3 Count: SoundCloud 9

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1: SoundCloud Said to Near Deals With Record Labels

First off today Adam Satariano at Bloomberg reports that popular audio hosting and streaming service SoundCloud is said to be close to striking a deal with the major three record labels, Universal, Sony and Warner, to avoid any potential legal disputes and secure licenses for their music on the service.

The deal values SoundCloud between $500 and $600 million and offers each company between a 3 to 5 percent stake. The company will also pay the labels based on the number of times a song is played until SoundCloud reaches a revenue threshold.

The move mirrors similar equity deals record labels have struck with Spotify, Vevo and Beats to take a stake in the company in lieu of or in addition to royalty payments.

2: Oil be back: Greenpeace battles YouTube to reinstate Shell protest video ‘Everything is not Awesome’

Next up today, John McCarthy at The Drum reports that Greenpeace has vowed to fight the takedown of its video “Everything is NOT Awesome”, which was pulled down from YouTube following a copyright complaint from Warner Brothers.

The video, which criticized LEGO for an ongoing relationship with Shell oil company. The video featured a cover of the song “Everything is Awesome” to a video of a LEGO-built arctic scene being polluted by a Shell oil spill.

The song was featured in the recent LEGO Movie, which was produced by Warner. According to Greenpeace, they consider the use of the song to be a fair use and are going to fight the takedown while encouraging their supporters to repost it on others sites. The video had been seen over 3 million times before its takedown though a version on Vimeo is still up.

3: Times Square Costume Characters Raise Legal Issues For NYC, Disney

Finally today, Christopher Zara at The International Business Times reports that lawmakers in New York City are looking to draft legislation that would require costumed characters in Times Square to be licensed and go through background checks. However, at least some state senators are wondering why copyright and trademark holders are not doing more to enforce their rights.

The costumed characters set up in Times Square in New York and work for “tips” or “donations” for those who want to take a photo of them. Typically their costumes are those of copyrighted characters such as Mickey Mouse and Elmo and many in the square complain that the characters are overly aggressive in asking for donations.

New York is seeking to clamp down on their presence though the first amendment means that the individuals in the costumes have a free speech right to walk around in them. State Senator Brad Hoylman says that copyright holders need to “step up to the plate” on the issue and protect not just their rights, but other interests as several Broadway theaters have reported fewer attendees in part due to hassling by the costumed characters.

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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