WASHINGTON–A lawsuit alleging copyright infringement has been filed against the National Credit Union Foundation by the Missouri Community Action Network, which acts on behalf of low-income families in the state.
According to the suit, which was filed in District Court in Kansas City, the Missouri Community Action Network alleges it owns the rights to a program called Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS), which seeks to provide a kit that simulates for participants what it is like to live in poverty.
MCAN is alleging that in 2011, 2012 and 2013, the Foundation licensed the kit for usage with credit unions, but that in 2016, when the Foundation rolled out its own “Life Simulation” kit, it did so using various components of the MCAN materials.
The lawsuit alleges that the Foundation is selling its similar kit for $2,700, while the Missouri Community Action Network charges $2,150 for its kit. NCUF sells its Life Simulation kit on its website for $2,700, according to the lawsuit. MCAN sells its CAPS kit for $2,150.
Moreover, MCAN is alleging the removal of MCAN’s copyright information from the NCUF kit is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.