Copyright & Media Update – 12/23/16

December 23, 2016

ASCAP and Radio Music License Committee Sign New Agreement

NEW YORK, Dec. 15, 2016: The Radio Music License Committee (RMLC) and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) today announced a new five-year agreement through 2021 that sets the rates payable by over 10,000 of America’s commercial terrestrial radio stations to publicly perform more than 10.5 million musical works in the ASCAP repertory. The RMLC represents the vast majority of the nation’s radio stations and ASCAP represents 600,000 songwriters, composers and music publisher members whose songs and compositions comprise the largest catalog of music played on commercial AM/FM radio of any performing rights organization in the United States. READ MORE…

New Copyright Office Rule Could Be Problem for Sites Hosting UCG

BY JOHN DELANEY & MONA FANG: If your company operates a website or blog that hosts user-generated content, you’ll want to read this post carefully. We’re ringing the alarm bell on an important new U.S. copyright law development that, if ignored, could significantly increase your company’s potential liability exposure in connection with user-generated content. If your company hosts user-generated content, such hosted content may include materials that were posted without the permission of the owners of the copyrights in such materials—potentially subjecting your company to copyright infringement liability. READ MORE…

Tony Bennett Turns 90: “I Just Love What I’m Doing”

BY DAVID MARCHESE: Early Thanksgiving morning, Tony Bennett woke up in a strange bed on the wrong side of Central Park. For years, he has lived with his third wife in a Trump building on Central Park South, but the couple spent the night in a Madison Avenue hotel to avoid the security gridlock surrounding the staging areas of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which, like Mr. Bennett, turned 90 this year. This day, roughly 70 years into a career that began as a singing waiter in Astoria, Queens, Mr. Bennett would be riding on the penultimate parade float — taking second billing only to Santa and his sleigh — and singing “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” with Miss Piggy. READ MORE…

Nokia Sues Apple for Copyright Infringement of Tech Patents

BY GAURAV GUPTE: Apple has received it again. Nokia has sued Apple in German and US courts for using its technology patents without its permission. Apple has sued many companies and has been sued by other companies over copyright infringement. The patent wars have increased since the death of their charismatic founder Steve Jobs. Apple was using Nokia’s technology patents for various aspects of its phone like touch screen interface, its user interface, patented mobile operating system softwares, other coding, antennas, chipsets and its video technology since 2011. READ MORE…

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