3 Count: Fairey Use

This is daily column on Plagiarism Today where the site brings you three of the days biggest, most important copyright and plagiarism news links. If you want to offer your feedback on the column, use the contact form or just follow me on Twitter at @plagiarismtoday.

1: AP Countersues Over Use Of Obama Image By Artist Shepard Fairey

It was an inevitability. Yesterday, the Associated Press filed and answer to Shepard Fairey’s preemptive lawsuit and, along with it, filed a counter-suit for copyright infringement.

Fairey, the artist behind the famous Obama “Hope” poster, admitted to using an AP photo as the basis of the work. The AP had threatened Fairey and were reportedly in negotiations with him over the matter only to have Fairey file a suit against the AP seeking a declaratory judgment of non-infringement.

It now seems that what little hope remained for a peaceful settlement has been dashed and this case will be heading for the courts.

2: French anti-P2P law toughest in the world

In a move that might make France the first country with a national law calling for the disconnection of file sharers, the national assembly is now debating what is being called the world’s “toughest” anti-file sharing law.

The French law, if enacted, would allow copyright holds to notify ISPs of suspected infringements and require the ISPs to take action against those identified. The first two times would result in warnings from the ISPs and the third would result in a disconnection of up to one year. A blacklist would make it difficult for a disconnected file sharer to simply move to another carrier.

In return, French DVDs will receive an earlier release date and movie companies will have to abandon much of their DRM.

Given the controversy of a similar law in New Zealand, it seems likely that this one will be met with similar opposition in France.

3: Top Artists Strike Back at Greedy Music Labels

Finally today, a group of musicians including Robbie Williams, Radiohead and Travis has formed the Featured Artists Coalition in an attempt to end what it calls the “extortion-like” actions of the recording industry.

Though the focus is on how the relationship between the labels and artists, there is also a great deal of interest by the FAC over how the labels have treated fans as well, including a case where Travis tried to encourage their fans to share their music, only to have their label go after some of those same fans.

The FAC currently boasts over 20 musicians and bands from around the world.

Suggestions

That’s it for the three count today, we’ll 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.