copyright

(Newser) - The judge in the Harry Potter copyright case gave the man who compiled The Harry Potter Lexicon a one-up against JK Rowling today when he announced that her books were full of gibberish, the Telegraph reports. He said he tried reading one to his grandkids and found it "extremely complex" and suggested that a guidebook would be handy. He won't issue his ruling for several weeks and urged both sides to settle out of court. More »

(Newser) - Nine Inch Nails followed in the Radiohead revolution's footsteps yesterday, self-releasing a 36-track instrumental record online without warning and announcing an elaborate set of pricing options. You can pay nothing and listen to the first nine songs, “100% DRM-free,” and enjoy a pile of extras, Pitchfork Media reports. The $300 package comes complete with four vinyl LPs and a Trent Reznor signature. More »

(Newser) - Some major book publishers are planning to remove anticopying protections from digital audio books, allowing customers who download them to transfer the files between their computers and portable players. The world’s biggest publisher, Random House, will offer all its audio books as unrestricted MP3s this month, reports the New York Times , and Penguin Group seems ready to do the same. More »

(Newser) - Early hits from the Beatles and the Stones are only a few years away from falling out of copyright and into the public domain, but the European Commission wants to change that and keep royalties flowing to rock stars in their golden years, reports the Times of London. Plans to extend the European performers' royalty period from 50 to 95 years would be a financial boon for elderly rockers—and their record companies. More »

(Newser) - Wildly popular BitTorrent site The Pirate Bay will soon defend itself in court, after years of eluding international copyright interests, the Wall Street Journal reports. Swedish prosecutors will charge the site with “conspiracy to breach copyrights,” a technically-nuanced accusation that is heatedly disputed. The site itself hosts no actual copyrighted material, but instead provides an index of such files. More »

(Newser) - RIAA chief Cary Sherman says the recording industry has never prosecuted anyone for  ripping or copying CDs for personal use, Engadget reports. Sherman appeared on NPR and characterized media reports about a recent high-profile suit as inaccurate. The legal action, he said, is against a man who ripped CDs not just for himself but to give others access as well through file sharing. More »

(Newser) - The European Commission wants to create a unified European online market for music, films and games. Goal is to streamline the patchwork of regulations across member nations, to make multi-territory copyright licenses easier, and to combat illegal downloads it says are discouraging content providers from  offering their products on the internet.  The effort will begin with non-binding policy recommendations by mid-2008, Reuters reports. More »

(Newser) - The recording industry has argued in a court brief that individuals who copy music from CDs for personal use are breaking the law, the Washington Post reports. The claim by the Recording Industry Association of America is a dramatic rejection of what had long been considered a Fair Use right for consumers—and has driven the massive popularity of portable MP3 players. More »