intellectual property

Media Minutes: August 26, 2011

Candace Clement — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:56:41 -0400

St. Louis — the largest urban area in Missouri — is getting less news reported by fewer journalists, thanks to covert media consolidation. And the music industry will be shaken by a policy put in place in the 1970’s that could put copyrighted songs back into the hands of the artists who actually created them.

Related Stories

Righthaven Accused of Avoiding Paying Legal Fees Owed

Stevie Converse — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:06:41 -0400

Full article: TechDirt
Mike Masnick
In the continuing saga of Righthaven, the firm is trying to hold off on paying the legal fees ordered by the court in one of the many cases so far. The defendant, Michael Leon, and his lawyers from the Randazza Group have filed a motion that rips into Righthaven, claiming that the company is looking to avoid paying.

ISP's Five Strikes Plan: Railroading, MPAA/RIAA-Style

Stevie Converse — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:53:54 -0400

Full article: TechDirt
Mike Masnick
More questions are being raised about the "voluntary" (if you consider the U.S. government telling ISPs they had better agree to something, "voluntary") agreement by ISPs to act as copyright cops and punish people accused (not convicted) of infringement.

Winner of 'Copyright School' Video Challenge Announced

Stevie Converse — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:46:21 -0400

Full article: Public Knowledge
Mehan Jayasuriya
Public Knowledge announced the winner of a contest to produce a more balanced educational video on Fair Use that YouTube's "Copyright School." The winning video explains the basics of fair use and encourages creators to exercise their rights by reusing, remixing and recontextualizing existing content in their videos.

Hypocrites: Obama Administration Pushes Internet Freedom Abroad While Urging Crack-Down at Home

Stevie Converse — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:40:51 -0400

Full article: Daily Kos
David Segal
The United States this month signed on to a statement praising a pro-Internet freedom report by the United Nation's Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, even as the U.S. pushes new domestic laws and regulations to censor the Internet, restrict users' Internet access, and criminalize more online activities.

Everything Is a Remix: The Invention Edition

Stevie Converse — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:22:14 -0400

Full article: Tech Dirt
Innovation is almost always about remixing. It's about taking ideas that are already out there, and transforming them and adding to them. And yet, our social and legal policies seem to deny this. Copying is one part of the very important process of innovation. Copying is a component, but the important part is then taking that copy and doing more with it.

Fair Use Isn't Much Good if You Can't Afford It

Stevie Converse — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:09:03 -0400

Full article: GigaOM
Mathew Ingram
Remixing bits of text, images and video to create new forms of art is arguably a huge social benefit. And the principle of "fair use" is supposed to make that easier to enable. But "fair use" only applies if you can afford to fight for your idea in court. What does that mean for the future of the remixable web?

Top ISPs Poised to Adopt Graduated Response to Piracy

Stevie Converse — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 10:56:19 -0400

Full article: CNet
Greg Sandoval
Some of the country's largest Internet service providers are poised to leap into the antipiracy fight in a significant way. A group of bandwidth providers that includes AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon are closer than ever to striking a deal with media and entertainment companies that would call for them to establish new and tougher punishments for customers who refuse to stop using their networks to pirate films, music and other intellectual property,

Key Music Industry Lawyer Now EU Copyright Chief

Stevie Converse — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:40:19 -0400

Full article: Ars Technica
Nate Anderson
The European Union's new point person on copyright policy won't take up her post until mid-April, but she's already stirring up controversy. That's because Maria Martin-Prat spent years directing "global legal policy" for IFPI, the global recording industry's London-based trade group, before moving back into government. The appointment raises new questions about the past private-sector work of government officials, especially those crafting policy or issuing legal judgments on the same issues they once lobbied for.

Fate of Silicon Valley Movie Streaming Startup Illustrates Obama Administration Balancing Act

Stevie Converse — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 09:00:05 -0400

Full article: Broadband Breakfast
Sarah Lai Stirland
Potential investors in internet movie-streaming startup Zediva initially worried about how Net Neutrality rules could affect its future as a business, but ultimately it's copyright law that might do it in and doom it as a business model. Not only did the Motion Picture Association of America sue the Silicon Valley firm and its founder personally, but unauthorized streaming online might soon become a crime if President Obama's administration gets its way.