It is Friday again and that means that it is time for another episode of the Copyright 2.0 Show.

It was a slammed week for copyright news and with Patrick back from his trip to the west coast we couldn’t waste a moment before diving on in to the news. We start out discussing the SAP/Oracle case, which saw criminal charges get filed and settled almost the same day, Hotfile pulls a bit of turnabout on Warner Brothers and the EU copyright extension that went through.

Then there was six more stories to go…

All in all, this is an episode you do not want to miss so fire up your MP3 players and give it a listen!

This week’s stories include:

• SAP Faces Criminal Charges, Settles Them Immediately
• Hotfile Sues Warner Brothers Over DMCA Abuse
• EU Extends Sound Recording Copyright from 50 to 70 Years
• Authors Guild Sues Several Universities
• Google Pressed to Block Pirate Sites
• Much, Much More!

You can download the MP3 file here (direct download). Those interested in subscribing to the show can do so via this feed.

Show Notes

About the Hosts

Jonathan Bailey

Jonathan Bailey (@plagiarismtoday) is the Webmaster and author of Plagiarism Today (Hint: You’re there now) and works as a copyright and plagiarism consultant. Though not an attorney, he has resolved over 700 cases of plagiarism involving his own work and has helped countless others protect their work and develop strategies for making their content work as hard as possible toward their goals.

Patrick O’Keefe

Patrick O’Keefe (@iFroggy) is the owner of the iFroggy Network, a network of websites covering various interests. He’s the author of the book “Managing Online Forums,” a practical guide to managing online communities and social spaces. He maintains a blog about online community management at ManagingCommunities.com and a personal blog at patrickokeefe.com.

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

1: EU Extends Music Copyright to 70 Years

First off today, it is final. The EU has approved a copyright extension in sound recordings from 50 years to 70 years. The move has not only taken some songs out of the public domain that were already there, but also prevented many others from losing their copyright. The extension only affects performer’s rights in the songs, not the songwriter’s, which was and remains the life of the author plus 70 years. The measure should be implemented in all EU states by 2014.

2: NinjaVideo Illegal Downloading Site Operators Indicted: ICE

Next up today, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has gotten grand jury indictments against 5 people involved with the site NinjaVideo, which ICE had shut down in 2010. The indictment targets 3 Americans for operating the site as well as one additional American and one resident of Greece that they accused of being among the biggest uploaders. They are all indicted with one count of conspiracy and five substantive copyright infringement counts. According to ICE, the site earned at least $500,000 in revenue while enabling millions of dollars worth of copyright infringement.

3: Harvey Norman Mulls Next Move After Questions on Sale of McTiVia

Finally today, Australian electronics retailer Harvey Norman is said to be “reviewing” it’s sale of McTiVia, a product that allows Australia residents to bypass country filters and visit sites such as Hulu. The product works by having its users connect to a VPN, that in turn makes them appear to be from the U.S. Though Havey Norman had not advertised the product as a means to circumvent copyright protections, many sites had. Harvey Norman has said that the VPN feature could be removed without harming the product’s main function, streaming Web video the TV, but that is normally a decision left to the manufacturer.

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.

Want the Full Story?

Tune in every Wednesday evening at 5 PM ET for the live recording of the Copyright 2.0 Show or wait and get the edited version Friday right here on Plagiarism Today.

The 3 Count Logo was created by Justin Goff and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

It is Friday again and that means that it is time for another episode of the Copyright 2.0 Show.

With the holiday weekend in the U.S., it was a slow week for copyright news but it was still an important week as the largest verdict in copyright history was set aside, we get the first measures of effectiveness from New Zealand’s “Three Strikes” law and the pirate party fights and loses its bid to prevent a copyright extension in the EU.

All in all, it may be a shorter show but it’s not one that you want to miss.

This week’s stories include:

• Oracle’s $1.3 Billion Verdict Reduced
• Three Strikes Law Brings About Slowdown in Pirate Traffic
• Pirate Party Fights, Loses Against Copyright Extension
• Google Touts Copyright Advances
• Bloomberg Must Defend Itself Against Swatch Over Analyst Call
• At Least One Aussie Phone Directory Not Protected by Copyright

You can download the MP3 file here (direct download). Those interested in subscribing to the show can do so via this feed.

Show Notes

About the Hosts

Jonathan Bailey

Jonathan Bailey (@plagiarismtoday) is the Webmaster and author of Plagiarism Today (Hint: You’re there now) and works as a copyright and plagiarism consultant. Though not an attorney, he has resolved over 700 cases of plagiarism involving his own work and has helped countless others protect their work and develop strategies for making their content work as hard as possible toward their goals.

Patrick O’Keefe

Patrick O’Keefe (@iFroggy) is the owner of the iFroggy Network, a network of websites covering various interests. He’s the author of the book “Managing Online Forums,” a practical guide to managing online communities and social spaces. He maintains a blog about online community management at ManagingCommunities.com and a personal blog at patrickokeefe.com.

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

1: Summit Sues Twilight.com Owner for Copyright Infringement

First off today, Summit Entertainment, the movie company behind the “Twilight” movies, is suing the owner of Twilight.com for copyright and trademark infringement. According to Summit, the site repeatedly used photographs, logos and other elements from the Twilight movies without authorization and profited from its use of the information. The site currently is nothing more than links to authorized resellers of Twilight books and movies as well as banner ads. The lawsuit alleges that the site participated in contests and quizes that were unauthorized and misleading.

2: Denver Post Publisher to End Contract with Copyright Enforcement Firm

Next up today, Righthaven, the company that has filed some 275 lawsuits over content reused from the Las Vegas Review-Journal and the Denver Post, will be losing its contract with the latter. The publisher of the Denver Post, MediaNews Group, has announced it will be allowing its contract with Righthaven to expire. This is the latest in a string of setbacks for Righthaven, which has included negative court decisions, largely over their position to sue in the cases they have acted on.

3: EU Regulators Vote to Extend Music Copyright for Another 20 Years

Finally today, EU regulators have given approval to extending the copyright on sound recordings from 50 years to 70 years, a move that will likely be finalized on September 12 when a Council of Ministers will have a final say, forcing member states to pass the extension into law by 2014. The extension does not affect composers of songs or other copyright holders, which generally get a copyright for as long as they live plus another 70 years.

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.

Want the Full Story?

Tune in every Wednesday evening at 5 PM ET for the live recording of the Copyright 2.0 Show or wait and get the edited version Friday right here on Plagiarism Today.

The 3 Count Logo was created by Justin Goff and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

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

1: Pirate Politician Calls for Block on EU Copyright Extension

First off today, the lone Pirate Party member of the European Parliament (MEP), Christian Engström, is attempting to block a proposed copyright extension that would expand the copyright term on music recordings from 50 years to 70 years. However, that request has been denied and it appears that those who oppose the measure as well below the majority needed to block it. Engström, however, believes the issue to be important as the matter could be on the Parliament’s agenda Wednesday, despite it not being posted.

2: Google Highlights Advances in Copyright Protection

Next up today, Google is touting progress in its battle against copyright infringement, saying it’s made its new copyright infringement reporting tools available to a dozen parters that comprise some 75% of all DMCA takedown notices for the search engine. Those tools enable Google to removing infringing links within 24 hours of notice. They plan to make those tools more broadly available soon. Google has also been filtering out “pirate” keywords in its autocomplete and rooting out infirnging sites from its Adsense advertisement service, becoming the first to certify compliance in the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB’s) Quality Assurance Certification program.

3: SIIA Reaches Content Piracy Settlement on Behalf of Providence Publications

Finally today, the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), has reached a settlement with Harbison-Mahony-Higgins Builders, Inc. (HMH) over its use of the Cal-OSHA Reporter, a newsletter about California occupational health and safety. According to the SIIA, HMH purchased a single license to the newsletter but made copies to pass around the company, in violation of that license. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but it marks another cas in the SIIA’s work to protect digital content, including software, text and other kinds of electronic work

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.

Want the Full Story?

Tune in every Wednesday evening at 5 PM ET for the live recording of the Copyright 2.0 Show or wait and get the edited version Friday right here on Plagiarism Today.

The 3 Count Logo was created by Justin Goff and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.

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

1: Hollywood Takes OpenBitTorrent’s ISP to Court

First off today, now that The Pirate Bay’s tracker has shut down, though in its case to force users to use decentralized methods of downloading, the movie studios have turned their attention to other prominent trackers including OpenBitTorrent, which has had its hosting company receive a lawsuit from the various movie studios.

OpenBitTorrent is a different kind of tracker in that it is not connected to a site or search engine, but is rather just a service that connects peers based upon has values. The site also has a DMCA-style notice and takedown procedure that enables copyright holders to disable access to copyrighted files.

Their hosting company, Swedish outfit Portlane, was sued by Hollywood studios, who claim that it is merely a “rebranded” version of The Pirate Bay.

More to come on this lawsuit in the future.

2: Judge Sets February Hearing for New Google Books Deal

Next up today, the judge in the Google Book Search case has given tentative approval to the new settlement, which was unveiled last week, by laying out a schedule for the approval process.

The original settlement, which would have allowed Google to scan, display and sell copies of in-copyright but out-of-print works, was shot down following criticisms from the U.S. Department of Justice. The revised settlement, which loosens restrictions on scanned works, has greater consideration for international authors and changes to scope of the class action lawsuit, has done little to appease the harshest critics but still seems to have been widely welcomed.

The new timetable puts a deadline of January 28th to file objections to the settlement and sets a date for a final hearing on February 18. Those who wish to opt out of the settlement and retain their right to sue Google will need do so by January 28.

It is worth noting that these deadlines are much faster than the ones given the first time around, largely due to the fact that the case has been ongoing for so long.

3: Japan Set To Extend Posthumous Copyright

Finally today, newly-elected Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has vowed to extend the posthumous copyright protection on compositions from 50 to 70 years, as he had promised to do during the campaign.

The announcement came at a speech to the Japanese composers and authors’ society during an event celebrating the 70th anniversary of the group

There was no timetable announced for passing this extension.

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.

Want the Full Story?

Tune in every Saturday morning for the live recording of the Copyright 2.0 Show or wait and get the edited version Monday morning right here on Plagiarism Today.

It is Monday again and that means that it is time for another episode of the Copyright 2.0 Show.

It was a busy week for copyright news and, though the U.S. was surprisingly quiet on that front, the EU stepped up in spades giving us more Pirate Bay Fodder, a copyright extension and a new study that has turned some heads.

All in all, there were thirteen stories this week including news from all over the copyright world including our “Weird Story of the Week”.

This week’s stories include:

• The Pirate Bay Judge Accused of Bias
• EU Passes a 20-year Copyright Extension on Musical Works
• Australia Puts a TV Dispute to Bed
• Are Pirates the Best Customers?
• The One Copyrighted Work No One Wants to Register
• And Many more…

You can download the MP3 file here (direct download). Those interested in subscribing to the show can do so via this feed.

Show Notes

It was a big week for the show (and an important milestone for all listeners) for two separate reasons:

1. The announcement that the RIAA would stop its strategy of bulk lawsuits in favor of ISP cooperation. Sadly, this story is NOT in the podcast since it was recorded early and finished mere minutes before the story went live.
2. This was the first episode ever recorded live on TalkShoe. This was an experiment but, in the future, we plan on incorporating both listener chat and even calls into the podcast. So, if you’d like to participate, follow us on Talkshoe and let us know what you think. I’ll be sending out Twitter Tweets before every podcast to remind those that follow me on Twitter.

Beyond all of that, there was still a lot of copyright news to go around including a possible extension on copyrights in the UK, more RIAA lawsuit news (insert irony statement here) and donts more.

All in all, there were thirteen stories this week including news from all over the copyright world including our “Weird Story of the Week”.

This week’s stories include:

• UK Seeks to Extend Music Copyrights
• RIAA Sues Family for $1 million
• EMI Pulls the Coldplay “Plagiarism” Videos on YouTube
• Wedding Crashers in Spain Search for Copyrighted Music
• India Seeks Copyright Protection on the Taj Mahal
• And Many more…

You can download the MP3 file here (direct download). Those interested in subscribing to the show can do so via this feed.

Show Notes