Weekly Copyright Update

February 19, 2016

Video: Understanding the Problem Behind Where’s the Fair Use
BY JONATHAN BAILEY: Recently, Doug Walker (AKA: The Nostalgia Critic) posted a video entitled “Where’s the Fair Use?” featuring the hashtag #WTFU. Walker, who is a film reviewer, expressed frustration at how YouTube’s copyright system routinely flags his videos as being infringing and then either issues strikes against his account or claims against his videos depending on how the claims come in.
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Spotify’s Reply To @DavidCLowery Class Action Lawsuit
BY CHRIS CASTLE: David Lowery is leading a class action lawsuit against Spotify for failing on what appears to be a massive scale to do three crucial things: license rights, pay reproduction or “mechanical” royalties for songs it exploits, and fix Spotify’s deeply flawed song licensing and essentially nonexistent mechanical royalty accounting systems for the future. Songwriter and recording artist Melissa Ferrick has separately brought a similar class action. READ MORE…

Irony 101: Citing Copyright, Sony Takes Down YouTube Video About … Copyright

BY LISA SHUCHMAN: You can’t make this stuff up: An online lecture included as part of a course on U.S. copyright law offered by Harvard University in the U.S. and overseas has been taken down by YouTube due to a copyright claim by Sony Music. Adding to the irony, the blocked lecture, which explains aspects of copyright law as it applies to music and licensing, is taught by William “Terry” Fisher, a noted copyright expert who is the WilmerHale Professor of Intellectual Property Law at Harvard Law School. READ MORE…

George Washington Key to Intellectual Property Rights
BY RANDOLPH J. MAY and SETH L. COOPER: George Washington – Revolutionary War hero and first President of the United States – is widely known as the Indispensable Man. Less widely known is Washington’s indispensable role regarding intellectual property rights protection. Presidents’ Day is a perfect time to recall Washington’s role in securing copyrights and patent rights under the Constitution. Intellectual property is the source of incredible social and commercial value. Thanks to digital technology and the Internet, IP is more critical to America’s economic prosperity than ever. At the same time, online theft of IP, including international piracy, costs the American economy more than $300 billion every year. READ MORE…

The Music Industry Guide to Content Marketing
BY DYLAN ROULET: Many marketers are calling 2016 the year of Content Marketing. It’s the hottest conversation starter amongst media folks. But is the music industry plugged into this chatter? With the Content Marketing industry expected to balloon to over $5 Billion in 2016, the answer should be definitively ‘yes’. Unfortunately, the Music industry tends to fall behind the curve of innovative digital trends. Don’t know where to begin? Check out these tips below to jumpstart your content strategy and stay ahead of the game. READ MORE…

About Christian Copyright Solutions: CCS’s quest is to help churches and Christian ministries “do music right.” CCS is an expert on church music copyrights and our primary focus is providing licensing and clear educational resources to churches, as well as representation, administration and advocacy for copyright owners. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. The information contained herein is for informational purposes only, and is not legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel.