3 Count: Uno Reverse Card

Have any suggestions for the 3 Count? Let me know via Twitter @plagiarismtoday.

1: Major Labels Ask US Supreme Court to Reconsider $1 Bln Cox Copyright Case

First, today, Blake Brittain at Reuters reports that the major record labels have filed a petition with the Supreme Court in their case against internet service provider (ISP) Cox Communications. Their petition follows Cox’s petition, which also asked the Supreme Court to take up the case.

The labels originally sued Cox in 2018, alleging that the ISP was not doing enough to prevent piracy in its service. In 2019, a jury ruled in the labels’ favor, awarding them $1 billion in damages. Cox appealed that verdict, and the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals handed down a split decision.

The Appeals Court ruled that the charge of vicarious infringement was inappropriate but upheld the liability for secondary copyright infringement. This set the stage for a new trial in the lower court on damages alone. Cox, however, appealed to the Supreme Court seeking to have the secondary copyright infringement verdict overturned, and now the labels have filed their own appeal to restore the vicarious infringement ruling.

2: Webtoon Targets 170+ Pirate Domains Through DMCA Subpoena

Next up today, Ernesto Van der Sar at Torrentfreak writes that Webtoon Entertainment, a South Korean platform for hosting digital comics, has filed a Digital Millennium Copyright Act subpoena seeking to unmask the operators of more than 170 alleged pirate websites.

The notice was filed with a Texas federal court seeking to compel Cloudflare to turn over customers’ details. The notice itself lists nearly 200 targets across 170 unique domains.

It is unclear what, if any, practical information Cloudflare might have on the sites. However, they claim that such subpoenas have been effective in shuttering sites in the past, even without taking further legal action.

3: Startup Using Blockchain to Prevent Copyright Theft by AI Is Valued Over $2 Billion After Fresh Funding

Finally today, Ryan Browne at CNBC reports that Story, a San Francisco-based startup, has raised $80 million in funding to create a blockchain that will prevent artificial intelligence companies from using human-created content without permission.

Story claims it helps content creators protect their work by storing it on its specialized blockchain. That chain records when a work was uploaded, its contents, and licensing and attribution information.

It is unclear how this process would protect content creators from AI companies. AI companies routinely scrape content from the public web, claiming fair use. Nonetheless, the new round values the company at $2.25 billion.

The 3 Count Logo was created by Justin Goff and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.