copyright
Latest
Twitch urges streamers not to use copyrighted music
The service apologized for how it handled a huge influx of DMCA claims.
Twitch faces music industry backlash over proper licensing (updated)
The RIAA and other music industry groups have written a letter to Twitch complaining that the service isn't licensing their songs.
Facebook is testing a tool to let users claim image rights
Facebook's Rights Manager of Images could make it easier for creators to issue takedown requests.
An OnlyFans creator is suing a site that hosts paywalled images for free
OnlyFans creators Deniece Waidhofer is suing Thothub for spreading her images without consent.
UK soccer stars may sue betting companies over player data profits
Can a team of UK-based footballers get money for their athletic data?
Twitch streamers receive a flood of music copyright claims for old clips
Twitch streamers have received a deluge of DMCA takedown requests over music in old clips, risking bans unless they take actions that may not be realistic.
Book publishers sue Internet Archive for allegedly enabling piracy
Four major publishers filed a lawsuit against the Internet Archive for alleged “willful mass copyright infringement" related to its Open Library.
Nintendo takes legal action against US Switch hack sellers
Nintendo has filed new lawsuits against Switch hackers in the US.
'Super Mario 64' fan releases a fully playable port for PC
A fully-functional 4K port of 'Super Mario 64' for the PC has appeared online.
‘Dreams’ player forced to remove his fan-made Mario assets
Sony's long-awaited Dreams arrived earlier this year, a LittleBigPlanet-esque wonderland in which players can build almost any kind of world they can imagine -- but only if it doesn't infringe on copyright, apparently. According to Dreams content creator @Piece_of_Craft, "a big video game company" has come after him for his use of Nintendo's Super Mario character on the platform.
Lawsuits claim Amazon, Apple and more are streaming unlicensed music
When you walk into a bar, hotel or store, you probably hear music. The same goes for when you tune into a TV channel or radio station. Those businesses are supposed to pay royalties to the artists for using their music. Collection firms like Pro Music Rights (PMR) are tasked with monitoring these things. And they've had a lot more work on their hands, now that they need to keep track of streaming services which must properly license the songs they add to their libraries. PMR -- which sued Spotify last year -- alleges that 10 of the biggest services have been streaming unlicensed music from artists the company represents, and has filed lawsuits against each.
UK won't implement EU's contentious digital copyright law
The UK may borrow some aspects of European Union law after Brexit, but the approach to digital copyright won't one of them. Universities and Science Minister Chris Skidmore has indicated that the UK won't implement the EU's Copyright Directive once it's out of the Union on January 31st. This will let British internet companies and users avoid contentious aspects like Article 13 (renamed Article 17), which requires that sites check all uploaded content for copyrighted material. The EU had softened the requirement to allow memes and other content that offers "quotation, criticism, review, caricature, parody and pastiche," but this would eliminate the requirement entirely in the UK.
YouTube makes it easier for creators to address copyright claims
YouTube's copyright claims system can be a headache for creators. Content ID -- the platform's automated cross-checking system -- is often overzealous in demonetizing or removing videos. Plus, filing disputes against erroneous claims isn't a clear-cut process and gives copyright holders the final say in most situations. YouTube has made things a bit easier for creators with an update to the YouTube Studio Dashboard, though. Users now have a clearer view of which videos contain copyrighted material and have the option to quickly remove the offending sections.
YouTube reportedly considered screening all YouTube Kids videos
YouTube paid the FTC a $170 million fine this year, which was pocket change for Google. However, the charge of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act will remain a very costly stain on its reputation. In fact, things got so bad for YouTube when it came to kids last year that the site reportedly considered individual screening for every YouTube Kids video, according to Bloomberg.
Adorable 'Baby Yoda' GIFs return after Giphy mix-up
One of the most relentlessly adorable characters in Star Wars history just got caught up in some copyright confusion. Giphy has restored GIFs of Disney+ series The Mandalorian's stand-out character The Child (nicknamed "baby Yoda" because... well, look at him) after "confusion" over whether or not the animations were allowed. Vulture claimed in a spoiler-laden piece that the GIFs of the cute-as-hell character were taken down for "copyright reasons," but Giphy has stressed that Disney wasn't responsible. Giphy only pulled the snippets temporarily while it "reviewed the situation," the company said in a statement to the BBC.
Google's fight with Oracle will be heard in the Supreme Court
Google is getting one more shot at fending off Oracle's Android copyright claims. The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear Google's appeal of a federal appeals court ruling that Android violated Oracle copyright by using Java code without a license. The appeal will also address a 2014 decision that programing can be copyrighted. A decision is expected by July.
Adobe, Twitter and the New York Times team up to fight digital fakes
Adobe, Twitter and the New York Times are tired of seeing fake media propagate, and they're teaming up to do something about it. The trio has launched a Content Authenticity Initiative that aims to create a standard for digital media attribution. Ideally, you'd know whether or not a picture or video is legitimate simply by examining the file -- you'd know if it had been manipulated.
House passes controversial copyright bill that could be abused by trolls
Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted in favor (410-6) of a controversial copyright bill known as the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019, or CASE Act. The bill is meant to give independent creators an affordable and accessible way to defend their intellectual property. But critics question whether it is constitutional and argue that it could be abused by trolls, potentially bankrupting the creators it's meant to benefit.
Twitter temporarily banned pro-Trump meme creator Carpe Donktum
This afternoon, Twitter caused a stir when it suspended the prolific pro-Trump meme creator, Carpe Donktum. People were quick to speculate that Carpe Donktum was suspended for his alleged connection to the violent video shown at Trump's Miami resort last week. But after his account was restored, Donktum shared a video stating that he was suspended over a copyright infringement claim.
Google removes news previews in France to avoid paying publishers
Google has announced that it will not pay publishers in France for search results, and will instead show stripped back results for News. That will happen next month when France enforces new rules base on Europe's controversial copyright law. "We will no longer display an overview of the content in France for European press publishers, unless the publisher tells us that it's okay," said Google in a blog. It added that publishers will get new webmaster settings that will allow them to specify how much information they want to preview in News results.
