The Christmas Copykat

In Canada, the House of Commons has triggered a parliamentary review of Canada's Copyright Act, first off passed inward 1921, which volition last conducted past times the Standing Committee on Industry, Science in addition to Technology. TorrentFreak comments that the music manufacture was quick to weigh in, congratulating regime ministers in addition to making it known that the so-called 'Value Gap'  - how the tech giants look to last proficient at everything except removing infringing material, in addition to why likes of Google don't look cracking to pay for what drives the likes of YouTube - last high on the agenda. The 2012 Act tackled a number of of import issues, such every bit allowing fourth dimension in addition to format shifting, summation backup copies, fair dealing in addition to caps on statutory damages for non-commercial scale infringement - and a review of copyright constabulary every v years, a menses that expired at the halt of June 2017.

And talking of the Value Gap, YouTube has right away just signed a minute global, multi-year agreement with the Universal Music Group, with mooted plans to expand its subscription businesses. Universal said the bargain would furnish its artists to a greater extent than flexibility in addition to pay, in addition to strengthen YouTube's commitment to managing music rights. YouTube reached a bargain with the minute of the 3 majors. Warner Music Group, inward May. Bloomberg reports that the negotiations come upwardly inward advance of YouTube's launch of a novel paid music service that is expected to become alive inward March 2018. And non to last left behind, Facebook in addition to Universal Music Group convey signed an 'unprecedented global, multi-year agreement' nether which UMG licenses both its recorded music in addition to publishing catalogs for video in addition to other social experiences across Facebook, Instagram in addition to VR platform Oculus.

In proficient tidings for the recorded music sector, the the States Copyright Royalty Board has determined that SiriusXM must pay 15.5 per centum of it's revenue for the adjacent v years (beginning inward 2018 through to 2022, although the amount conclusion has nonetheless to last posted on the CRB's website land the participants scrutinize the document to brand certain proprietary information is non publicly revealed. The charge per unit of measurement represents a close 41 per centum bound from the eleven per centum the service is currently paying, although it's brusk of the 23 per centum that SoundExchange was advocating for. But the Hollywood Reporter it's ameliorate than the static charge per unit of measurement that SiriusXM was hoping for from the Court. However inward a less palatable move, the Board has ruled that pre-existing subscription services (Music Choice in addition to Muzak) volition relish a reduced charge per unit of measurement of 7.5 per centum of revenue for the adjacent v years. That is downward from 8.5 per centum of revenue inward the electrical current yr that the 2 services are paying to the industry.

But the battle betwixt the tech behemoths, in addition to giants of the content industries, is inward amount spate.  Now the likes Google in addition to Facebook are facing off against Hollywood studios in addition to tape labels over how to update the North American Free Trade Agreement to protect copyright inward the digital age. Silicon Valley is pushing for exceptions to copyright rules for online platforms in addition to Internet service providers it says are needed to maintain content flowing on the web. Meanwhile, the U.S. regime seems to last taking positions to a greater extent than favoured past times companies such every bit Walt Disney Co. in addition to Time Warner Inc., which are lobbying for stronger protections for copyright owners. The novel (US led) proposals for NAFTA would limit allowances for online purpose of copyrighted material, a seat seemingly less supportive of online platforms than existing U.S. law, inward item a watering downward of fair-use exceptions in addition to a re-evaluation of 'safe harbor'.  More on Bloomberg here

T Bone

Back to music: A grouping of 41 recording artists is urging the the States Congress to form out the somewhat strange (and right away much litigated) seat of pre-1972 audio recording copyrights inward the States federal constabulary with the novel "Compensating Legacy Artists for their Songs, Service & Important Contributions to Society Act"  - or (wait for it, in addition to a a drum gyre please)  the CLASSICS Act. The CLASSICS Act would rectify the obvious problems with relying on nation grade copyright constabulary to constitute a performing right for audio recordings,  in addition to create the footing for a royalty to last levied from broadcasters to pay labels (and hopefully recording artistes) for pre-1972 works.  The 41 signatories including T Bone Burnett, Rosanne Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt in addition to Henry Rollins said  “Digital radio makes billions of dollars a yr from airplay of music made earlier 1972. Yet, because of an ambiguity inward nation in addition to federal copyright laws, artists in addition to copyright owners who created that music have nada for the purpose of their work. The ‘CLASSICS Act’ would right this inequity in addition to in conclusion ensure that musicians in addition to vocalists who made those timeless songs in conclusion teach their due. We urge Congress to overstep the CLASSICS Act in addition to other pro-artist reforms quickly”.

The major national sports Leagues inward Europe, including the English linguistic communication Premier League in addition to Germany’s Bundesliga  convey won a reprieve from the European Union who convey agreed to exclude them from the compass of a copyright reform that would assist brand content to a greater extent than easily available online. The amusement in addition to sports industries convey been fiercely lobbying against the European Commission’s proposed reform of European Union copyright constabulary to brand films in addition to TV programmes to a greater extent than available across borders, argument it would undermine the financing model of the whole sector. The Commission has said it is non seeking to forcefulness anyone to brand content to a greater extent than available online, but simply to teach inward easier for broadcasters to obtain the necessary rights. EuroNews reports that European Union fellow member states convey right away to exclude all sports events, TV programmes co-produced past times broadcasters in addition to other tertiary parties, too every bit content licensed to a broadcaster past times a tertiary party.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has asked the Librarian of Congress to boundary the legal barriers people confront when they desire to repair in addition to modify software-enabled products, thus that they, in addition to non manufacturers, command the appliances, computers, toys, vehicles, in addition to other products they own. In comments filed inward Washington D.C. today, EFF continued its years-long contend to enable owners in addition to creators to repair, modify, in addition to heighten products, or purpose snippets of films or songs, complimentary of onerous threats that doing thus somehow infringes companies' copyrights. Software-enabled devices in addition to Internet-connected products in addition to appliances are ubiquitous inward modern life, in addition to people aren't infringing anyone's copyright when, for example, they take to permanently disable the embedded, on-all-the-time photographic tv set camera or microphone inward their kids' toys, or shipping their car to their favorite mechanic, rather than high-priced dealerships, to last repaired. “It’s absurd that a constabulary intended to protect copyrighted industrial plant is misused instead to forbid people from taking apart or modifying the things they own, inhibit scientists in addition to researches from investigating security features or security enhancements, in addition to block artists in addition to educators from using snippets of cinema inward noncommercial ways," said EFF Legal Director Corynne McSherry. "The exemption procedure is i highly flawed agency of alleviating that burden."

Facebook has announced that it removed nearly 3 i 1000 one thousand posts, including videos, ads in addition to other forms of content, from its services during the first off one-half of 2017 next complaints of counterfeiting in addition to copyright in addition to trademark infringement. Aggregate information shows Facebook received well-nigh 377,400 complaints from Jan through June, with many referencing multiple posts. About lx per centum of the reports related to suspected copyright violations on Facebook.

The National Copyright Administration of Communist People's Republic of China (NCAC) has announced that during the 2017 Sword Campaign 1,655 infringing websites were close down, 274,800 infringing links were deleted in addition to 314 enforcement cases were dealt with (of which 37 transferred for criminal investigation). The Sword Campaign is a flagship first led past times NCAC inward partnership with other Chinese regime departments in addition to enforcement agencies. Meanwhile, NCAC released a listing of the top xvi copyright enforcement cases for 2017. The leading representative on the listing was enforcement against the piracy service Youyueyingchuang Technology Ltd. past times Beijing Municipal Cultural Enforcement Division (CED). The resulting enforcement activeness removed the service in addition to imposed a fine of RMB400,000 (approx. £45,000). More here and here (in Chinese).