3 Count: 99 Million Problems

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1: SiriusXM Could Pay up to $99M as Part of Flo & Eddie Settlement

First off today, Ashley Cullins at The Hollywood Reporter Esquire reports that SiriusXM has submitted a settlement for preliminary approval in the case against Flo & Eddie of The Turtles.

The case centered around pre-1972 sound recordings. Such recordings are not protected under federal copyright law but, instead, are protected under state common law. SiriusXM had not been paying royalties for playing the recordings, prompting Flo & Eddie to file a class action lawsuit against them. After victories in two states, SiriusXM agreed to settle to avoid a trial on damages.

Under the proposal SiriusXM agrees to pay at least $25 million for their use of the music. That amount rises in the event that Flo & Eddie are successful in other states, including up to $15 million more if they prevail on appeals in all three states. Beyond that, there is also a 10-year license, which is expected to generate between $45 and $59 million. A hearing to approve the settlement is set for January 30.

2: Police Shut Down France’s Largest Pirate Site

Next up today, Ernesto at Torrentfreak writes that the cybercrime unit of the French military police have shut down Zone-Telechargement, the country’s largest piracy site.

The move comes shortly after DL-Protect, another large piracy site in the country, was shuttered, making this the second such takedown in the country within a week. The move was assisted by SACEM, the French music industry group and ALPA, the nation’s movie industry group.

Zone-Telechargement has reappeared following the closure but the download links appear to not be working. It does appear that the site is working to make a quick comeback.

3: Europol Takes Thousands of Piracy and Fraud Sites Offline

Finally today, Tara Seals at Infosecurity Magazine reports that Europol, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and other international agencies have seized thousands of counterfeit and copyright-infringing websites as part of Operation in Our Sites VII.

The operation has become almost a holiday tradition, targeting counterfeit and copyright infringing sites during the busiest shopping season of the year. This year, thousands of sites were seized. Though the focus is on sites selling counterfeit merchandise, copyright infringing and piracy-related websites are also targeted.

The operation joins other, similar investigations such as Operation Student and Operation Fake, both of which aim to shutter sites peddling unauthorized goods.

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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