Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
A repeat copyright plaintiff has filed a lawsuit against an Indiana weather service channel that accuses it of showing a video on its social media without permission.
The plaintiff, Global Weather Productions LLC, a Wyoming-based company owned and operated by award-winning videographer Brandon Clement, an avid storm chaser, filed its complaint in the U.S. District Court for Southern Indiana on Thursday, accusing America’s Weather Streaming Channel LLC, an Indiana-based weather information service, of copyright infringement.
GWP has filed about two dozen copyright-infringement lawsuits across the country this year alone.
The intellectual property firm SRip Law, which has offices across the country including in Carmel, filed the lawsuit on GWP’s behalf. The firm is reportedly known for filing high volumes of copyright infringement lawsuits for a range of clients.
GWP says in its complaint that in October 2024 it discovered America’s Weather Streaming Channel had distributed unauthorized content owned by GWP on its Facebook page.
AWSC did not immediately respond to The Indiana Lawyer’s email requesting comment.
The content was a 2024 video titled “10-07-2024 Tampa, FL – Evacuation Continued After Dark.” According to the complaint, the work was created by Ronald Emfinger, an award-winning storm chaser and photojournalist who is a stringer for WxChasing, a GWP brand. WxChasing operates a popular YouTube channel and social media presence.
According to the complaint, Emfinger transferred and assigned the video to GWP.
The complaint states that GWP registered Emfinger’s work with the Register of Copyrights on Nov. 6, 2024, about a month after it discovered AWSC had used it on its Facebook page.
One exhibit filed alongside the complaint includes a screenshot of a livestream AWSC held on its Facebook page on Oct. 7, 2024.
The screenshot shows an individual appearing to be scrolling through the social media platform X, with a post by Emfinger visible on screen. The exhibited screenshot does not show the individual specifically clicking on Emfinger’s video; rather, it is one post among others in a thread.
According to the lawsuit, GWP notified AWSC of its concerns on Feb. 6, 2026, but to date, the parties have “failed to resolve the matter.”
GWP is now asking the court to make AWSC pay actual damages and profits attributable to the infringement.
The case is Global Weather Productions, LLC v. America’s Weather Streaming Channel, LLC, 1:26-cv-01450.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.