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YouTube CEO says proposed EU copyright law threatens creators
Europe is currently considering new legislation that would require companies like Google and Facebook to scan all uploaded content and remove any copyrighted material. Known as Article 13, the move has faced a lot of pushback, and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki has addressed the issue in her latest letter to creators. "This growing creative economy is at risk, as the EU Parliament voted on Article 13, copyright legislation that could drastically change the internet that you see today," she wrote.
'Fortnite' creator Epic Games sues YouTuber for selling cheats
Epic Games is no stranger to suing Fortnite cheaters, but now it's aiming at a particularly high-profile target. The developer has filed a lawsuit against YouTube personality Brandon Lucas (aka "Golden Modz") and his frequent partner Colton Conter ("Excentric") for using and selling cheats. Lucas, who has over 1.7 million subscribers, allegedly violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, breached contract and engaged in "tortious interference" by posting videos of his Fortnite cheating and selling the cheat tools through his website. Conter sometimes participated in those videos.
Google Images will display creator and credit information
While it's easy to find an image of pretty much anything you want on Google, it's not always easy to find credit information for that image. But Google is looking to change that, and it has teamed up with media and image organizations CEPIC and IPTC to bring rights-related metadata to Images. Now, when you find an image on Google Images, you can click the menu icon and then "Image Credits" to see both creator and credit information. Google says it will add copyright notice information in the coming weeks.
US Senate passes bill modernizing music licensing and payouts
The US Senate has unanimously passed the Music Modernization Act, which aims to bring the way the music business works in line with the digital age. Providing the bill is met with approval from the House, and is subsequently signed by President Donald Trump, the legislation -- renamed the Orrin G Hatch Music Modernization Act in honour of the Republican senior senator responsible for introducing the bill -- will finally be enshrined into law. It's not expected to meet any opposition.
European MPs vote in favor of controversial copyright laws
The EU has voted on copyright reform (again), with members of European Parliament this time voting in favor of the extremely controversial Articles 11 and 13. The 438 to 226 vote, described as "the worst possible outcome" by some quarters, could have significant repercussions on the way we use the internet.
YouTube gives creators a way to flag stolen videos
YouTube keeps a watch over the millions of videos on its service, making sure that they don't violate copyright or community standards. The company removed 8.3 million videos for community guidelines violations in the last quarter of 2017. It hasn't revamped it's Content ID system to flag copyrighted videos since 2013, however. Now the Google-owned video sharing service is launching a new Copyright Match tool that can flag instances of videos that match content creators' original videos.
Mobile-gaming titans keep ripping off indies
The word "casual" has long been flung out as an insult on video-game forums and social media. It's deployed to belittle the interests of people who enjoy more relaxing experiences than gritty shooters, strategy-rich online games or time-sucking RPGs. Unsurprisingly, it's most often hurled at anyone who says they like mobile games. For Voodoo, "casual" isn't an insult. It's a cash cow.
Pepe the Frog creator gets neo-Nazi site to pull copyrighted cartoons
Pepe the Frog creator Matt Furie is enjoying more success in his copyright-based campaign to stop the "alt-right" from dragging his cartoon character's name through the dirt. Motherboard has learned that Furie's attorneys (Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr) used a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice to force neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer to remove most instances of Pepe from its pages. The challenge wasn't so much getting the site to comply as having a stable target, according to the lawyers.
EU Parliament rejects controversial copyright bill
After the EU Parliament's legal affairs committee narrowly passed a bill that would require tech companies to monitor and filter internet content to protect copyrights, approval by the full governmental body was inevitable. Or so everyone thought. This morning, the EU Parliament rejected the new copyright reform bill. It will now be opened for further discussion and amendment by all 751 European lawmakers.
US court rules that using online photos can be considered 'fair use'
In the real world, copyright legislation seems simple enough -- don't steal something and claim it as your own work. Online, however, things are murkier. The EU Parliament recently passed a law that would stop users from uploading copyrighted content -- but in the digital age, what does 'copyright' actually cover? An Insta picture of your morning coffee? A meme? What about a cropped photograph of a D.C neighborhood? It's the last of these options that resulted in a legal tussle, and ended with a federal court ruling 'fair use'.
'PUBG' creators drop lawsuit over 'Fortnite' battle royale mode
If you were hoping PUBG Corp's lawsuit against Epic Games over Fortnite would be a knock-down drag-out fight to determine which battle royale game emerges triumphant... well, you'll be disappointed. The PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds developer has dropped the South Korean lawsuit, which alleged that Epic was imitating its interface and in-game items through Fortnite's Battle Royale mode. PUBG declined to explain the reason for the change of heart (we've asked Epic for comment), but there are a few potential candidates.
EU narrowly passes copyright law requiring internet filtering
Today, the EU parliament's legal affairs committee voted in favor of controversial legislation that requires tech companies to install filters into their software to prevent users from uploading copyrighted content. The law is intended to protect content creators and copyright holders, but its numerous opponents claim it will stifle creativity and harm the free internet.
'PUBG' creators sue Epic Games over 'Fortnite' battle royale mode
The developers of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds haven't been shy about accusing Epic Games of riding their bandwagon with Fortnite, and now they're taking legal action. Bluehole's PUBG Corp has confirmed that it sued Epic in South Korea this January for allegedly violating the studio's copyright with Fortnite's Battle Royale mode, particularly its interface and in-game items. Epic has declined to comment, but it's safe to say the situation is... complicated.
Selfie-snapping monkey loses copyright infringement case (again)
The copyright battle over who owns that famous toothy selfie taken by a macaque monkey in Indonesia apparently didn't end when the parties involved reached a settlement last year. On Monday, an appeals court has affirmed the lower court's decision that Naruto, the seven-year-old crested macaque in the selfie, can't file a copyright claim for the photo. "[W]e conclude that this monkey -- and all animals, since they are not human -- lacks statutory standing under the Copyright Act," Judge N. Randy Smith wrote in the ruling.
OnePlus 5T will only play HD Netflix if you send it in for service
Good news: the OnePlus 5 and 5T can finally play Netflix in HD... if you're willing to go through a convoluted process. OnePlus has launched an update program to enable the higher-resolution video streaming, but the "security processes" involved in enabling HD require that you send your phone in. As it revolves around the WideVine copyright protection used to allow Netflix playback, OnePlus has to perform the update with a wired connection to an "authenticated PC" -- thanks, movie industry.
Disney’s lawsuit against Redbox may have backfired
Disney's attempt to prevent Redbox from buying its discs for rental and resale may have blown up in the House of Mouse's face. The Hollywood Reporter describes how District Court Judge Dean Pregerson sided with Redbox to shoot down a Disney-mandated injunction. In addition, Pregerson contended that Disney may itself be misusing copyright law to protect its interests and its own forthcoming streaming service.
Google removes ‘View Image’ button from image search
Say goodbye to the "View Image" link in Google Images. Google announced a few changes to its image search today, one of which being the removal of its option to check out an image without visiting the site that hosts it. It might be a bummer for some, but since it was a stipulation of Google's settlement with Getty Images, it was only a matter of time before it happened. In a tweet, Google said today that the changes "are designed to strike a balance between serving user needs and publisher concerns, both stakeholders we value."
Embedding a tweet could violate copyright
If you've ever embedded a tweet on your blog, that could be a copyright violation, according to a New York federal court ruling. Numerous sites, including Time, Yahoo (which is part of Oath, Engadget's parent company) and Breitbart published stories with an embedded tweet containing an image of NFL star Tom Brady. The tweet was posted by another party, but the photographer who took the photo accused the news sites of copyright infringement for embedding it. The judge agreed, saying their actions "violated plaintiff's exclusive display right."
Google will make copyright credits more apparent in image searches
Google has reached a deal to end Getty Images' European complaint over photo copyrights, and it's quite likely that you'll notice the effects. A new agreement between the two will see Google obtain a "multi-year" license for Getty's photos in its products in exchange for reforming its approach to copyright in image search. Google will do more to highlight copyright attribution for the photos you find, so you'll know whether or not you'd need to pay for a picture. It will also pull "view image" links for pictures to reduce the number of direct downloads.
Streaming services must give songwriters a 44 percent pay hike
Songwriters just claimed a major victory in the fight for better pay from streaming giants like Apple and Spotify. The US Copyright Royalty Board has ruled for an increase in songwriter rates that will give them a 43.8 percent pay raise over the next 5 years. They also won't have to jump through hoops to figure out how much they're owed: they'll claim either a percentage of revenue or the total content costs, whichever pays the most. There are no longer caps on writer rates, for that matter.
