and
all others in active concert or participation with them from copying and
republishing any of Plaintiffs copyrighted articles or copyrighted
material without consent or otherwise infringing Plaintiffs copyrights
or other rights in any manner;
c. Enjoin Defendant from republishing any of your copyrighted materials
that, if granted, would require that the Indianapolis Photo not be
available on indianapoliscarmelhotel.com which would thereby make it

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impossible for third party Internet users to download copies of the

Indianapolis Photo from said webpage.
d. Ordering Defendant Alliance to account to Plaintiff for all gains, profits,
and advantages derived by Defendant, and third party users by their
infringement of Plaintiffs copyrights or such damages as are proper,
and since Defendant intentionally infringed plaintiff's copyrights, for
the maximum allowable statutory damages for each violation;
e. Awarding Plaintiff actual and/or statutory damages for Defendant
copyright infringement in an amount to be determined at trial;
f. Awarding Plaintiff their costs, reasonable attorneys' fees, and
disbursements in this action, pursuant to 17 U.S.C. 505; and
g. Awarding Plaintiff such other and further relief as is just and proper.

Respectfully Submitted:
Date: May 9, 2016

_/s Richard N. Bell

Richard N. Bell

Richard N. Bell, Atty No. 2669-49

Bell Law Firm
10042 Springstone Road
McCordsville, In 46055
(317) 589-8535
(317) 690-2053 Cell
richbell@comcast.net

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Exhibit A

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