Fair Use

Yoko Ono, EMI Withdraw Copyright Suit Against Filmmakers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 7, 2008 - 8:17am.

Stanford, Calif. - Major record label EMI and recording artist Yoko Ono have withdrawn all copyright infringement claims against Premise Media, the producers of a documentary called "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" that uses a 15-second clip of a John Lennon song.

Web Retailers Ask Court to Declare 30-Second Samples 'Fair Use'

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 19, 2008 - 9:00am.

Washington - The Digital Media Association (DiMA), a trade group that represents webcasters and online retailers like Apple and Amazon, on Friday asked a federal court to rule that online retailers' use of 30-second music preview clips are "fair use," and not subject to royalty payments.

Judge: "Harry Potter Lexicon" Infringes Rowling's Copyrights

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 8, 2008 - 12:09pm.
New York - A federal judge on Monday sided with J.K. Rowling in a copyright suit filed by the "Harry Potter" author and Warner Bros. Entertainment (NYSE: TWX) against the creator of the "Harry Potter Lexicon," an online encyclopedia related to the novels that was due to be published in print form, the Associated Press reports. "I took no pleasure at all in bringing legal action and am delighted that this issue has been resolved favourably," Rowling said in a statement.

Judge: Copyright Owners Must Weigh "Fair Use" in Complaints

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 21, 2008 - 9:45am.

Los Angeles - A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that copyright holders must consider the potential "fair use" of their works before sending copyright takedown notices to online video sites. "In order for a copyright owner to proceed under the DMCA with 'a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law,' the owner must evaluate whether the material makes fair use of the copyright," U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel wrote, in his ruling.

tags: Video | Law | Lawsuits | Music | DMCA | Copyright | Fair Use | EFF |

Facing Lawsuit, Redlasso Suspends Web Video Clip Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 25, 2008 - 8:56am.

King of Prussia, Pa. - Days after being served a copyright infringement lawsuit by broadcasters NBC (NYSE: GE) and Fox News (NYSE: NWS), Web video clipping service Redlasso announced on Friday that it will suspend access to its clipping service. "We believe we have always acted within the law and have been respectful of the networks rights. Unfortunately, they have forced our hand and are denying the blogging community access to the Redlasso platform that beneficially tracks the usage of newsworthy clips across the Web," said Ken Hayward, CEO of Redlasso.

NBC Universal, Fox Sue Web Video Clip Service Redlasso

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 24, 2008 - 9:45am.

New York - NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) and News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) Fox News Channel and Fox Television Stations have filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Redlasso, an online service that offers clips of news broadcasts and other video and audio content to bloggers for republishing online, The Wall Street Journal reported.

AP Settles Dispute with Blogger; "Fair Use" Guidelines in Works

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 20, 2008 - 9:59am.

New York - The Associated Press (AP) has released a statement saying that it has settled an issue with a blogger whom it had demanded remove several posts that quoted short excerpts from AP stories. "In response to questions about the use of Associated Press content on the Drudge Retort web site, the AP was able to provide additional information to the operator of the site, Rogers Cadenhead, on Thursday," the AP said in a statement. "That information was aimed at enabling Mr. Cadenhead to bring the contributed content on his site into conformance with the policy he earlier set for his contributors. Both parties consider the matter closed."

Associated Press Looks to Corral Use of Content on Blogs

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 16, 2008 - 7:51am.

New York - The Associated Press (AP) newsgathering agency will attempt to define how much attributed borrowing constitutes "fair use" of its news articles and broadcasts for bloggers and other websites, The New York Times reports. The AP last week asked a blog called the Drudge Retort to remove seven posts that contained quotes from AP articles that ranged from 39 to 79 words.

Filmmaker Claims "Fair Use" in Lawsuit Over "Count Dante" Doc

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 12, 2007 - 7:44am.

Stanford, Calif. - The Fair Use Project, part of Stanford Law School's Center for Internet & Society, announced on Friday that it has filed a counterclaim in the case of a filmmaker accused of copyright and trademark infringement over a documentary about Count Dante, a martial arts expert who founded Chicago's Black Dragon Fighting Society in the 1960s.

German Copyright Law Updated to Ban Most Copying of DVDs, CDs

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 21, 2007 - 8:31am.

Berlin - The German government on Friday approved an update to its copyright law that essentially makes it illegal to make copies of movies and music, even for personal use, Variety reported.

Indie Filmmaker in Copyright Spat With Viacom Over YouTube Clips

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 31, 2007 - 6:28am.

San Francisco - An independent filmmaker who posted some of his work on YouTube, which was then used without permission by Viacom on a TV show, has seen his posting of Viacom's use of his work removed from YouTube by the media conglomerate, CNET News.com reported.

Teen Pleads Guilty to Videotaping 20 Seconds of "Transformers" Movie

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 22, 2007 - 11:52am.

Annandale, Va. - A teenager arrested last month for capturing 20 seconds of the film "Transformers" in a movie theater has pleaded guilty to violating a state law against camcording movies, according to reports.

Tech Giants to FTC: Media Firms Misleading Consumers on Copyrights

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 1, 2007 - 1:08pm.

Washington - A trade group made up of Internet and technology firms including Microsoft, Google and Yahoo has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against a number of sports leagues, broadcasters and publishers, arguing the copyright holders have long misrepresented their rights through deceptive and threatening statements to consumers.

Conservative Pundit Michelle Malkin, Universal Music in YouTube DMCA Flap

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 10, 2007 - 11:11am.

San Francisco - Conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, with the legal backing of digital civil liberties group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), has contested an attempt by major label Universal Music Group to have her podcast criticizing one of its artists removed from YouTube under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

EFF Files Suit Against Psychic Over Debunking Clip on YouTube

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 9, 2007 - 11:57am.

San Francisco - Digital civil liberties group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has filed suit against self-proclaimed psychic Uri Geller, on behalf of a skeptic whose video on YouTube debunking Geller's claims was removed after what the EFF says was a bogus copyright claim.

U.S. Lawmakers Revive Amended "FAIR USE" Copyright Bill

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 28, 2007 - 4:16pm.

Washington - U.S. Reps. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and John Doolittle (R-Calif.) have  introduced a new version of their legislation that would enshrine the traditional rights of consumers to "fair use" of copyrighted works into law, which the lawmakers see as eroding in the digital age.

Senate Bill Would Alter Rates, Restrict Recording of Web, Satellite Radio

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 12, 2007 - 9:27am.

Washington - A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate would alter royalty rates and add copy-protection requirements to the satellite and Internet radio industries.

MPAA Sues Firm That Rips CDs, DVDs to Portable Media Players

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2006 - 6:09pm.
San Francisco - The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has sued Load 'N Go, a retailer of portable media players that offers to transfer users' CDs and DVDs to the devices, on copyright-related charges, CNET News.com reported.
tags: Video | Law | Lawsuits | Tech | CE | Movies | DVD | MPAA | Copyright | Fair Use | CD | PMP | EFF | Load 'N Go |

Spanish Judge Rules "Personal Use" Downloaders Aren't Criminals

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2006 - 7:36pm.
London - A judge in Spain has ruled that those who download free music off the Internet for personal use are not criminals, The Register reported. Judge Paz Aldecoa, of Santander in northern Spain, called file-sharing "a practiced behavior where the aim is not to gain wealth but to obtain private copies."

CEA, Consumer Advocacy Groups to Launch "Digital Freedom Campaign"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 19, 2006 - 3:22pm.
Washington - The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), a trade group of consumer electronics makers and other technology firms, along with consumer advocacy groups Public Knowledge and the Media Access Project, have announced plans to launch a campaign that aims to unite innovators, artists and consumers to "reassert technology rights."