In the News

["Jack Boeve" <JBoeve@xxxxxxxx>]

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RECENT ITEMS FROM THE CIP COLLECTANEA BLOG:

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Blog: A new era in defining and applying fair use norms. By Georgia
Harper, Collectanea, July 21, 2008.
http://tinyurl.com/6oy9x2

About 12 years ago, I was involved in the CONFU effort to define, or
rather, provide guidance for, fair uses in educational contexts in the
then-emerging world of digital networks.

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Blog: And the market moves on... past fair use? past licensing? past
subscription? By Georgia Harper, Collectanea, July 10, 2008.
http://tinyurl.com/6fl2l9

In an article in USA Today, Svetlana Shkolnikova describes the emerging
trend towards faculty-authored "open textbooks" that hold out at least a
glimmer of hope that there could be real competition in the textbook
market that would have the effect of moderating prices.

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IN OTHER NEWS:

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Letter: Copyright extension is the enemy of innovation. By Lionel
Bently, et. al. The Times Online, July 21, 2008.
http://tinyurl.com/5c5fs9

Sir, Europe's recorded music was about to experience a wave of
innovation. For the first time, a major set of culturally important
artefacts was to enter the public domain: the sound recordings of the
1950s and 1960s. Apparently not so. If the European Commission has its
way, re-releases and reworkings of recorded sounds will remain at the
mercy of right owners for another 45 years (report, July 17). Why?

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Government copyright bill fails green test. By Michael Geist, The Star,
July 21, 2008.
http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/463909

The notion of "green copyright" sounds odd, yet the policy choices found
in Bill C-61, Industry Minister Jim Prentice's controversial copyright
bill, disappointingly run directly counter to the current emphasis on
the environment.

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Mom fights music giant. By Howard Mintz, Mercury News, July 19, 2008.
http://tinyurl.com/6mykh8

For Pennsylvania mom Stephanie Lenz, a closely watched copyright
showdown in San Jose federal court is a simple matter of standing up to
powerful music moguls and petulant pop stars....Lenz, whose case reached
a critical stage Friday, finds herself at the heart of an epic copyright
fight over Universal Music's attempt to force her to take down a YouTube
video of her toddler learning to walk with the Prince song "Let's Go
Crazy" blaring in the background.

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Copyright: so complex, here's a slide rule to decode it. By Nate
Anderson, Ars Technica, July 18, 2008.
http://tinyurl.com/6bpvlk

If you don't work in the fields of digital preservation, library
science, or copyright law, you might have the impression that copyright
is a fairly pedestrian beast-the milk cow of the legal world, if you
will. What could be simpler than writing your book, recording your song,
or drawing up your vessel hull design? Copyright law immediately grants
you a set term of protection. Simple. Clear. Deliciously creamy. It's
also a pipe dream.

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Copyrights-and Wrongs. By Sascha Segan, PC Magazine, July 18, 2008.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2325781,00.asp

Did you break the law today? If you've created something on the
Internet, probably. Artists, librarians, tech geeks, and software
engineers are now fighting over a miserably shrinking public domain.
This isn't what copyright was supposed to be about, and only a popular
uprising will stop the current trend.

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Ageing rockers may lose copyright protection. The Independent, July 17,
2008.
http://tinyurl.com/5rl38a

Plans to almost double copyright protection for recording artists were
challenged by the Government this afternoon. The European Commission
said musicians and performers should enjoy copyright safeguards for 95
years - instead of losing the rights to their own works after the
current copyright expiry limit of 50 years. But a UK spokesman said the
Government was "not convinced" of the economic argument for the move.

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Europe Says Copyright Groups Must Compete. By Julie Bloom, New York
Times, July 17, 2008.
http://tinyurl.com/5b5lkc

In music news that's causing dissonance on both sides of the Atlantic,
Europe has decided to remove national boundaries to online music sales.
The European Union Commission said on Wednesday in Brussels that music
copyright groups must compete across borders, Reuters reported.

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EU offers royalty scheme for pension-age rockers. By Huw Jones,
Reuters/The Guardian, July 16, 2008.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/7656134

Veteran acts such as Cliff Richard and the Beatles would earn royalties
for years to come under a European Union scheme which puts performers on
a more equal copyright footing with composers. Under EU plans adopted on
Wednesday, eopyright for musicians and singers is being extended to 95
years from 50 years, assuring Cliff and other ageing rockers of
continued royalties on songs like Living Doll recorded in the early part
of their careers.

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Agreement Reached Over YouTube Data. By Reuters/New York Times, July 16,
2008.
http://tinyurl.com/5kfxs6

Defendants and plaintiffs in two related copyright infringement lawsuits
against YouTube have reached a deal to protect the privacy of millions
of YouTube watchers.

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Copyright gets 'Use It Or Lose It' clause. By Andrew Orlowski, The
Register, July 16, 2008.
http://tinyurl.com/6zdbgz

The European Commission today approved an extension to the life of sound
recording copyright, from 50 to 90 years - but with a twist. The EC has
insisted on a "use it or lose it" clause, which allows the recordings to
revert to the performer if the producer or record company has no desire
to market the recording. It's designed to prevent recordings gathering
cobwebs in record company vaults, and the new clause can be invoked a
year after the 50-year term expires.

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Copyright enforcers should learn lessons from the war on spam. By Cory
Doctorow, The Guardian, July 15, 2008.
http://tinyurl.com/5gu2un

Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. For example: say
you're an entertainment executive looking to stop some incredibly
popular kind of online information transmission - infringing music
copyright, say. Where would you look to find a rich history of this kind
of online battle? Why, the Spam Wars, of course. Where else?

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New Southern/East African Copyright Network Targets Protection, Local
Innovation. By Wagdy Sawahel, Intellectual Property Watch, July 15,
2008.
http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/index.php?p=1149

Seventeen African ministers of arts and culture have officially launched
the newly formed Southern and Eastern Africa Copyright Network
(Seaconet) in a bid to strengthen regional collaboration and cooperation
in the field of creative industries, copyright and related rights.

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http://chaucer.umuc.edu/blogcip/collectanea/ -- Get the Feed

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