3 Count: International Edition

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1: German Government Edges Towards Agreement on Copyright Law

First off today, Philipp Grüll at Euractiv reports that Germany has postponed adoption of the new European Union Copyright Directive but has moved closer to a deal on their specific implementation.

In 2019, the European Union passed a new copyright directive that, among other things, required countries within the bloc to implement an upload filter requirement and additional rights for news agencies. Countries within the bloc have two years to implement the directive.

Germany has been working on their implementation and their latest draft does require upload filters but also requires the filters to ensure that the work is actually protected by copyright and that an infringing amount of that content is used. In negotiations, that infringing amount was lowered to favor creators and rightsholders. That said, Germany is postponing their implementation pending a challenge to the law by Poland.

2: Amended Copyright Act to go Before Parliament

Next up today, the Bangkok Post reports that a new draft of the Copyright Act is heading before Thailand’s parliament today. Supporters hope that the new act will bring the country in alignment with the Copyright Treaty of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The main element of the new bill is a notice-and-takedown system similar to what is seen in the United States and the European Union. It will allow rightsholders to request removal of allegedly infringing material without the need for a court order.

It also provides similar anti-circumvention provisions as those found in U.S. law and provides a site blocking regime for when infringing material is hosted in other countries. It will also extend the copyright on photographs until 50 years after the death of the photographer.

3: Estonia and Colombia Are Trying To Stop A Copyright Claim Over Bitcoin’s White Paper

Finally today, Cam Wilson at Gizmodo Australia reports that, in the battle over the Bitcoin whitepaper has taken another turn as both Estonia and Colombia have agreed to host the paper on official government websites.

At issue is Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist who claims, with little proof, to be the author of the original Bitcoin whitepaper. The paper was originally published under the name Satoshi Nakamoto though the identity of the person (or people) that name represents has never been verified.

Nonetheless, Wright has sent multiple takedown notices over the paper, ordering various sites to remove it. Though some have complied, many have not. However, in a move to bolster availability of the paper both Estonia and Colombia have decided to host it on official government websites, marking the first time it’s been available on government domains.

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