Posting screenshots from old TV shows could land you in court, as man is sued for sharing images from 59-year-old Gunsmoke episode

Dooley Surrenders first aired in 1958

Protestors wearing Guy Fawkes masks participate in a demonstration against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in Berlin February 25, 2012. Protesters fear that ACTA, which aims to cut trademark theft and other online piracy, will curtail freedom of expression, curb their freedom to download movies and music for free and encourage Internet surveillance. (REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz)

A US man is being sued for up to $150,000 posting screenshots from an episode of a TV show that first aired in 1958, on social media.

CBS Broadcasting is taking action against a man called Jon Tannen, who the company is accusing of “posting copyrighted images to the Internet”.

It’s an extraordinary case, which comes shortly after Mr Tannen sued CBS Interactive for copyright infringement.

As reported by TorrentFreak, the photojournalist filed a lawsuit against CBS Broadcasting’s sister company in February, accusing it of reproducing and publicly displaying two copyrighted pictures without his permission.

This week, CBS Broadcasting fired back with its own lawsuit.

“This copyright infringement action arises out of Defendant’s unauthorized use of Plaintiff’s valuable intellectual property,” it reads.

“Tannen hypocritically engaged in this act of infringement while simultaneously bringing suit against Plaintiff’s sister company, CBS Interactive Inc., claiming it had violated his own copyright.”

Mr Tannen is accused of posting screenshots from Dooley Surrenders, an episode of Western drama series Gunsmoke, which was first broadcast on the CBS Television Network from 1955 to 1975, online.

“It remains among the longest-running and most popular dramatic series in the history of television,” CBS Broadcasting’s filing states.

“Gunsmoke remains available on television and other media formats in the United States and worldwide.

“One of the episodes of the program, entitled ‘Dooley Surrenders’, first aired on the CBS Television Network in 1958. It recently aired on MeTV on March 14, 2017. Plaintiff owns U.S. Copyright Registration No. RE 279821 for this episode.”

That makes the episode in question 59 years old, yet CBS Broadcasting says it could pursue damages for willful copyright infringement, which could reach up to $150,000.

“As a direct and proximate result of Defendant’s wrongful conduct, Plaintiff has been harmed in an amount not readily capable of determination,” reads the lawsuit.

“By reason of the foregoing, Plaintiff is entitled to recover such actual or statutory damages (including damages for willful infringement) and its attorney’s fees that have been caused by or are attributable to Defendant’s unlawful acts.”