I’m a little late on this one, but if you are interested in the Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) effort to thwart peer-to-peer file sharing, Steal This Film is well worth 51 minutes of your time. The documentary chronicles Swedish (and international) piracy culture with a focus on members of The Pirate Bay (TPB). [...]

The Burning Man Organization (BMO) is calling for community feedback on its camera policy, including its approach to image rights. The section reads as follows: “Use of Images” I UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THAT NO USE OF IMAGES, FILM, OR VIDEO OBTAINED AT THE EVENT MAY BE MADE WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM BURNING MAN, OTHER [...]

It’s ladies night at the Forty Forty nightclub in Santo Domingo, R.D., but all’s not well stateside for its MLB superstar owner David Ortiz. Earlier Thursday, music mogul Jay-Z filed suit against the slugger for use of the ‘Forty Forty’ nightclub name and fortyforty.net. The complaint, filed in the New York Southern District Court, alleges [...]

For those looking to register Copyrights electronically, the eCO (electronic Copyright Office) has published an online tutorial. copyright.gov lists the following advantages of eCO filing: Lower filing fee of $35 for a basic claim (for online filings only) Fastest processing time Online status tracking Secure payment by credit or debit card, electronic check, or Copyright [...]

NPR recently featured the band Pomplamoose on its weekend edition of All Things Considered. The San Francisco duo, comprised of Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn, has become a YouTube phenomenon for its vibrant cover songs. One such example is the Pomplamoose cover of Lady Gaga’s Telephone: Apart from garnering millions of views since launching PomplamooseMusic, [...]

La Quadrature du Net, an advocacy group that promotes the rights and freedoms of citizens on the Internet, has started a petition to block the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). Widely regarded as a threat to internet neutrality, ACTA proposes sweeping multilateral copyright reform along the lines of  a global DMCA. Stating that the treaty would, [...]

RiP! Explores the relationship of Copyright and Fair Use to popular culture mashups/remixes. The film features Girl Talk (Gregg Gillis), Lawrence Lessig, Cory Doctorow, Dan O’Neil and more. Also here.

In an effort to update copyright law for the digital age, Public Knowledge, in conjunction with the Stanford Cyberlaw Clinic and the Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic, has proposed three reforms to the statutory Fair Use analysis. Public Knowledge, a Washington, D.C.-based public interest group working to defend citizens’ rights in the emerging [...]