3 Count: Mega Takedown

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1: Universal Censors Megaupload Song, Gets Branded a “Rogue Label”

First off today, cyberlocker site Megaupload released a music video featuring many of music’s top stars including Diddy, Will.i.am, Snoop Dog and more. Though the video didn’t talk about copyright issues, it showed the artists talking about how much they love or use Megaupload, even as the RIAA and the MPAA seek to classify Megaupload as a “Rogue” website that enables widespread copyright infringement. However, Universal Music has filed several takedown notices against YouTube version of the video, putting Megaupload’s account at risk of being banned even though, according to Megaupload, the label doesn’t own anything in the video. Site founder Kim Dotcom went on to say that Universal was a “Rogue” label and that they had filed a counternotice relating to the video.

2: Yoga Pose Copyright Bid Too Much of a Stretch, U.S. Says in Bikram Battle

Next up today, the U.S. Copyright Office has announced that it is reversing course and no longer accepting registrations for yoga poses and other exercises. The office, in an email that was submitted as evidence in a dispute between two New York-based yoga studios, the Copyright Office said that yoga poses, “Do not constitute the subject matter that Congress intended to protect as choreography,” and, as such, will not provide registration certificates for them. Previously, the Copyright Office had done so, even if the poses were in the public domain, but reached the new conclusion after reviewing the legislative history of copyright law.

3: YouTube acquires RightsFlow

Finally today, Google’s YouTube service has acquired RightsFlow, a licensing service that specializing in streamlining the licensing process for music. The move is, most likely, an effort to simplify and speed up the process of licensing music on YouTube. YouTube, which is currently being sued by Viacom for its practices in its early years, has been working hard to secure licensing and rights to music and videos uploaded to its service and, by acquiring RightsFlow, seeks to simplify that process.

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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