3 Count: Not Enough
Why $1 billion isn't enough...
Have any suggestions for the 3 Count? Let me know via Twitter @plagiarismtoday.
1: YouTube’s $1bn Royalties are Not Enough, Says Music Industry
First off today, Mark Savage at the BBC reports that YouTube has responded to criticism it does not pay enough to the music industry noting that it has paid more than $1 billion in royalties to creators. However, those same creators have responded saying it is not enough.
The dispute centers around what YouTube pays for the music it streams. According to record labels and publishers, YouTube’s royalties are significantly lower per play than other services, such as Spotify and Apple Music.
YouTube is saying that it has now paid some $1 billion in royalties but that was met with criticism by the IFPI, an international trade organization representing record labels. The IFPI notes that Spotify, a much smaller service in terms of users, has paid $2 billion in the same time period, representing about $18 per user. Meanwhile, YouTube’s $1 billion represents about $1 per user. The record industry is pushing for legislative action to close what it sees as a “value gap” between YouTube and other free streaming services and paid services.
2: Google, B.C. Firm Duel Over Free Speech, Copyright in Supreme Court Battle
Next up today, Mike Blanchfield at The Toronto Star reports that Google is before the Supreme Court in Canada to ask whether or not Canadian courts can order it to remove copyright-infringing web results worldwide.
The case centers around a company named Equustek Solutions Inc., which successfully won an injunction against Datalink over copyright infringing network interface hardware. Following their victory, the company asked the court to grant an injunction barring Google from providing results related to Datalink. Google initially complied, removing hundreds of results from its Canadian search engine but now Equustek wants that applied to the worldwide search engines.
Google, however, argues that this type of ruling could be misused by countries that don’t believe in free expression, letting them strike results from Google at will. However, Equustek argues that there is no free expression issue since the sole purpose of these sites is to derive profit from infringing material. According to them, if the court is unable to act then we “no longer live in a world ruled by law.”
3: Court: ‘Falsely’ Accused ‘Movie Pirate’ Deserves $17K Compensation
Finally today, Ernesto at Torrentfreak writes that an Oregon District Court has ruled that a copyright “troll” operation owes a falsely accused movie pirate over $17,000 in compensation over its “unreasonable” tactics.
The case involves Thomas Gonzales, an Oregon man that runs an adult foster care home. He was sued by Cobbler NV, LLC, an organization representing the rights to the Adam Sandler comedy The Cobbler. They had targeted Gonzales because a download of the film was traced to the IP address for his care home but it was clear early into the litigation that multiple residents there had access to the internet and could have done it.
However, even after being presented with that information, the company continued to press its claims. The court, finding that unreasonable, has ordered them to pay over $17,000 in attorneys fees and other expenses.
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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