3 Count: Denuv-sold

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1: Anti-Piracy Firm Denuvo Acquired by Digital Security Outfit Irdeto

First off today, Devin Coldewey at TechCrunch reports that Denuvo, an anti-piracy technology company, has been purchased by digital security firm Irdeto and will become part of its stable of offerings.

Denuvo came into the spotlight for its digital rights management (DRM) software for protecting major video game releases. The software had an unusually high success rate at preventing, or at least delaying, cracked copies of games from appearing online. Though flaws in Denuvo’s armor did start appearing as time went on, it was still successful in delaying pirated copies of games from appearing for weeks or months, the most critical sales period for most new games.

According to the press release announcing the buyout, nothing will change for Denuvo which will operate as normal for the time being. It is unclear if or how Irdeto will integrate Denuvo into its broader suite of security solutions.

2: China Launches Online Mediation Platform for Copyright Disputes

Next up today, Xinhuanet reports that China has launched a new online platform for mediating copyright disputes as a means of streamlining and speeding up the process.

Copyright registrations have doubled in China in the last three years and the number of copyright infringement lawsuits (as well as criminal cases) have grown as well. To alleviate the need for parties or mediators to travel, the country has created a wholly online system for hearing copyright disputes.

The United States is considering a similar system, known as a copyright small claims court, so it is likely the Chinese system will be closely observed by both supporters and opponents of the potential system in the U.S.

3: SoundExchange’s SXWorks Launches Free Tool to Fix Widespread NOI Copyright Problem in the US

Finally today, Music Business Worldwide reports that SoundExchange has launched an Notice of Intention (NOI) lookup tool that enables songwriters and publishers to search through the database of NOI filings with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Under the law in the United States, there is a statutory license to sound recordings of musical compositions, for example, putting a cover song on a CD. However, the person using the composition must notify the rightsholder and pay a license fee for the use. If the rightsholder is unknown or can’t be found, the person using the composition files an NOI with the U.S. Copyright Office.

However, the those NOIs are stored in spreadsheets and there is no unified way to search them. As such, rightsholders have no simple way to determine if they’re owed royalties. The NOI lookup tool aims to address that by creating a single place to search through all NOIs filed with the U.S. Copyright Office and, when appropriate, collect owed royalties.

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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