Copyright and the Fall Line
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
West V. Mead Data Central: Has Copyright Protection Been Stretched Too Far Thomas P
Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal Volume 10 | Number 1 Article 4 1-1-1987 West v. Mead Data Central: Has Copyright Protection Been Stretched Too Far Thomas P. Higgins Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/ hastings_comm_ent_law_journal Part of the Communications Law Commons, Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons, and the Intellectual Property Law Commons Recommended Citation Thomas P. Higgins, West v. Mead Data Central: Has Copyright Protection Been Stretched Too Far, 10 Hastings Comm. & Ent. L.J. 95 (1987). Available at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_comm_ent_law_journal/vol10/iss1/4 This Note is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal by an authorized editor of UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. West v. Mead Data Central: Has Copyright Protection Been Stretched Too Far? by THOMAS P. HIGGINS* Introduction Users of Lexis1 will not find pinpoint cites2 to page numbers in West's reporters. In a decision that has raised some eye- brows in the legal community,3 the Eighth Circuit held that Mead Data Central's (MDC) case retrieval system, LEXIS, probably infringes on the copyright of West Publishing's case reporters by including West's page numbers in its database.4 The decision raises important questions about the extent of copyright protection. For example, the Arabic number system is not copyrightable,5 and neither are judicial opinions.6 How- * A.B., Vassar College; Member, Third Year class. -
Exploring the Application of Copyright Law to Library Catalog Records, 4 Computer L.J
The John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law Volume 4 Issue 2 Computer/Law Journal - Fall 1983 Article 3 Fall 1983 Ownership of Access Information: Exploring the Application of Copyright Law to Library Catalog Records, 4 Computer L.J. 305 (1983) Celia Delano Moore Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.uic.edu/jitpl Part of the Computer Law Commons, Intellectual Property Law Commons, Internet Law Commons, Legal Writing and Research Commons, Privacy Law Commons, and the Science and Technology Law Commons Recommended Citation Celia Delano Moore, Ownership of Access Information: Exploring the Application of Copyright Law to Library Catalog Records, 4 Computer L.J. 305 (1983) https://repository.law.uic.edu/jitpl/vol4/iss2/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by UIC Law Open Access Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in The John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law by an authorized administrator of UIC Law Open Access Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. OWNERSHIP OF ACCESS INFORMATION: EXPLORING THE APPLICATION OF COPYRIGHT LAW TO LIBRARY CATALOG RECORDS by CELIA DELANO MOORE* TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ............................................ 306 II. TRADITIONAL CATALOGING AND COPYRIGHT LAW. 307 A. COPYRIGHT IN THE CATALOG RECORD ................... 307 1. Nature of the Catalog Record ....................... 307 a. Descriptive Cataloging........................... 308 b. Subject Cataloging............................... 310 2. Subject Matter of Copyright ......................... 311 a. Fixation .......................................... 312 b. Authorship ....................................... 312 c. Originality........................................ 312 3. The Catalog Record As the Subject of Copyright ... 314 B. COPYRIGHT IN THE LIRARY CATALOG ................... 315 1. Nature of the Library Catalog ..................... -
Proposed Rules Federal Register Vol
32068 Proposed Rules Federal Register Vol. 83, No. 133 Wednesday, July 11, 2018 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER [email protected]. Each can be annual statements of account with contains notices to the public of the proposed contacted by telephone by calling (202) respect to distribution, accompanied by issuance of rules and regulations. The 707–8350. royalty payments.8 The Register receives purpose of these notices is to give interested SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: all royalty payments and, after persons an opportunity to participate in the deducting the reasonable costs incurred rule making prior to the adoption of the final I. Background rules. for administering this license, deposits A. The Audio Home Recording Act of the balance with the Treasury of the 1992 and DART Royalty Funds United States.9 These royalty payments LIBRARY OF CONGRESS The Audio Home Recording Act of are divided between a sound recording fund and a musical works fund, which 1992 (AHRA) 1 amended title 17 to are in turn subdivided into various Copyright Office ‘‘provide a legal and administrative subfunds, referred to collectively as the framework within which digital audio DART subfunds.10 The royalty 37 CFR Part 201 recording technology may be made payments attributed to these subfunds available to consumers,’’ 2 including to [Docket No. 2018–6] are allocated to copyright owners implement a royalty payment system pursuant to distribution orders issued in Streamlining the Administration of regarding the importation, manufacture, proceedings before the CRJs, as DART Royalty Accounts and Electronic and distribution of digital audio described in section 1007 and in various Royalty Payment Processes recording devices or media. -
1 United States District Court Southern District of New
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK -----------------------------------X ATLANTIC RECORDING CORPORATION; BMG MUSIC; CAPITOL RECORDS, INC.; ELEKTRA ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, INC.; INTERSCOPE RECORDS; MOTOWN RECORD COMPANY, L.P.; SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT; UMG RECORDINGS, INC.; VIRGIN RECORDS AMERICA, INC.; and WARNER BROS. RECORDS INC., Plaintiffs - against - 06 Civ. 3733 (DAB) MEMORANDUM & ORDER XM SATELLITE RADIO, INC., Defendant. -----------------------------------X DEBORAH A. BATTS, United States District Judge. Above-named Plaintiffs (hereinafter “Plaintiffs” or “the Record Companies”) bring this action against Defendant XM Satellite Radio, Inc. (“XM”). Plaintiffs allege XM operates a digital download subscription service that distributes Plaintiffs’ copyrighted works without their authority. Plaintiffs contend this conduct violates federal and state copyright and unfair competition laws. Now before this Court is XM’s motion to dismiss the Complaint, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). Plaintiffs bring nine causes of action against Defendant XM. Count One alleges that XM directly infringes on the Record 1 Companies’ exclusive distribution rights, in violation of sections 106(3) and 501 of the Copyright Act of 1976 (“the Copyright Act”). Count Two alleges that XM also violates 17 U.S.C. §§ 115, 501, which bar unauthorized digital phonorecord delivery. In Counts Three and Four, the Record Companies allege XM directly infringes upon their exclusive right to reproduce their copyrighted sound recordings: Count Three charges that this activity violates provisions of the Copyright Act which set forth exclusive reproduction rights for copyright owners, namely 17 U.S.C. §§ 106(1), 501. Count Four charges that XM violates its license, granted under 17 U.S.C. -
PRO Licensing of Jointly Owned Works
The Register of Copyrights of the United States of America United States Copyright Office · 101 Independence Avenue SE ·Washington, DC 20559-6000 · (202) 707-8350 January 29, 2016 Dear Vice-Chairman Collins: On behalf of the United States Copyright Office, I am pleased to deliver the attached response to your letter of January 12, 2016 requesting the views of the Copyright Office regarding the licensing of jointly owned works by the performing rights organizations ("PROs"). We appreciate your continuing interest in the fair and efficient functioning of our music licensing system, which, as you know, was the subject of the Office's February 2015 report, Copyright and the Music Marketplace. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further information on this subject. Respectfully, Maria A. Pallante Enclosure The Honorable Doug Collins Vice-Chairman Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet United States House of Representatives 1504 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Views of the United States Copyright Office Concerning PRO Licensing of Jointly Owned Works In February 2015, the Copyright Office released a comprehensive report on U.S. music licensing practices, Copyright and the Music Marketplace.1 The report surveys the current music licensing landscape—much of which is subject to government regulation, including the federal antitrust consent decrees that govern the performing rights organizations (“PROs”) ASCAP and BMI2—and recommends a number of structural changes. The Office -
The Need for a Digital First Sale Doctrine Amendment to the Copyright Act
THIS VERSION MAY CONTAIN INACCURATE OR INCOMPLETE PAGE NUMBERS. PLEASE CONSULT THE PRINT OR ONLINE DATABASE VERSIONS FOR THE PROPER CITATION INFORMATION. NOTE LET ME SELL MY SONG! THE NEED FOR A DIGITAL FIRST SALE DOCTRINE AMENDMENT TO THE COPYRIGHT ACT Kimberly A. Condoulis* I. INTRODUCTION Suppose I had both the e-books and hard copy books of the Harry Potter series. I legally purchased and owned digital copies1 of the series in addition to hard copies. My sister wanted to read the series after I had finished and I had two choices: I could hand her my hard copies of Harry’s adventures or I could e-mail my e-books to her and delete them off my laptop. She did not pay me to borrow the books, but it would not have made a difference if she did. While these two transactions may seem fundamentally the same, the law sees one as legal and the other as copyright infringement. Although copyright owners generally have an exclusive right to sell or distribute their works,2 the Copyright Act includes an important exception— the first sale doctrine or right of first sale.3 This exception allows owners of a * J.D. candidate, 2016, Boston University School of Law. Thank you to Stacey Dogan for her advice and guidance throughout this writing process, to Melissa Nasson for introducing me to this topic and to Wendy Gordon for encouraging my passion for this topic. Also thank you to those in my support system for their endless encouragement and to the Journal of Science & Technology Law editors for their tireless work on this note. -
MP3 in Y2K: the Audio Home Recording Act and Other Important Copyright Issues for the Year MM
MP3 in Y2K: The Audio Home Recording Act and Other Important Copyright Issues for the Year MM INTRODUCTION "The problem's plain to see, too much technology.. The Copyright Act of 19762 (Act) is remarkably well-equipped to deal with new technological challenges to the music industry in the next century. As the Internet changes the way music is bought, sold and enjoyed in fundamental ways, the Act keeps pace with the needs of copyright holders. The broad categories provided in the Act, combined with its comfort in an uncertain technological future, make the Act a steadying influence in the face of a changing market for online music. The facility with which the Act provides intellectual property protection, however, is not always to be found in other copyright legislation. Some of the statutory amendments to the original Act do not adequately balance the competing interests of intellectual property, and do not provide appropriate support for the acquisition and protection of intellectual property rights. Currently, the best example of these issues is the Audio Home Recording Act (AHRA)3 and the MP3 controversy. This comment will examine the issues and implications of music and the Internet as affected by several competing interests. Part I briefly outlines the current state of affairs in MP3 music by examining the driving forces behind Internet music. Part 1 explains the constitutional rights of copyright holders and the goals of copyright law. The constitutional issues are further developed under the United States Supreme Court's decision in Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc.4 Part Ill briefly introduces some important aspects of the AHRA. -
Music Piracy and the Audio Home Recording Act
MUSIC PIRACY AND THE AUDIO HOME RECORDING ACT In spite of the guidance provided by the Audio Home Recording Act1 (AHRA) of 1992, music companies are once again at odds with consumer electronics manufacturers. This time around, the dispute is over certain information technology products that enable consumers to copy digital music and transfer them to different formats, or exchange them over the Internet. This article will discuss anti-piracy measures being taken by digital content owners and the United States legislature to combat piracy and evaluate them in light of the AHRA. The Promulgation of Music Piracy Over the last two years, the music industry has fed the media stark statistics about “piracy,” the act of copying digital music content to a blank CD, or uploading or downloading it on the Internet. According to various newspaper articles, an estimated 3.6 billion songs are illegally downloaded each month in the United States.2 In 1999, the music industry estimated that one in four compact discs of new music was actually an unauthorized copy.3 By the end of 2001, it was estimated that as many CDs were burned and copied as were bought.4 In Europe, blank CDs are outselling recorded CDs (although these blank CDs might have also been purchased for legitimate reasons, such as to back-up personal computer files).5 And since 1999, ownership of CD burners has nearly tripled.6 This trend of consumers sharing their music rather than purchasing it may be attributable to many factors, including the slow economy. However, the music industry seems to believe that the most likely culprit in this trend is the rise of digital music,7 i.e., free online file sharing, and the growing popularity of CD burners.8 In an act of self-defense, the largest record companies are developing anti-piracy technology to protect their copyrighted music against the information technology industry’s 1 17 U.S.C. -
Home Audio Taping of Copyrighted Works and the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992: a Critical Analysis Joel L
Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal Volume 16 | Number 2 Article 4 1-1-1993 Home Audio Taping of Copyrighted Works and the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992: A Critical Analysis Joel L. McKuin Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/ hastings_comm_ent_law_journal Part of the Communications Law Commons, Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons, and the Intellectual Property Law Commons Recommended Citation Joel L. McKuin, Home Audio Taping of Copyrighted Works and the Audio Home Recording Act of 1992: A Critical Analysis, 16 Hastings Comm. & Ent. L.J. 311 (1993). Available at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/hastings_comm_ent_law_journal/vol16/iss2/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal by an authorized editor of UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Home Audio Taping of Copyrighted Works and The Audio Home Recording Act of 1992: A Critical Analysis by JOEL L. McKuIN* Table of Contents I. Home Taping: The Problem and its Legal Status ....... 315 A. Constitutional and Statutory Background ........... 315 B. Home Taping or Home "Taking"?: The History of Home Taping's Legal Status ........................ 318 C. New Technologies Sharpen the Home Taping Problem ............................................ 321 1. The DAT Debacle .............................. 321 2. Other New Technologies ........................ 322 II. The Audio Home Recording Act of 1992 (AHRA) ..... 325 A. Serial Copy Management System (SCMS) .......... 325 B. Royalties on Digital Hardware and Media .......... 326 C. Prohibition of Copyright Infringement Actions ..... 328 III. -
Chapter 10 • Digital Audio Recording Devices And
Chapter 10 1 Digital Audio Recording Devices and Media section page 1001 Definitions ................................................274 1002 Incorporation of copying controls ..............................276 1003 Obligation to make royalty payments ...........................277 1004 Royalty payments . 278 1005 Deposit of royalty payments and deduction of expenses . 279 1006 Entitlement to royalty payments . 279 1007 Procedures for distributing royalty payments . 281 1008 Prohibition on certain infringement actions ......................282 1009 Civil remedies ..............................................282 1010 Determination of certain disputes . 284 § 1001 Digital Audio Recording Devices and Media subchapter a — defiNitioNs § 1001 · Definitions As used in this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) A “digital audio copied recording” is a reproduction in a digital re- cording format of a digital musical recording, whether that reproduction is made directly from another digital musical recording or indirectly from a transmission. (2) A “digital audio interface device” is any machine or device that is de- signed specifically to communicate digital audio information and related interface data to a digital audio recording device through a nonprofessional interface. (3) A “digital audio recording device” is any machine or device of a type commonly distributed to individuals for use by individuals, whether or not included with or as part of some other machine or device, the digital record- ing function of which is designed or marketed for the primary purpose of, and that is capable of, making a digital audio copied recording for private use, except for— (A) professional model products, and (B) dictation machines, answering machines, and other audio record- ing equipment that is designed and marketed primarily for the creation of sound recordings resulting from the fixation of nonmusical sounds. -
LIBRARY of CONGRESS U.S. Copyright Office 37 CFR Part 201
This document is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on 10/15/2018 and available online at https://federalregister.gov/d/2018-22372, and on govinfo.gov LIBRARY OF CONGRESS U.S. Copyright Office 37 CFR Part 201 [Docket No. 2018-6] Streamlining the Administration of DART Royalty Accounts and Electronic Royalty Payment Processes AGENCY: U.S. Copyright Office, Library of Congress. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The U.S. Copyright Office is establishing a rule to codify its procedures for closing royalty payments accounts under section 1005 of the Copyright Act, and is amending its regulations governing online payment procedures for statutory licensing statements of account to no longer require that payments for these accounts be made in a single lump sum. These changes are intended to improve the efficiency of the Copyright Office’s Licensing Division operations. DATES: Effective [INSERT DATE 30 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER]. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Regan A. Smith, General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights, by email at [email protected], or Jalyce Mangum, Attorney-Advisor, by email at [email protected]. Each can be contacted by telephone by calling (202) 707-8350. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background On July 11, 2018 (83 FR 32068), the Office published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) to streamline the administration of digital audio recording technology (DART) royalty accounts and the statement of account royalty payment processes. Specifically, the Copyright Office proposed to codify the manner in which it would exercise its statutory authority to close out DART royalty payment accounts under 17 U.S.C. -
Defending the Public Domain—The First Amendment, the Copyright Power, and the Potential of Golan V. Gonzales
Defending the Public Domain—The First Amendment, the Copyright Power, and the Potential of Golan v. Gonzales I. Introduction The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States provides unequivocally that “Congress shall make no law . abridging the freedom of speech or of the press”; 1 yet this has not been the case since Congress’s first exercise of the Progress Clause: the Copyright Act of 1790. 2 The Progress Clause, 3 which serves as the basis of United States Copyright Law, provides Congress the power “[t]o promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.” 4 On its face, the Progress Clause appears incompatible with the First Amendment, in that it “abridg[es] the freedom of speech” and “of the press” 5 by prohibiting all speech that is protected by the clause’s grant of “exclusive Right[s]” to “Authors and Inventors.” 6 Despite the blatant conflict, courts have generally refused to recognize the First Amendment as a wholesale restraint on copyright. 7 Consistent with the general trend in federal courts, 8 in 1985 the Supreme Court in Harper & Row Publishers, Inc. v. Nation Enterprises held First Amendment scrutiny of copyright unnecessary because copyright itself has built-in freedom of speech protections in the form of the idea/expression dichotomy and the fair use exception. 9 In 2003, the Court in Eldred v. Ashcroft tweaked this proposition to provide that copyright is not categorically immune from challenges under the First Amendment, but that First Amendment scrutiny is necessary where 1.