Copyright News Round Up
Week of October 13, 2017
Stay informed about all things Copyright with our weekly Copyright News Round Up.
Copyhype | “Small Claims Bill Aims to Empower Copyright Owners and Creators” Kevin Madigan writes about H.R. 3945, the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2017.
What Rights do Copyright Owners Have?
Copyright Alliance | Under U.S. copyright law, creators are granted a number of exclusive rights that, together, comprise the bundle of rights known as copyright.
Small Claims Bill Aims to Empower Copyright Owners and Creators
Variety | This month, Congress introduced a bill that would establish a long-discussed small claims court for copyright disputes. The legislation comes after a House Judiciary Committee proposal based on a four-year review of the US Copyright system and a 2013 report by the Copyright Office that recommended “the creation of an alternative forum that will enable copyright owners to pursue small infringement matters and related claims arising under the Copyright Act.” The bill represents one of the key reforms intended to modernize the US copyright system, hoping to finally empower creators of limited means in the fight against the unauthorized use of their works.
Strong copyright protections in NAFTA renegotiations are needed to protect rights of creatives
The Hill | Last year, in the negotiations over the failed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, Silicon Valley convinced our leaders that weaker copyright language should be included in the deal. After all, the weaker copyright is, the more they benefit. What we create, regardless of whether it is legally distributed or not, brings millions of visitors to their sites. Had the TPP been agreed to, it would have exported our broken copyright system, one that disadvantages hardworking American creatives, to the international stage.
Stream Ripping: Dangerously Close to Becoming the New Normal
CreativeFuture | Recently, Taylor Swift debuted her latest single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” online to great viral fanfare – quickly smashing records in its wake. On YouTube, the song’s official music video racked up 19 million views in its first 24 hours online – making it the site’s most-watched video in a single day. On Spotify, it garnered nearly 9 million plays – making history as the platform’s most streamed track ever in a first day of release.
Chihuly and his Art: Who is the True Creator?
Hugh Stephens Blog | I am not sure how I managed to go through my entire life without being aware of Dale Chihuly and his work, at least until recently, but somehow I managed it. I clearly was not on Planet Glass. When the Chihuly exhibit came to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto a few months ago, my wife (who was fully au fait with Chihuly), suggested we go. Always willing to broaden my horizons, I went—and was blown away (pardon the pun) by the spectacle. I wandered through crystal forests of spiky rose coloured plants and ventured into brilliant glass gardens, admiring blown sculptures in phantasmagorical shapes and images. It was truly an unforgettable experience. How could he be so creative, I wondered? And so prolific!
Does the Internet Archive Need the Copyright Rhetoric to Be Useful?
The Illusion of More | Recently, a tweet caught my eye on the #copyright thread—something about the late Congressman Sonny Bono and a new collection at the Internet Archive, which is the vast digital library founded by technologist and entrepreneur Brewster Kahle. The tweet linked to a blog post by Kahle announcing that a collection of copyrighted works published between 1923 and 1941 had been “liberated” and is now available on what the Archive has named The Sonny Bono Memorial Collection.
Hollywood Confronts a Copyright Argument With Potential for Mass Disruption
Hollywood Reporter | Are some of Hollywood’s biggest movies from the past decade — Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Deadpool and Night at the Museum, among others — all copyright infringements because they were allegedly created with stolen technology? The question seems outlandish, and yet, that’s exactly what a California federal judge was told on Monday in a case that can’t be shrugged off as a crank even if it is now treading on some fantastic territory including a scholar’s search for hidden codes in the Hebrew Bible.
American Continental Group
Content & Technology Policy Report | September 28, 2017
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Photos edited by: Copyright Alliance