Copyright & Media Update 12/6/2019

December 6, 2019

Can Genius Really Win Its Lawsuit Against Google? 

ROLLING STONE: In 1991, the Supreme Court fielded a case about two warring phonebook companies in northwest Kansas. Rural Telephone Service Company Inc. refused to license its local information to Feist Publications Inc., so Feist went ahead and copied part of Rural’s phonebook. Rural shrewdly placed false entries in its directory, caught Feist in the act, and sued for copyright infringement. But despite Rural’s ingenuity, the Supreme Court ruled that the raw data collected in phonebooks were not copyrightable. READ MORE… 

TuneIn’s Legal Battle With Sony Music, Warner Music Heading Toward Appeal 

DIGITAL MUSIC NEWS: TuneIn announced that it has gotten approval to appeal last month’s decision in a U.K. court that found that it infringed on the copyrights of Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music U.K. On November 1, U.K. High Court Judge Colin Birss ruled that TuneIn had violated the two music companies’ copyrights by allowing users in the country to listen to music played by radio stations outside the country without properly licensing this music. READ MORE… 

Mechanical Licensing Collective Selects Leadership, Partners for Copyright Database 

BILLBOARD: Two weeks ago, the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) secured crucial funding to create a central database of music copyright information to distribute royalties to songwriters and copyright owners. The creation of the MLC and its database are mandates of the Music Modernization Act, passed in October 2018. READ MORE… 

Sales, Lawsuits and Data: The Music Publishing Business in 2019

SYNCHTANK: Looking back at the publishing business in 2019 reveals a yawning dichotomy between investors who see it as a highly valuable sector in which to put their money and publishers themselves who believe digital services and platforms are dangerously undervaluing their rights. This tension is not going away any time soon, but the to and fro here most certainly defined the year. And, underpinning all this, data remains critical and steps are being made to give writers the same level of streaming transparency that labels and recording artists enjoy. READ MORE… 

‘99 Problems but My ABCs Ain’t One’: Jay-Z Sues Over Children’s Book 

NY TIMES: When the children’s alphabet book “A B to Jay-Z” was released by a small Australian online retailer more than two years ago, the company said it sold out within days. But it also drew criticism on social media as a particularly cringe-worthy example of cultural appropriation. READ MORE… 

EU study reveals music has seen the sharpest decline in piracy 

MUSIC ALLY: The good news in 2019 about piracy has been that it’s declining for music. The latest evidence comes from a study published by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) examining consumption of copyright-infringing content across the 28 EU member states between January 2017 and September 2018. READ MORE… 

Spotify Shares Most Streamed Lists for 2019 and the Decade 

HYPEBOT: Post Malone, Bille Eilish and Ariana Grande were the top three most-streamed artists of 2019 on Spotify with Drake the top artists for the decade. Read on for much more. 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. Follow us onTwitter, Facebook, Instagram, 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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