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 [...]

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch sat down with Australia’s Sky News to discuss the future of internet publishing. Frustrated with the free movement of information on the web, Murdoch criticized news outlets, including the BBC, stating, “if you look at them, most of their stuff is stolen from the newspapers now, and we’ll be suing them [...]

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is a proposed multilateral agreement  meant to quell international copyright piracy and counterfeit goods. While in negotiations today in Seoul, Korea (November 4-6, 2009), many are concerned that the agreement will be over-restrictive and have chilling effects.  Particularly troubling is the United States drafted section on Internet Service Providers (ISPs). [...]

The Beatles record label, EMI, sued bluebeat.com, its parent company, Media Rights Technology Inc., and Chief Executive Hank Risan for offering songs from the band’s catalog for 25 cents. More here. Professor Donald Jones sued the legal blog Above the Law for posting his faculty photo alongside a news story about his arrest and eventual [...]

In an effort to “call attention to particularly bogus takedowns — and showcase the amazing online videos and other creative works that someone doesn’t want you to see,” the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) recently launched the Takedown Hall of Shame. EFF collected some of the most egregious incidents of internet bullying (via DMCA takedown notices) [...]

National Public Radio issued a cease and desist letter to the Yes on One/Stand for Marriage Maine campaign alleging that a 30 second segment used in an anti-gay marriage advertisement was copyright infringement.  Asserting that the complaint was “ridiculous and frivolous,” Scott Fish, spokesman for the campaign to repeal the gay marriage law in Maine, [...]

EMI, who controls more than 20 percent of all songs licensed in North America, has agreed to a licensing deal in lieu of protracted litigation with music service Grooveshark. According to the site, owned by Escape Media Group, it was negotiating a deal with EMI when the suit was filed. However, Grooveshark was having difficulty [...]

A jury awarded Paris-based Louis Vuitton Malletier S.A.’s $32 million against hosting companies Akanoc Solutions Inc., Managed Solutions Group Inc., and Steven Chen, the owner of the two companies. The decision, from U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California differs from previous contributory infringement cases where a defendant intentionally and knowingly enabled another [...]