Copyright & Media Update 5/18/17

May 19, 2017

Star Trek’s Unique Deal Allows Home Auteurs To Go Where No Fan Film Has Gone Before

BY SAMANTHA DRAKE: The recent settlement of a copyright lawsuit against the producer of Star Trek fan films who raised more than $1 million in funding resulted in guidelines governing future fan efforts that attempt to strike a balance between encouraging fans’ passion and protecting studios’ intellectual property. READ MORE…

Copyright Royalty Board Announces Additional Webcaster Audit by SoundExchange – Reminder to Carefully Maintain Your Royalty Records as They Can be Reviewed at Any Time

BY DAVID OXENFORD: In the Federal Register, last week was a notice that SoundExchange intends to audit the royalty payments of Pandora for its Internet radio service. As we wrote at the beginning of the year, SoundExchange routinely decides to audit representative companies in various segments of the digital music industry. In January, for instance, they issued notices of audits for a number of broadcasters, pure webcasters, and other digital music services (see our post here about the audit notices released in January). READ MORE…

Disney Hostage Update: No Ransom Paid for Pirates of the Caribbean; FBI Involved

BY PAUL RESNIKOFF: Disney is now floating in some unexpectedly dangerous waters.  But this time, the pirates are virtual — and taking an entire movie hostage. For those catching up: early this morning, a group of hackers claimed to have the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film in their possession.  Deadline first reported the ransom threats, and Disney CEO Robert Iger has confirmed the ransom. READ MORE…

Digital Copyright Ruling Creates New Vulnerabilities for Moderated Online Platforms

BY BRADLEY DLATT & JASON GORDON: A recent federal appeals court decision may lead online platforms that post user-generated content filtered by moderators to think twice before posting copyrighted material. In Mavrix Photographs, LLC v. LiveJournal, Inc., the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s (“DMCA”) safe harbor for “infringement of copyright by reason of the storage [of material] at the direction of a user” may not protect moderated online platforms. 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 YouTube. The information contained herein is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel.

 

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