3 Count: Money Grab?

Have any suggestions for the 3 Count? Let me know via Twitter @plagiarismtoday.

1: Draft Copyright Bill Introduced, Could Transform Film, Music Biz

First off today a draft copyright bill introduced in India seeks to bring about some major reforms. The bill would legalize private and personal copying, such as format shifting, legalize DRM circumvention, save when it is used to infringe copyright, and make major changes to who controls the copyrights for various audio and audiovisual works, favoring the original artists. The copyright term for photographs would be extended to life plus 60, from just 60 years, and those with physical disabilities would be allowed access to specially formatted versions of copyrighted works.

2: New Copyright Fee is Fair Compensation, Not a ‘Money Grab’

Next up today, a letter to the editor by Access Copyright highlights a new $45 fee students will have to pay for copying educational materials when entering college. The letter clarifies previous reporting saying that indicated the move was a “money grab” to charge for copying that would have been free otherwise or covered under fair dealing. The letter says that is not the case and instead designed to be a royalty for unpaid copies of academic works that are created without permission.

3: Labour Slammed for ‘Stealing’ Blogger’s Photo

Finally today, still on the heels of the passing of the Digital Economy Bill, the Labour Party in the UK is in hot water over copyright as a poster for the party featured a photo from a blogger who uses the name “Freewheeler”, who is also a Green Party supporter. Freewheeler’s blog, which criticizes the Labour Party routinely for the way it treats cyclists, had his image used in a flier distributed to thousands of homes on behalf of the Labour party. The Labour Party, however, has called this an “innocent error”.

Suggestions

That’s it for the three count today. We will be back tomorrow with three more copyright links. If you have a link that you want to suggest a link for the column or have any proposals to make it better. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. I hope to hear from you.

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