3 Count: Batter Up

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

1: “Six Strikes” Anti-Piracy Scheme Starts Monday

First off today, Ernesto at Torrentfreak writes that the Copyright Alert System, often referred to as the “Six Strikes” system, is set to roll out today in the United States.

The system, which has ISPs sending out copyright infringement warnings came about after five major ISPs teamed up with major copyright holders to develop the system, which is administered by the Center for Copyright Information. The system will not disconnect suspected pirates from the Web but will send repeated warnings and, potentially, throttle their connection speeds.

The system had been delayed many times due to technical challenges. However, according to sources familiar with the organizations involved, the system will be launching today with Comcast and other ISPs involved are expected to start up this week. The rumor is supported by a redesign of the CCI site that may indicate an imminent launch.

2: YouTube Restores Daytona Crash Video After NASCAR Blocks it Out of ‘Respect’

Next up today, Al Tompkins at Poynter reports that NASCAR created a copyright controversy after blocking a video shot from the stands of the crash at the end of the DRIVE4COPD 300 Nationwide Series race.

The crash, which happened on the eve of the Daytona 500, saw debris from the accident fly into the stands, injuring 14 spectators. A video of the crash, taken by a fan in the stands, was temporarily removed from YouTube on copyright grounds. NASCAR, on its tickets, says that it owns the rights to all content from the race. However, it is much less clear if NASCAR actually has the rights it claims, with many legal experts saying that they don’t.

However, NASCAR restored the video late Saturday night. NASCAR released a statement saying that the video was blocked “out of respect for those injured” but decided that they only had the right to block videos that were copyright infringing, resulting in it being restored. However, the person who took and posted the video said he understood why the video was removed.

3: Lawsuit over Oscar Copyright Infringement Settled by Academy

Finally today, Daniel Miller at the LA Times reports that, though yesterday might have been the Oscars, one of the biggest controversies around the event was settled months ago.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences settled a lawsuit that it brought against THeEventLine.com, a site that famously sold and rented large models of the iconic Oscar statue for parties and events. The statues, which stood eight-foot-tall had been targeted back in 2011 by The Academy in a cease and desist letter but the organization continued to sell them, prompting a lawsuit in March 2012 and a settlement late last year.

The details of the settlements, which were announced just last week, involved the events company not sell or rent the statues anymore. The rental company, however, had previously claimed that its statues were not significantly similar to the original Oscar statues anad was not an infringement of copyrights or trademarks.

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.