Category Archives: Copyright
The Economist on Copyright Protection
There is an interesting article in The Economist concerning attempts to strengthen copyright protection. The article makes some good points about the arguments for increased protection. For instance, “The notion that lengthening copyright increases creativity is questionable, however. Authors and artists do not generally consult the statute books before deciding whether or not to pick [...]
Entertainment Industry Aspirations
Earlier this year Victoria A. Espinel, the government’s Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, requested submissions from the public concerning the future of intellectual property enforecement in the United States. The MPAA and RIAA submitted a brief that is remarkable in its breadth. According to Zero Paid: Its outline for tackling the problem is truly frightening, and [...]
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Disney Characters Explain Copyright
Via the Licensing Plate — a short video wherein a number of famous Disney characters explain the intricacies of copyright law.
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Current Copyright Disputes
The Copyright Wars continue to be fought in all fronts. Here is a sampling of some current disputes: (1) Artist Dereck Seltzer has sued the band Green Day for copyright infringement claiming that Green Day used one of Seltzer’s images in their live show without a license. Examiner. (2) Robert Cabell, the owner of a [...]
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Government Seeks Input for Intellectual Property Policy
The U.S. Government recently formed a task force to enforce intellectual property laws. Now Victoria Espinel, the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, is asking for input from the public about IP policy: To further these goals, we are working to find ways of measuring these threats and their impact on us. How many jobs depend on [...]
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Google’s Numerous Legal Battles
Google’s legal battles both in and out of the courtroom are becoming more ubiquitous. First, the new legal challenge. ABC News is reporting that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Google over it’s controversial policy of (1) having your closest contacts automatically follow you on Google Buzz and then (2) publishing those contacts [...]
Author Gets Caught Plagiarizing, Defends on Grounds that She Belongs to a Generation of Plagiarists
Helene Hegemann is a precocious author who at 17 is one of the most popular authors in Germany. Her novel “Axolotl Roadkill” is currently the fifth bestselling book in Germany right now. Unfortunately, it turns out that much of the novel is plagiarized word for word from other works. According to the NYT, Hegemann is [...]
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Legal Ethics and Copyright: A Comment on Lawrence Lessig’s New Repulic Article
Lawrence Lessig has an article in the current issue of the New Republic about copyright and its effect on our culture. Essentially, he criticizes the current climate of copyright licensing, and blames over zealous lawyers have created a situation in which we will need a lawyer “at every turn of page.” I agree with most [...]
French Government Agency Established to Fight Copyright Infringement Infringes Artist’s Copyright
The French government enacted a law in October 2009 that will effectively cut off internet access to the households of repeat copyright infringers. The legislation established a government agency to oversee the enforcement of the laws called “HADOPI.” The agency chose this as their logo: Soon after HADOPI released this logo, a font designer named [...]
Suing is Not Always As Easy As It Seems