3 Count: Looking Backwards

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1: Warner Chappell Urges Supreme Court to Reject Copyright Office Position in Flo Rida Sample Dispute

First off today, Chris Cooke at Complete Music Update reports that music publisher Warner Chappell is asking the United States Supreme Court to reject the advice of the US Copyright Office and limit damages in a sampling case to just the past three years.

The case was originally filed in 2018 by Sherman Nealy, who claims to own the song Jam the Box, which he alleges was unlawfully sampled in the the 1984 Flo Rida track In The Ayer. Normally, in copyright, one only has three years after they learned about or should have learned about the infringement to file a case. However, Nealy was in prison at the time that the song was released and only learned about the alleged infringement after his release.

The question regards damages. Nealy claims that he should be eligible to receive damages all the way back to the original relase. Warner Chappell and others, however, argue it should only go back three years. The Copyright Office, in their statement, sided with Nealy, saying that plain language of the law means that the statute of limitations only deals with when a case can be filed, not what damages can be collected.

2: Piracy Shield’s First Targets Blocked, Pirate Boxes Discovered in Italian Prison

Next up today, Andy Maxwell at Torrentfreak writes that Italy’s new “Piracy Shield” blocking system is now fully operational and even has its first three official targets.

The nationwide system aims to make it easier for rightsholders to get pirate websites blocked, by having a dynamic list that updates quickly and all internet service providers are required to follow. The system informally launched in December, but now has its first three targets, all of which appear to target sites that illegally stream live sporting events.

In all three cases, the sites are blocked by both DNS and IP address, with provisions to update the information when and if the sites should move. The system has already prompted some virtual private network providers to exit the country, saying that it is impossible to comply with the system and protect user privacy.

3: Craig Wright’s High-Stakes Legal Battle Over Bitcoin’s Origin And Copyright

Finally today, Susie Violet Ward at Forbest reports that the trial between the Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance (COPA) and Craig Wright has begun, with Wright being takes to prove that he truly is the pseudononymous creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto.

For years, Wright has claimed to be the original author of the Bitcoin whitepaper, even going as far to threaten others with copyright infringement lawsuits for publishing the whitepaper or using portions of it. This brought the lawsuit from COPA, who claims that Wright has no legitimate claim to the work and that he has provided no evidence other than fabrications.

The trial is ongoing but may represent a major turning point for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency at large, especially if the court sides with Wright, granting him control over the documentation.

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