3 Count: Too Legit

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

1: How The Pirate Bay Will Be Legalized

First off today, Global Gaming Factory has offered up some clues about how it will go legit. In a letter to shareholders, which it is hoping will encourage them to approve the deal, they explained that they plan to set up The Pirate Bay as a pay site. Copyright holders will have a veto power and can demand removal of content but, if they permit it to be used on the service, they will be paid every time it is downloaded.

According to GGF, which plans to buy the legally troubled site later this month, it has worked closely with those in the content industry to avoid the problem of mass removals and feels confident that there will be enough content there to make it worth the while. However, most still feel the chances of success for the new site are low as other services, when turned legit, typically have not fared well.

2: NZ authors protest Google book plan

Next up today, the list of international author groups upset about the Google Book Search settlement seems to be growing.

New Zealand authors have come out in opposition of the settlement, which would allow Google to scan out of print books for inclusion in its database. Author Lynley Hood, along with the New Zealand Society of Authors has pentitioned the government to inquire into the settlement and ensure that there is no violation of the Berne Convention or New Zealand copyright holder’s rights.

They expressed concern that the deal would not benefit local authors, especially since the local industry seemed to be ignoring the deal and time to participate or refuse was running out, and that even local citizens would not benefit as the books would not be available to them as the tool is limited only to U.S. residents.

A society of Authors representative said that doing nothing is the worst thing possible as you will lose your chance to sue and not receive any funds for your work being scanned.

3: Censorship or Copyright Infringement? Flickr Takes Down “Obama as Joker” Photo

Finally today, Flickr is in the midst of a copyright and censorship controversy as it has removed a now-famous image of Barack Obama painted to look like the Joker from “The Dark Knight”. Flickr said that it removed the image due to “Copyright infringement concerns” but does not mention a specific DMCA notice or who filed the complaint.

This has led to accusations that Flickr has removed the image on political grounds, not copyright ones. This wouldn’t be the first time that they were accused of this, the previous coming from an incident where they were accused of deleting an account critical of Obama.

Though the image itself was not intended to have political implications, it was a Photoshop demo, it has become a poster image for those politically opposed to Obama.

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.

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