Playboy says linking to Playmate archive violates copyright; judge says no way

Enlarge / A man reads a copy of the second issue of the Indonesian edition of US adult magazine Playboy at a news-stand in downtown Jakarta in June 2006. (credit: JEWEL SAMAD / AFP / Getty Images)

A federal judge in Los Angeles has dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit filed against Happy Mutants, the parent company of the popular website Boing Boing.

Back in November 2017, Playboy Entertainment Group sued Boing Boing, accusing it of violating the company's copyright when, in February 2016, the website simply linked to a separate online collection of "Every Playboy Playmate Centerfold Ever." That portfolio, which was hosted on Imgur, has since been removed. Imgur did not immediately respond to Ars' request for comment.

Because Boing Boing has advertising on its site, Playboy argued, it is profiting from those unauthorized images.

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