Copyright & Media Update 8/17/2018

August 17, 2018

With Clock Ticking, Can the Music Modernization Act Pass Congress?

BY MELINDA NEWMAN: The clock is ticking on the passage of the Music Modernization Act, a bill that could ensure digital music services pay fair royalties to rights holders while giving streaming companies certainty, legal protection, and more efficient payment tools. READ MORE…

Taking Common-Law Copyright for Pre-1972 Sound Recordings Seriously

BY ZVI S. ROSEN: Almost five years ago (how the time flies) I was reading about the then-new cases where Flo & Eddie of the Turtles were suing SiriusXM and Pandora for infringement of their common-law copyrights.  I distinctly remember going to bed and then getting up with a bit of a start, such is the drama of my life – I’d seen this before, and I didn’t think many others had.  In particular, while writing in my 2007 article The Twilight of the Opera Pirates, I remember reading various cases involving the operatic duo of Gilbert & Sullivan, including the Mikado and Iolanthe cases. READ MORE…

Spotify Will Have More U.S. Users Than Pandora by 2022, Study Projects

BY MARSHA SILVA: We’ve closely tracked the race between Spotify and Apple Music, specifically over US-based paying subscribers.  But Pandora is also a serious heavyweight in the U.S., with a stunningly-large number of users in the country. But Spotify is poised to overtake Pandora’s US-based user lead, at least according to a projection issued this morning.  According to calculations from eMarketer, Spotify is growing faster than its rival and will narrow the gap by 2021 before exceeding total US-based monthly active users in 2022. READ MORE…

Disney Finds It’s Not So Easy to Sue Over Knockoff Characters at Birthday Parties

BY ERIQ GARDNER: Does Disney really want to go to trial to prevent knockoffs of Darth Vader, Iron Man and Elsa and Anna from Frozen from showing up at children’s birthday parties? If the studio really wishes to continue a lawsuit over unlicensed characters, it may need to after experiencing a setback against Characters for Hire, LLC. READ MORE…

How to track where Google’s tracking you

BY HALEY TSUKAYAMA: Turning off the location tracking on your phone isn’t enough to stop Google from receiving any information about where you are, an Associated Press investigation revealed this week. Even if someone goes into their Google account settings to turn off a feature that logs their location, the AP reported, the tech giant still receives a fairly complete idea of where you are through other settings that aren’t as clearly labeled as collecting location information. READ MORE…

Brexit and Copyright: An Update on the Road to D-Day

As Britain staggers to the finish line of the Brexit process—a line that is still moving as this is written—many, many uncertainties remain. As but one thorny example, how can the now-invisible border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland continue in its present form after Brexit if Britain is no longer in the EU? 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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