3 Count: Uber-Soft

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

1: War on PC gamers continues: Ubisoft misled on From Dust DRM

First off today, video game maker Ubisoft is in DRM news again, this time over its recent PC release “From Dusk”. The game, which originally debuted on the Xbox a few weeks ago, was promised to have a DRM that required only one online activation but, after release, turned out to need an Internet connection every time it was launched. Ubisoft allegedly removed forum posts detailing the single activation system and has replaced them with “clarifications” about the DMR for the game. This, in turn, has led many to demand a refund for the game and to a large campaign to dissuade others from purchasing it. Ubisoft has created DRM-related controversy before with always-on DRM that would drop the game once connection with an authentication server was lost, even if the game was in single player mode.

2: Ryan McGinley Copyright Case Dismissed

Next up today, photographer Ryan McGinley has won his lawsuit against another photographer, Janine Gordon, who sued McGinley claiming he had ripped off some 150 photos from her collection. The judge in the case found that the similarities between the photographs were not protected by copyright and, if allowed to would “assert copyright interests in virtually any figure with outstretched arms, an interracial kiss, or any nude female torso.” The judge also joked that, “I think Playboy is going to sue you both”. Neither side had any further comment.

3: New Threat for Labels as Yesterday’s Stars Want Their Music Back

Finally today, the rate of filings for copyright terminations is increasing and record labels in particular may be in for a tough time in 2013 if those terminations are successful. According to an article by the Australia, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Bryan Adams, Tom Waits and Kris Kristofferson are just some of the artists who have filed copyright terminations, seeking to have full control of their works turned over to them. U.S. law allows artists to end transfers and exclusive licenses after 35 years through a copyright termination process. To do that, they must file a notice with the Copyright Office two years before the termination, the first of which can take place in 2013.

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.

Want to Reuse or Republish this Content?

If you want to feature this article in your site, classroom or elsewhere, just let us know! We usually grant permission within 24 hours.

Click Here to Get Permission for Free