Weekly Copyright Update

November 13, 2015

Investigation of Spotify and YouTube for Unpaid Royalties:

BY DAVID LOWERY: According to the Wall Street Journal, Spotify’s practice is to “escrow” royalties for songwriters whom Spotify has not located, and it is our understanding that YouTube also follows this practice, as may other services. Some estimate that the total sums being held in this manner by Spotify, YouTube and Google are in the tens of millions of dollars.

Apple Music Seeking Exec With “Good Relationships With Key Music Publishers”

POSTED BY HYPEBOT.COM: The battle between songwriters, the publishers that represent them and the music streaming services is getting nasty; and Apple Music is hoping to take preemptive action with a new hire that has ties to the music publishing community.

Intellectual Property Online: YouTube Red and the Blockchain

BY JIMMY FETERMAN: Last week Google announced plans to roll out a $9.99 monthly subscription-based YouTube membership. The membership is called YouTube Red and it will give subscribers access to ad-free user-generated content (UGC) including original shows starring YouTube’s most popular creators, a gaming app, and the long-awaited YouTube Music service. YouTube Red is an exciting move that will set new industry standards and for the first time will give content creators a larger platform from which to address a paying market.

Taylor Swift Shakes Off Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

Posted: Nov 12, 2015 5:02 AM CST Updated: Nov 12, 2015 5:03 AM CST

LOS ANGELES, CA (CNN) – A judge in California got really creative in dismissing a copyright infringement lawsuit against Taylor Swift. Artist Jesse Braham accused Swift of stealing his lyrics for her hit song Shake It Off and asked for $42 million in damages. U.S. District Judge Gail Standish repeatedly quoted Swift lyrics while dismissing the lawsuit on Tuesday.

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.

 

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