In the News

["Jack Boeve" <JBoeve@xxxxxxxx>]

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First reciprocal cross-Strait copyright agreement inked.
People's Daily Online. January 5, 2011.
http://tinyurl.com/2ducsy9

"Writers on the Chinese mainland are expected to collect royalties from
Taiwan this year, according to an agreement between the China Written
Works Copyright Society and China Audio-Video Copyright Association in
Taiwan."

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Big media fails to turn ISPs into copyright cops.
By Greg Sandoval, CNET News. January 4, 2011.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20027202-261.html

"Last month marked the second anniversary since the Recording Industry
Association of America, the trade group representing the four largest
music labels, stopped filing copyright lawsuits against people suspected
of illegal file sharing."

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Righthaven files new copyright suit as defendants push back.
By Steve Green, Las Vegas Sun. January 4, 2011.
http://tinyurl.com/25mxdg5

"Righthaven LLC of Las Vegas filed another copyright infringement
lawsuit Monday, even as existing defendants fought back against
Righthaven lawsuits."

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Appeals Court Kills Universal's Lawsuit Over Re-Selling Promo CDs.
By Joe Mullin, paidContent.org. January 4, 2011.
http://tinyurl.com/24c4uet

"An appeals court confirmed today that consumers have a right to re-sell
promotional CDs, which could have implications for other copyrighted
goods as well. A panel of judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
9th Circuit has now ruled in three landmark cases that relate to whether
copyrighted items like software and CDs are sold-and thus, out of the
copyright owner's control-or simply "licensed" to consumers."

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'Hurt Locker' lawyers continue antipiracy fight.
By Greg Sandoval, CNET News. January 4, 2011.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20027252-261.html

"Dunlap, Grubb & Weaver, the law firm that has filed copyright
complaints against thousands of accused illegal file sharers on behalf
of independent filmmakers this year, is getting some important help.
DGW, which also operates under the name U.S. Copyright Group, has
recruited lawyers from as many as 23 U.S. states to file lawsuits
against thousands of suspected film pirates in local courts, according
to Thomas Dunlap, the firm's co-founder and one of the participating
attorneys."

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French ISPs Raise Rates To Fund Role As Copyright Cops
Futile efforts to boot pirates offline are expensive, apparently
By Karl Bode, Broadband DSL Reports. January 4, 2011.
http://tinyurl.com/24htjyn

"France was one of the first countries to impose laws that require ISPs
terminate the service of users who repeatedly engage in copyright
infringement. Under the rules, the entertainment industry tracks
offenders and submits infringement claims to a specifically-created
government agency named Hadopi."

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High court refuses permission to amend Periyar copyright plea.
The Times of India. January 4, 2011.
http://tinyurl.com/26f3qvc

"The Periyar Self-Respect Propaganda Institution, which has so far been
unsuccessfully claiming copyright over EVR Periyar's writings, has yet
again failed to get the Madras high court nod to amend a suit it filed
to include Periyar's speeches and publications as well."

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Mattel Can't Pursue Claims Against Later Bratz Dolls.
By Edvard Pettersson, Bloomberg News. January 4, 2011.
http://tinyurl.com/22ss7q2

"Mattel Inc. can't pursue copyright- infringement claims against MGA
Entertainment Inc.'s Bratz dolls other than the first four, introduced
in 2001, and two later models, a federal judge said."

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Music Pirate Argues That $67,500 Penalty Is Too Harsh.
By Eriq Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter. January 4, 2011.
http://tinyurl.com/39p9bas

"Joel Tenenbaum, who was found liable for copyright infringement for
sharing 30 songs online, is asking an appeals court to consider the
constitutionality of big damage awards in copyright cases.  In a brief
to the First Circuit Court of Appeals filed on December 27, Tenenbaum
argues there are "systemic problems that produce unconscionable awards"
in copyright cases against accused file-sharers."

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See What Copyright Law Robbed You Of In 2011.
By Sam Biddle, Gizmodo. January 4, 2011.
http://tinyurl.com/26oholy

"Happy New Year! You know what would have made it even happier? The
non-existence of the Copyright Act of 1976, which blocked classic works
of film and literature from the public domain (and your laptop and
e-reader) this January 1st."

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SoundExchange 'Pleased' With Royalty Rate Ruling.
Music Industry News Network. January 1, 2011.
http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=137315

"SoundExchange was pleased with the decision of the Copyright Royalty
Board (CRB) on the Determination of Rates for non-interactive webcasting
services for the period 2011-2015."

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Measures aimed at copyright pirates.
English Eastday. January 1, 2011.
http://english.eastday.com/e/110101/u1a5643043.html

"China will make it easier to collect proof in copyright infringement
cases as it takes another step to better protect intellectual property
rights (IPR), a senior official has said."

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Twitter Does Not Mean Copyright Free, Court Rules
By Graeme McMillan, Time Techland. December 30, 2010.
http://tinyurl.com/28xdfnz

"Publishing something on Twitter is not the same as relinquishing
ownership, the US District Court has ruled to the relief of millions of
Twitter users worldwide. District Court Judge William Pauley has
disallowed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit that photographer Daniel
Morel has brought against Agence France-Presse for using his work
without credit or compensation after he had uploaded them to TwitPic."

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Copyright Troll Grilled About Fair Use.
By Wendy Davis, MediaPost News. December 30, 2010.
http://tinyurl.com/27u79kk

"A federal judge had some pointed questions this week for Righthaven, a
copyright enforcement outfit that acquires rights to newspapers'
articles and then sues bloggers and other Web publishers who repost the
pieces."

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