3 Count: Fraud Jumping

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1: Sony Music Files Fraud Lawsuit Against Rdio Executives Over Pandora Deal

First off today, Eriq Gardner at The Hollywood Reporter Esquire reports that Sony Music Entertainment has filed a lawsuit against Rdio executives claiming that, when negotiating a restructuring of its payment obligations to Sony, that Rdio intentionally withheld both an impending bankruptcy and a deal that it had reached with internet radio service Pandora.

According to the lawsuit, in 2010 Sony reached a deal with Rdio to allow the company to stream music it holds the rights to. However, in 2014, Rdio owed Sony $5.5 million in guaranteed revenue but sought to renegotiate the deal and delay the payment. However, Sony claims, while Rdio was negotiating with Sony it was also negotiating with Pandora, reaching an arrangement where Rdio would file bankruptcy and Pandora would would buy the company’s assets.

Sony believes this was done to ensure that they would not make a demand for the millions owed and so that Rdio’s founders, who were secured creditors, would be first in line to receive funds from the sale of Rdio while Sony, who is an unsecured creditor, would receive very little.

2: MPAA Opposes Proposed Minnesota Revenge Porn Law, Says it Limits Speech

Next up today, David Kravets at Ars Technica reports that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has written a letter to lawmakers in Minnesota to caution against the state’s proposed revenge pornography law, saying that it could limit free speech.

According to the MPAA, since the bill does not require law enforcement to show an “intent to harass” when prosecuting those who publish non-consensual pornography, the bill could be used to stifle legitimate speech. This includes news reporting and any publications of nude or sexual images without the consent of the participant.

The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, a group that combats revenge porn online, says that the MPAA’s position shows a “callous diregard for the victims.” The bill itself has cleared a House committee in Minnesota and is moving on now toward a vote.

3: Quantum Break Pirates Slapped with an Eye Patch

Finally today, Angus Morrison at PC Gamer reports that developer Remedy has continued its tradition of messing with suspected pirates of its game as a “feature” in their new game Quantum Break adds an eye patch to the lead character, Jack Joyce, if piracy is suspected.

The team had done something similar with its previous game, Alan Wake, which also included a message on the loading screen encouraging you to buy the game. Other than that, neither game did anything to prevent pirates from playing the game.

However, several users claims that the eye patch appears even on some legitimate copies of the game. For example, logging out of the Windows Store before playing the game, can sometimes cause the patch to appear.

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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