Trump And The GE: Ta-Nehisi Coates Hit With Copyright Infringement Lawsuit was held Satruday October 15th at 2PM. The event was well-attended. There were several hundred people in the chatroom and they asked lots of questions about the the lawsuit, the defendant and co-defendants, implications for the media is viewed and potential impact on the mid-term elections . . . so many questions and so little time. Last month famed author Ta-Nehisi Coates was hit with a copyright infringement suit from Ralph W. Baker, Jr., author Shock Exchange: How Inner-City Kids From Brooklyn Predicted the Great Recession and the Pain Ahead. The lawsuit, Baker v. Coates et al, was filed September 19th in the New York Southern District Court and Mr. Baker pretty much alleges the following:
The lawsuit alleges that over the course of nearly a decade, Coates deconstructed Shock Exchange. He copied numerous passages, and meticulously, methodically, tried to hide it. Coates also attempted to mimic Mr. Baker’s dense, rhythmic prose. The lawsuit alleges that collectively, Coates’ actions represent copyright infringement.
The lawsuit also alleges, “In the second half of 2013 Mr. Baker sent a copy of Shock Exchange and a review from Library Journal to several journalists, including someone named Ta-Nehisi Coates … Mr. Baker never heard back from Coates’, but apparently, he liked it … a whole lot. After hearing all the hype about Coates’ first novel, The Water Dancer, in September 2019 Mr. Baker purchased a copy. Mr. Baker’s immediately noticed Coates had attempted to mimic his dense, rhythmic prose.”
The lawsuit alleges the main character in The Water Dancer sounded like a description of Mr. Baker’s life from Shock Exchange, and other characters sounded like Mr. Baker’s description of his parents and grandparents. Lastly, Coates’ plunder allegedly began long before The Water Dancer. In addition to numerous articles from The Atlantic, the case involves books, comic books and two major movies.
Trump And The GE explained the nature of the lawsuit, the parties involved and the various claims being made. It is shaping up to be one our most-important shows to date. Please watch for video for media inquiries or for information or how to buy the book.
