3 Count: Unanimous Modernization
Congress agreed on something...
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1: Music Modernization Act Unanimously Passes US House of Representatives
First off today, Ed Christman at Billboard reports that The United States House of Representatives has passed the Music Modernization Act with a unanimous vote (415 in favor and 16 not voting). This sends the bill to the Senate, where it is expected to also do very well.
The Music Modernization Act cobbles together several other pieces of legislation that aims to reform how music is licensed and distributed. It will, among other things, create an agency to handle mechanical licenses paid by digital services. This ensures composers and songwriters get paid but also limits the legal liability for streaming services.
The act would also ensure parity between pre and post-1972 sound recordings in terms of the rights they enjoy both with regards to digital streaming and general performance rights. The bill now moves to the Senate where the bipartisan support for the legislation seems to favor its chances.
2: Roadshow Wins Smart TV Piracy Website Blocks
Next up today, Corinne Reichert at ZDNet reports that, in Australia, Roadshow films has successfully won another series of internet blocks, this time impacting 16 locations suspected of distributing content to smart TV boxes.
Specifically, the block targets the HD Subs Plus app, which was recently updated into the app Press Play Extra. According to Village Roadshow, the move was to prevent them from looking “under the hood” of the app and was a direct response to their attempt to shut it down.
No ISPs attended the hearing and they have 15 days to comply with the court order. They are instructed to use any means at their disposal including DNS, IP and URL blocking as appropriate.
3: Nike Sued for Running Pirated Software
Finally today, Ernesto at Torrentfreak writes that Nike is being sued by Quest Software over allegations that the company is using pirated copies of their database software.
Nike has a license to use Quest software but, after Quest performed an audit, they found that Nikey had used their software “far in excess of the scope allowed”. According to Quest, Nike used “cracked” versions typically found on pirate sites to make up the difference between what they had legitimately purchased and what they were using.
Quest claims that they confronted Nike with the findings but the company refused to acquire any further licenses. This forced Quest to go to court, where they are suing for copyright infringement. Quest is seeking damages as well as an injunction barring the infringing activity.
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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