3 Count: Fullscreen Attack

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1: National Music Publishers Association Files Copyright Infringement Suit Against Fullscreen

First off today, Ed Christman at Billboard reports that the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) has filed a lawsuit against Fullscreen Inc., a multi-channel network on YouTube that specializes in independent artists performing cover songs.

According to the lawsuit, Fullscreen nor its performers paying proper royalties to music publishers for their videos. Fullscreen does have a publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group but not other publishers.

The NMPA claims Fullscreen has some 15,000 YouTube channels and more than 200 million subscribers across them. There is widespread speculation that the lawsuit could be an attempt to motivate other networks to start negotiating for licensing fees.

2: Russia Prepares to Broaden Brand New Anti-Piracy Law

Next up today, Andy at Torrentfreak writes that, despite its recent anti-piracy only being in effect for six days, Russia is already looking to amend its new copyright legislation to expand it to new content types and streamlining the process of submitting copyright complaints.

The legislation, which took effect August 1st applied only to movies and TV shows. It required Russian sites to remove content within 24 hours after a notice of infringement. Those who failed to comply were threatened with possible blockades at the ISP level.

The new proposed legislation will amend the law to expand it to other types of creative content and also require sites to provide a form, in addition to an email and a “real world” mailing address, to receive complaints. The proposed amendment is scheduled for a hearing Friday and the government is seeking comment from various stakeholders until then, giving them just one full day.

3: NASA Mars Curiosity Rover Sings ‘Happy Birthday’ To Itself: Did Rebellious Robot Violate Copyright Law?

Finally today, Ryan W. Neal at International Business Times reports that NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity celebrated its 1st “birthday” (its first anniversary on Mars) and celebrated it by using an onboard motor to play “Happy Birthday to You”.

However, copyright scholars began to wonder if the use of the song, including in promotional videos for the rover, amounted to a copyright infringement.

Currently “Happy Birthday” is embroiled in a class action that seeks to have it confirmed to be in the public domain, where many believe it belongs. However, currently Warner Chappel Music currently licenses the songs for commercial purposes to the tune of $2 million per year. However, Warner has also repeatedly said that it doesn’t seek licensing from non-commercial uses, likely including NASA’s. (H/T @Daewin)

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.

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