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Copyright Uncategorized

[Archived Post] Digital Single Market Must Protect the Rights of All Authors and Publishers

Cross-posted from the Mister Copyright blog. In 2015, the European Commission unveiled a plan to “create a free and secure digital single market” that would expand and standardize the EU’s digital economy for the benefit of consumers. The strategy was named the Digital Single Market and one of its objectives is to modernize the EU copyright […]

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Copyright Infringement Uncategorized

[Archived Post] Content Thief Turned Content Creator Rails Against Piracy

Cross-posted from the Mister Copyright blog. Last week, YouTube celebrity (yes, that’s a thing now) Olajide “JJ” Olatunji posted an expletive-filled tirade aimed at those illegally downloading his new movie “Laid in America.” After fans of Olatunji (aka KSI), whose YouTube page has over 14 million subscribers, began notifying him of the film’s availability on a […]

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Copyright Licensing DOJ Uncategorized

[Archived Post] Rejection of DOJ Consent Decree Interpretation is a Win for Songwriters

Cross-posted from the Mister Copyright blog. Earlier this month, a federal judge in the Southern District of New York issued an order rejecting the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) interpretation of a consent decree governing the way the performance rights organization Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) licenses its songs. The ruling was in response to a DOJ statement that […]

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Copyright Copyright Licensing Copyright Theory Infringement International Law Internet Legislation Uncategorized WIPO

[Archived Post] European Union Draws a Line on Infringing Hyperlinks

Cross-posted from the Mister Copyright blog. Last week, the European Court of Justice—the judicial authority of the European Union—issued an anticipated decision in the Sanoma hyperlinking case, declaring that commercial linking with knowledge of unauthorized content constitutes copyright infringement. The opinion comes after years of similar cases in Europe stirred debate over whether linking to pirated works […]

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Copyright Copyright Licensing Copyright Theory Infringement Intellectual Property Theory Internet Reasonable Royalty Uncategorized

[Archived Post] Despite What You Hear, Notice and Takedown is Failing Creators and Copyright Owners

In a recent op-ed in the LA Times, Professors Chris Sprigman and Mark Lemley praise the notice and takedown provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) as “a bit of copyright law worth saving.” They argue that Section 512 of the DMCA continues to serve its purpose of balancing the rights of copyright owners […]

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Administrative Agency Commercialization Copyright Copyright Licensing Infringement Innovation Internet Legislation Supreme Court Uncategorized

[Archived Post] Letter on FCC Set-Top Box Regulation Once Again Confuses the Issue

Last week, a group of law professors wrote a letter to the acting Librarian of Congress in which they claim that the current FCC proposal to regulate cable video navigation systems does not deprive copyright owners of the exclusive rights guaranteed by the Copyright Act. The letter repeats arguments from response comments they  filed along with […]

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Copyright Infringement Internet Uncategorized

[Archived Post] The Dangerous Combination of Content Theft and Malware

Cross-posted from the Mister Copyright blog. Malware, short for malicious software, has been used to infiltrate and contaminate computers since the early 1980s. But what began as relatively benign software designed to prank and annoy users has developed into a variety of hostile programs intended to hijack, steal, extort, and attack. Disguised software including computer […]

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Copyright Infringement Internet Uncategorized

[Archived Post] Advertiser Pledge Sets Example of Accountability in the Fight Against Piracy

Cross-posted from the Mister Copyright blog. It should come as no surprise that popular websites make money by hosting advertisements. Anyone surfing the web has undoubtedly been bombarded with ads when visiting certain sites, and for websites that offer free services or user experiences, advertisements are often the only way to generate revenue. Unfortunately, websites […]

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Copyright Infringement Internet Uncategorized

[Archived Post] Capitol Records v. Vimeo: Courts Should Stop Coddling Bad Actors in Copyright Cases

Here’s a brief excerpt of my new post that was published on IPWatchdog: Here’s where we are after Capitol Records v. Vimeo: A service provider can encourage its users to infringe on a massive scale, and so long as the infringement it encourages isn’t the specific infringement it gets sued for, it wins on the […]

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Copyright Infringement Internet Uncategorized

[Archived Post] Radiohead Video Makes Unauthorized Use of Fictional Characters

Cross-posted from the Mister Copyright blog. Last month, Radiohead released their ninth studio album, A Moon Shaped Pool, after a five-year hiatus from recording. In true Radiohead fashion, the album’s release was preceded by a unique succession of mysterious social media postings, teaser artwork and music videos for the singles Burn the Witch and Daydreaming. […]