FAYETTEVILLE -- A Fayetteville videography and photography company has filed a federal lawsuit against the state government and Gov. Pat McCrory over Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge.
The owner of Nautilus Productions, Rick Allen, claims the government violated his copyright on his videos and images from the ship.
He says a new state law says shipwreck photos and video are custody of the state and automatically public record.
And the law has kept him from receiving revenue from the photos and video. The lawsuit accuses the state of publishing and sharing Allen's videos without permission or reimbursement.
Other defendants on the lawsuit include two state senators, an archaeologist and the non-profit that assists with the recovery of the wreck.