Results: Country star Luke Combs apologizes to fan hit with $250K copyright fine, will pay her double the money frozen by lawsuit
Published on 12/16/2023
Country star Luke Combs issued a public apology to a Florida woman ordered to pay $250,000 for using his likeness on fan merchandise she sold online — and the "Fast Car" singer promised to pay her back double the money that was frozen in the legal action."
Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/country-star-luke-combs-apologizes-fan-hit-250k-copyright-fine-will-pa-rcna129542
Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/country-star-luke-combs-apologizes-fan-hit-250k-copyright-fine-will-pa-rcna129542
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Comments
1.
1.
Nicol Harness, of Pinellas County, has congestive heart failure and makes her living by selling tumblers and t-shirts on Amazon. A big fan of Combs, she sold 18 tumblers on her online shop, making just $380 from those sales. She had no idea she was sued by Combs in October in a copyright infringement case filed in Illinois federal court against her and a slew of other online shops. Harness told WFLA the email notice of the suit went to her spam folder. Do you think courts should do more due diligence to make sure people are aware of suits filed against them?
Yes
73%
1894 votes
No
10%
248 votes
Undecided
18%
458 votes
2.
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The case closed on Nov. 15, when a judge found she was liable for federal trademark infringement and counterfeiting. She was banned from using his trademarks and ordered to pay statutory damages of $250,000. Harness said that's money she doesn't have."It's very stressful. I don't have money to pay my bills. I just want this resolved. I didn't mean any harm to Luke Combs. I quit selling the tumbler. I pulled it down. I just don't understand," she told WFLA in an interview that published Tuesday. Do you think the judgement was too much money considering she only made $380? Yes, she should have just had to pay back the $380 and take down her merch
65%
1687 votes
No, she used someone's likeness without their consent so she should have to pay
29%
757 votes
Other (please specify)
6%
156 votes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 3.04% | 79 | |
| NA | 0.27% | 7 |
| n/a | 0.19% | 5 |
| Undecided | 0.19% | 5 |
| Not sure | 0.12% | 3 |
| somewhere in between | 0.12% | 3 |
| . | 0.08% | 2 |
| Unsure | 0.08% | 2 |
| dont know | 0.04% | 1 |
| She should get a fine paying for infringement + counterfeiting- yet how much was the damages, really! | 0.04% | 1 |
| Work a deal out with Luke combs | 0.04% | 1 |
| I think its a misunderstanding & should be resolved in better ways | 0.04% | 1 |
| The first time, The lawyers should have actively tried to find her and give her a written legal warning., not sue her for more than she can afford. | 0.04% | 1 |
| She should pay something extra, at Luke Coombs discretion, but $250,000 seems excessive, assuming she is honest. Some people are cheats. | 0.04% | 1 |
| Pay something for breaking the law but $250,000?? The average rapist gets off witha lot less. | 0.04% | 1 |
| I am not sure the judgement was fair, $250,000 is a lot for making less than $400 | 0.04% | 1 |
| It all depends on the circumstances | 0.04% | 1 |
| Not enough information | 0.04% | 1 |
| she shouldn't have to pay anything | 0.04% | 1 |
| She should take down the merch and pay some fine that is reasonable. More than the $380 but certainly less than $250,000. | 0.04% | 1 |
| how did life get so complicated? | 0.04% | 1 |
| He should let it go, no harm was done to him. | 0.04% | 1 |
| No comment | 0.04% | 1 |
| There are things about this story that I don't know or understand | 0.04% | 1 |
| let is go | 0.04% | 1 |
| She should pay, maybe $1000, but $250K is ridiculous. | 0.04% | 1 |
| yes. not so much | 0.04% | 1 |
| pay some but not that much back | 0.04% | 1 |
| Yes, I think the judgement was too much, but maybe just was she made is not enough punishment. And, of course, she has to take down the merch. | 0.04% | 1 |
| If she were rich or a certified scammer, I'd say sue her hard. But she's poor, and a fan. This was the right outcome. | 0.04% | 1 |
| I think the circumstances of any case should be taken more into consideration. | 0.04% | 1 |
| I have no idea. | 0.04% | 1 |
| she shouldn't have to pay anything and she should be allowed to sell whatever she copyright infringement laws shouldn't exist | 0.04% | 1 |
| A little communication goes a long way | 0.04% | 1 |
| ? | 0.04% | 1 |
| 250k is too much but 380 is not enough | 0.04% | 1 |
| Dmages should have been lower | 0.04% | 1 |
| I’m not sure | 0.04% | 1 |
| rediculious | 0.04% | 1 |
| She should have been allowed to prove how many she sold and given a percentage of the sales to him. | 0.04% | 1 |
| 50,000 | 0.04% | 1 |
| Not enough facts. | 0.04% | 1 |
| it is a tough one | 0.04% | 1 |
| It was fan art and made for fans of Luke combs she shouldn't have fo pay anything. | 0.04% | 1 |
| Lousy company. | 0.04% | 1 |
| She is in a catch 22 situation | 0.04% | 1 |
| pas applicable | 0.04% | 1 |
| something more reasonable | 0.04% | 1 |
| SHe should be fines but $250,000 is way too much. | 0.04% | 1 |
| I think Mr. Combs should bemore understanding. It's not like she was mass producing the stuff. Is he so big on himself he can't have some compassion for someone who's just trying to get by? That's not the definition of star in my book. | 0.04% | 1 |
| Fined but not $250,000 | 0.04% | 1 |
| The company that she used to sell her merchandise should have flagged it as illegal | 0.04% | 1 |
| A percentage based on her year's income. | 0.04% | 1 |
| Under the circumstances, and the amount of money she made, and the fact she wasn't aware of trademake infringement, they should not have fined her. | 0.04% | 1 |
| Pay back $380 and another $380 thats it because she was a fan not a thief. | 0.04% | 1 |
| neither | 0.04% | 1 |
| Don't know | 0.04% | 1 |
| Nil | 0.04% | 1 |
3.
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One day after Harness' interview went live, Combs took to social media to apologize to her, saying he felt "sick to my stomach". "So, we do have a company that goes after folks, only supposedly large corporations operating internationally, that make millions and millions of dollars making counterfeit t-shirts, things of that nature, running illegal businesses," the singer explained. "And apparently this woman, Nicol, has somehow got wrapped up in that." Combs said Harness told him she had $5,500 locked in her Amazon account. Under the judge's ruling, the online shop accounts' money would frozen and go towards the $250,000 they were ordered to pay Combs. "I'm gonna double that send her $11,000 today just so she doesn't have anything to worry about," Combs said. "She was never supposed to be involved in anything like this. No fan should be involved in anything like this." If you are not a Luke Comb's fan, does this make you more likely to support his music? Yes
34%
874 votes
No
23%
603 votes
Undecided
21%
535 votes
Not Applicable
23%
588 votes
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