Copyright | Dekuzu

SWD IA on the EU copyright modernization – impacts of baseline and first options for press publishers

Published 24th September 2019

Baseline option

Without intervention at EU level, legal uncertainty in this sector is expected to increase and publishers’ bargaining position would further weaken. The loss of print revenues is not expected to be compensated by the increase of online revenues. Online revenue streams feature smaller margins, as the competition for digital advertisement revenues is tough and free-access press items are widely available. Moreover, access to news through smartphones is increasing every year. As advertising revenues linked to access through smartphones are lower than through computers, this evolution of news consumption would make overall revenues decrease.

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Third edition of USA copyright office compendium – application tips for dramatic works

Published 20th September 2019

When registering a claim in a dramatic work using the online application, the applicant should select “Work of the Performing Arts” as the “Type of Work.” When registering a claim using a paper application, the applicant should complete Form PA.

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Russian Facebook Vkontakte deploys anti-piracy filter

Published 16th September 2019

Russian social network Vkontakte has signed ant-piracy memorandum with book publishers and online stores. The aim of memo is similar to audio-visual memo signed by the Yandex & IT companies with audio-visual right holders (mostly Russian media companies making content for Russian TV). The memo supposed to anti-piracy checking of book content before the downloading.

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SWD IA on the modernization of EU copyright rules – options to introduce press publishers right

Published 3rd September 2019

Baseline

No policy intervention. Under this option, the use of publications would remain governed by the rules applicable to the rights transferred to press publishers by authors and other rightholders. Issues related to the different bargaining position of press publishers and online service providers would not be addressed, without prejudice to the possible application of competition law.

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Third edition of USA copyright office compendium – copyright registration issues for dramatic works

Published 28th August 2019

A “joint work” is “a work prepared by two or more authors with the intention that their contributions be merged into inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole.” Scripts for stage and screen are often written by multiple authors. If the authors of the script intend to merge their contributions into inseparable or interdependent parts of a unitary whole, the script is a joint work, and the applicant should name all the joint authors in the application.

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Russian IP court: there is no copyright infringement without IP object

Published 21st August 2019

The Russian accredited collecting society (CMO) collecting royalties for copyright in musical works has sued Russian cinema holding, seeking royalties for synchronization right. RAO has proposed cinema holding to conclude agreement for synch right, but the cinema has refused. Therefore RAO has filed suit. In the suit CMO has placed the list of audiovisual works and one author to each relevant AV work.

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Camcording can be punishable in Russia

Published 19th August 2019

The Russian ministry of culture (MinCult) has drafted the law providing amendments to the Russian administrative code. These amendments made camcording punishable and provide liability therefore. The aim of the draft law is to eliminate the main resource of piracy – the camcording. Many believe the pirates get movie releases only from cinemas because very often the right holders find in internet the leaked movies of cam quality.

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Whether annotations to the law can be copyrighted?

Published 14th August 2019

Whether the annotations contained in the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (OCGA), authored by the Georgia General Assembly and made an inextricable part of the official codification of Georgia’s laws, may be copyrighted by the State of Georgia. No valid copyright interest can be asserted in any part of the OCGA.

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There is no copyright infringement in similarity caused by nature

Published 9th August 2019

In 1988, Eric Schechter started GAME. At the time, GAME was focused on conducting fundraising activities. The fundraising concept was for individuals to “adopt” a small toy duck and then all the ducks would “race” on a waterway, such as the Salt River Canal or in New York Harbor. The person who had adopted the duck that finished first would win “a new car or prizes,” which had been donated. The sponsoring organization would then retain all the “adoption” fees.

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Impact assessment on the modernisation of EU copyright rules – rights in publications

Published 31st July 2019

Publishers are increasingly facing difficulties in relation to the digital exploitation of, and the enforcement of rights in, press publications such as newspapers and magazines. The changes to the way copyright-protected content is distributed and consumed in the digital environment have affected press publications in a specific way. The publishing industry is in the middle of a shift from print to digital.

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Category: Copyright