3 Count: Popping Corn

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1: Microsoft and Getty Settle Their Copyright Dispute

First off today, John Ribeiro at Computerworld reports that Microsoft and Getty Images have settled their dispute over Microsoft’s Bing Image Widget, saying that the two sides are going to work together to create new services that make use of licensed content.

The dispute began when Microsoft debuted the Widget in September. It was intended for use by webmasters to display images relevant to the page content on their site. However, some of the images displayed by it were controlled by Getty, who objected to their use with a license.

Microsoft quickly stopped offering the widget after the complaint was filed but Getty complained that many sites that had previously installed the widget were still functioning and displaying Getty-owned photos. However, the settlement puts the case to rest and promises a cooperative effort between Getty and Microsoft to create other image-related products.

2: How Popcorn Time’s Piracy App Is Sneaking Onto iPhones

Next up today, Andy Greenbert at Wired reports that BitTorrent streaming service Popcorn Time has announced that it will be releasing an iPhone app for its service but that it will not be released through the official iOS App Store nor will it require users to jailbreak their phones.

Popcorn Time has been repeatedly called “Netflix for Piracy”, a streaming service that pulls down infringing films and TV shows over BitTorrent but streams them with a Netflix-like interface. The site is preparing to launch an iOS app but Apple only allows approved apps in its store and it’s unlikely that it would approve an app so connected with piracy.

However, they say they have found a workaround and are using a Windows installer app to place the app on non-jailbroken phones. Popcorn Time has said that they are using a method that Apple created for companies to install apps on employee phones, making it likely they are using Apple’s iOS Developer Enterprise Program to make the install work.

3: YouTube’s Copyright System has Taken Rand Paul’s Presidential Announcement Offline

Finally today, Phillip Bump at The Washington Post reports that Rand Paul’s presidential announcement has hit an unexpected snag as his YouTube video has been blocked by a copyright claim filed by Warner Music Group.

When Rand Paul made his announcement he entered and exited to the song Shuttin’ Detroit Down by John Rich, a Warner Music-controlled artist. The song was detected by YouTube’s automated matching tool, ContentID, and was blocked according to the rules set up by Warner.

The video has since been set to private though other copies of the speech are available on YouTube and elsewhere.

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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