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

1: Pirate Bay Founders’ Prison Sentences Final, Supreme Court Appeal Rejected

First off today, the four founders of The Pirate Bay, convicted in their native Sweden in 2009, have lost their last appeal to have their sentences overturned. The founders were sentenced to prison sentences between 4 months to a year and ordered to pay some 46 million kronor ($6.8 million) in damages. The group had filed a petition to have their case appealed to the country’s Supreme Court but that request has been denied, letting the appellate court rulings stand. However, due to a quirk in Swedish law that often reduces sentences by 12 months in old cases, it’s still possible that the four men will not see the inside of a prison. Even if they don’t get their sentences reduced, it will likely be many months before the men submit themselves to custody.

2: Megaupload Server Purge Delayed

Next up today, the planned purge of Megaupload’s user data has been delayed at least two weeks as the Electronic Frontier Foundation is attempting to work with the hosts of the data to re-enable legitimate users to download their lost content. The content was scheduled to be deleted as early as tomorrow as hosting providers, dealing with unpaid bills after Megaupload’s assets were frozen, want to free up the servers for new customers. To help with the process of retrieving data, the EFF and Carpathia Hosting, one of the providers involved, have established megaretrieval.com, a site where users can submit requests for assistance though the EFF warns they may not be able to help everyone.

3: Ukraine Shuts Down Leading File-Sharing Site

Finally today, in Ukraine, authorities there have shut down the well-known piracy site ex.ua and seized some 200 servers. The site, which was on the RIAA’s list as one of the worst piracy sites, is now offline and 16 of its employees are being interrogated. The site was founded in 2009 and was one of the largest piracy sites in the Ukraine. Following the closure, various government-related sites were also taken offline though officials blamed the downtime on “hackers”.

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: Poland Set to Sign Copyright Treaty, Despite Protests

First off today, Poland has announced that it plans to go ahead with its schedule signing of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) despite protests and even denial of service attacks against many of its key government sites. The treaty, which primarily targets counterfeit goods but also deals with some copyright issues, is designed to harmonize criminal and civil enfrocement across signing countries. According to government representatives, the treaty does not require any changes in existing Polish law and, as such, there is no reason to delay signing past Thursday’s planned ceremony. Anonymous, who is behind many of the attacks, has threatened to release government documents if the treaty is signed.

2: ‘Agneepath’ in copyright tussle!

Next up today, in India, the upcoming release of the movie Agneepath may be moving forward without one of its most-anticipated songs. A lawsuit filed by Aditya Salankar claims that the song “Oh Saiyya” is a direct copy of a song he composed and is seeking to halt the use of the song in the film as well as additional damages. The movie, which is a remake of a popular Hindi film from 1990, has been widely anticipated in the country.

3: Supreme Court Decision on Copyright May Not Injure Major Opera Companies, Symphonies

Finally today, according to a report on a St. Louis-area opera company, the recent Supreme Court ruling in the case Golan v. Holder will not have a drastic impact on opera and symphony performances. The case found that Congress acted constitutionally when it passed the Uruguay Round Agreement Act and re-copyrighted a series of works previously in the public domain. The case was brought by a group of librarians, performers and others who depended on public domain works for their living. However, according to at least one opera house, the difference the ruling will cause will, most likely, add some costs but “not substantially” adding that they have never chosen which opera to perform based on whether royalties are owed or not.

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.

This episode of the Copyright 2.0 Show was something of a special one. It was recorded on January 18th, in the middle of the SOPA “blackout” protests and, as part of it, we have a very long conversation on the Stop Online Piracy Act as well as the protests and the effect that they were having at that point.

However, there was no rest for us as we also had to make room for a slew of other copyright news including an important Supreme Court decision, a copyright controversy around “Mein Kampf” in Germany and one major video game developer backing down from their pirate hunt.

And that’s just the beginning!

This week’s stories include:

• SOPA Protests Black Out Web, Turn Legislators
• Supreme Court Approves Re-Copyrighting Public Domain Works
• “Mein Kampf” to be Republished in Part, in Germany Against Rightsholder Wishes
• CD Projekt RED Stops Hunting for Pirates
• ACS:Law Founder Suspended From Practicing Law
• Warhol Foundation and Velvet Underground Square Off Over Banana Image

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: Supreme Court Hears Copyright Cases

First off today, in Canada the Supreme Court will hear testimony on five copyright-related cases. The cases all deal with the issue of fair dealing, Canada’s equivalent to fair use, and may have a drastic impact on the amount Canadian’s pay for certain types of copyrighted content. One of the key cases deals with music samples in iTunes, which are currently offered for free and limited to 30 seconds. SOCAN, a rights group representing authors and publishers, thinks there should be a royalty affixed to those samples while Apple and other believe it to be an example of fair dealing. In another case, colleges are seeking to overturn a previous ruling that found copying short excerpts of copyrighted works for educational uses was not protected under fair dealing. Rulings on these cases are not expected for many months though testimony will be heard both today and tomorrow.

2: Vostu Pays Undisclosed Sum to Zynga to Settle Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

Next up today, social game maker Zynga has settled their ongoing litigation with Vostu, a Brazilian company they accused of ripping off several of their games. Under the terms, Vostu will pay an undisclosed sum of money, make changes to four of their games and will drop a counter-claim they had filed against Zynga. The settlement puts an end to both lawsuits, one in Brazil and one in the U.S. and ends the dispute between the two companies.

3: Google Will Move to Dismiss Authors Guild Suit

Finally today, Google has indicated that it will seek dismissal in its long-running dispute with the Author’s Guild. The lawsuit, which is over Google’s Book Search tool and its scanning/indexing of books, has had two settlements be shot down. The Author’s Guild, however, is petitioning to have the settlement converted to a class action lawsuit. Even if Google wins and gets the lawsuit dismissed, it won’t be the end of the litigation as the individuals in the lawsuit would be able to continue.

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: Supreme Court Rejects NBCU Bid in ‘Ghost Hunters’ Rip-Off Case

First off today, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a case between NBC Universal (NBCU) and the parapsychologist Larry Montz, who claims to have come up with the idea for the company’s popular “Ghost Hunters” show. Montz, who claims to have pitched the show to NBCU for inclusion on their then Sci-Fi network (now SYFY) says that NBCU produced the show without him in violation of an implied contract. The case was dismissed but given a reprieve on appeal. NBCU appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court arguing that copyright trumped state contract law but the court, in refusing to hear the case, let the lower court ruling stand. The case now heads back to the district court for more hearings and a possible trial.

2: Update: UK High Court OKs Appeal Of Part Of Meltwater Copyright Case

Next up today, the Meltwater News Service and the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) will get a chance to appeal part of their case against the Newspaper Licensing Agency (NLA) to the UK High Court. The NLA, which collects royalties for major newspapers in the UK, sued Meltwater claiming that the company, which locates and emails clips of relevant news articles to various PR agencies, had to pay licensing fees both for their use and for their client’s use. Meltwater and the PRCA objected to that, saying that the client’s copies were temporary copies and allowed under UK law. The court let stand other rulings in the case, including that headlines could be copyrighted and clients will still need licenses, but it wants to look closer at the temporary copying issue, which could greatly mitigate the other two. The PRCA is pursuing the appeal even as the Copyright Royalty Board is trying to determine royalty rates for these kinds of uses.

3: Andy Samberg, NBC Sued Over ‘Saturday Night Live’ Sketch Featuring Rihanna

Finally today, St. Louis duo Aleric Banks and Monique Hines are suing SNL comedia Andy Samberg and NBC over two Saturday Night Live skits, namely for two songs “Shy Ronnie”, which features Rihanna, and “Like a Boss”, which featured Seth Rogan when it was performed on the show. The songs were recorded by the group The Lonely Island, which Samberg is a member of and originated on SNL. According to the lawsuit, Banks and Hines wrote the music for the songs and were promised royalties for the work but those promises were not kept, thus prompting them to sue.

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.

We have a very “Supreme” themed episode this week with two stories focusing on the highest court in the U.S. Those stories include a case the Supreme Court will be hearing and one they won’t be taking (thus letting the lower court ruling stand).

We also have an update on the NinjaVideo admins and their criminal case as well as an interesting ruling regarding the DMCA and DVD ripping.

All of that and we end on this crazy question: Is Amazon’s new Silk browser is copyright infringing?

This week’s stories include:

• Supreme Court to Decide if Works Can be Plucked From Public Domain
• Supreme Court Says Digital Downloads are NOT a Public Performance
• Another NinjaVideo Founder Pleads Guilty
• Judge Says DVD Ripping OK if You Legally Own Them
• Canada Revisits Copyright Reform
• EU Fans Find Way to Watch Soccer Cheaply

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: U.S. Top Court Rejects Internet Music Download Case

First off today, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear a case regarding Internet downloads, letting a lower court ruling that said Internet downloads were not public performances stand. The suit stemmed from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), which sued to have digital downloads declared as public performances so they could collect royalties, potentially in the tens of millions, on digital sales for songwriters and composers. The Appeals Court, however, ruled that downloads don’t meet the criteria for a public performance and the Supreme Court declined to hear the case without comment, letting the ruling stand.

2: Supreme Court to Consider Whether Congress Can Restore Copyright

Next up today, the Supreme Court will hear a case that pits teachers, conductors and other content users against the U.S. government. At issue is whether Congress can take works out of the public domain once they have been placed there. The suit stems from treaties and copyright extensions that removed works from the public domain and placed them under copyright protection again, works including “Peter and the Wolf” and Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “Number 17″. If they win their case, these works could be placed back into the public domain and be eligible for use by all without paying a fee.

3: Mac clone maker may take fight with Apple to Supreme Court

Finally today, Mac clone maker Psystar has announced that they are prepared to take their case to the Supreme Court. Psystar has been involved with litigation over Apple, which sued them claiming that Psystar’s making of Mac clones, computers running Apple’s OSX operating system though not made by Apple, was a violation of Apple’s OSX license. Apple won both in the lower court and on appeal, the courts agreeing that it was a license violation and shooting down Psystar’s claim of copyright abuse, but Psystar’s lawyers say they are prepared to appeal to the Supreme Court if needed.

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 holidays upon us in full force, it might seem like copyright news would be slowing down and there’d be less to talk about. However, we’d also be wrong. Not only do we have a major non-ruling from the Supreme Court but a major Appeals Court ruling as well. We also have an “Anonymous” arrest in the Netherlands and much, much more.

This week’s stories include:

• SCOTUS Rules on Costco Case, Says Nothing
• Appeals Court Upholds Ban on World of Warcraft Bot
• Anonymous’ IRC Operator Arrested
• Righthaven Sues Drudge Report
• George Clinton Sues the Black Eyed Peas
• Irish ISP Offers Carrot and Stick to “Pirate” Customers

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: 50 Cent Named in NY Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

First off today, rapper 50 Cents, along with his label, producer and others involved with him have been sued by Atlanta rapper Tyrone Simmons, who goes by “Caliber,” saying that Simmons is the exclusive copyright holder to the instrumental track used in 50 Cent’s 2007 song “I Get Money.” Little else is known about the lawsuit other than it is seeking damages and that Simmons is not the creator of the track but instead purchased the rights to it. (Thanks to @saving4someday for the link!)

2: MPAA Takes Legal Action To Force ISP to Block Newzbin

Next up today, in the UK the MPAA is beginning legal proceedings in the country to have local ISP BT block access to NZB search site Newsbin2. According to Torrentfreak, the MPA is seeking to use a little-used law to force the ISP to block the site and, according BT, they have already received the paperwork for a request to do so. No action has been confirmed at this time but MPA did confirm the strategy in a response to the site.

3: The Nine-Word Copyright Opinion: Costco v. Omega

Finally today, the U.S. Supreme Court opinion in the Costco case may, literally, be the shortest opinion in the court’s long history. The opinion simply read, “The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court.” Nine words, nothing more. No opinion. No precedent. Nothing else to say.

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 6 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: Author Files Suit Against Broadway’s “Fela!”

First off today, Carlos Moore, the author of the biography of African Musician Fela Kuti is suing the producers of the Broadway play “Fela”, accusing them of lifting whole parts of his book, saying it is the only authorized biography. He is seeking some $5 million in damages and a halt to production, including the upcoming London exhibition. The producers are stunned by the turn of events, saying that Moore is on the show’s site approving of the play.

2: Anonymous Plans to Slow DDoS Attacks, Outlines Patent and Copyright Reform

Next up today, Anonymous, the loosely organized group of “protesters” who famously launched denial of service attacks against various pro-copyright sites have announced that they are slowing their DDOS campaign in favor of a more traditional approach. They have also outlined their platform for copyright reform, which includes a reduction in term of copyright to 25 years in just 2-3 years time and an eventual reduction to 0-1 years. They hope to effect this change through the current political system saying that their DDOS campaign was too widely ignored, even after they began attacking government sites.

3: US High Court Hears Costco Case On Resale Of Foreign-Made Goods

Finally today, the long anticipated hearing of the Costco case before the Supreme Court has begun. The case began after Costco imported Omega watches through a legitimate reseller abroad and sold them in the U.S. for a lower price. According to Omega, the watches contained a logo that was copyrighted and the law prohibits importation of copyrighted works without permission. Costco is arguing that they legally purchased the watches and can resell as they see fit. The case is expected to be a major decision regarding right of first sale among other things.

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 6 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.