3 Count: Apple Emoji Victory

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1: Apple Defeats Copyright Lawsuit Over Racially Diverse Emoji

First off today, Blake Brittain at Reuters reports that Apple has emerged victorious in a lawsuit filed against them over racially diverse Emoji that were included in various Apple products.

The lawsuit was filed by Club Club LLC on behalf of its founder, Katrina Parrott. Parrott created an app named iDiversicons in 2013 that created a series of emoji with various skin tones. However, Apple introduced the concept as a core feature in their products years later, prompting the lawsuit.

Yesterday, the judge has tossed that case, noting key differences between Apple’s emoji and Parrott’s. The judge did grant Parrott an opportunity to refile the case, but expressed skepticism since he made it clear the “idea” of diverse emoji cannot be protected by copyright.

2: Court Grants Injunction Blocking Maryland Library e-Book Law

Next up today, Sian Bayley at The Bookseller reports that a court has granted a preliminary injunction blocking a new Maryland law that would require publishers to license e-books to libraries within the state.

The Maryland government passed the law last year, and it required publishers to license e-books to state libraries for a reasonable rate. However, the American Association of Publishers (AAP) challenged the law, saying that it violates the federal copyright act.

To that end, the judge has seemingly agreed, granting an injunction against the law does grant the courts the ability to preempt state law. The move was widely praised by the publishers, who thanked the court for acting decisively on the matter.

3: Piracy Hits TV Auction Key to Turkish Football’s Finances

Finally today, Ercan Ersoy at Bloomberg reports that bids for Turkish football’s broadcasting rights fell short of expectations by $100 million. As a result, the decision about who will win those rights has been delayed and piracy is being widely blamed for the shortfall.

Various groups participated in the bidding process, which saw offers as high as $150 million. However, the clubs expected to receive at least $250 million. Broadcasters, however, claim that widespread piracy in the country is to blame for the low offers, with one report saying that for every one legitimate viewer, there are two pirates.

BeIN Media, pledged and estimated $500 million per year in 2015. That amount dropped to just $200 million due to fluctuations in the Turkish currency. However, even that number is proving too high for broadcasters due to the widespread piracy issues.

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