3 Count: Privacy Takedown

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1: New Zealand “3-Strikes” Passes 1st Reading

First off today, New Zealand’s new revisions to its copyright law survived its first reading in Parliament recently. The new bill, which follows the country’s failed attempt to pass a similar reform in 2008, includes a graduated response system to disconnect file sharers but, unlike the 2008 version, only with a court order. Though critics of the bill are still plenty, the backlash has been much more muted this time, as compared to the campaign that led to the defeat of the 2008 legislation.

2: McCotter’s Plan to Expand DMCA-Style Take-Downs

Next up today, Michigan Representative Thaddeus McCotter has introduced a bill in the U.S. that would expand DMCA-style notice and takedowns to also cover private information. In short, any Web site that hosts personal information of a person would have to remove said information at the request of the person. So, for example, any personal information posted in the comments of a blog could then be removed by request. Some are worried that the system could be abused though it is unclear what punishments a site would face if they failed to comply.

3: High Court: Football Fixtures are Copyrighted

Finally today, Britain’s high court has ruled that football (soccer) schedules are protected copyright. The court found that an adequate amount of work and creativity when into drafting the team schedules to qualify them for copyright protection, possibly creating a problem for sports news outlets and betting companies alike. It is unclear how the various leagues will enforce their copyright, if at all.

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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