copyright law – News Stories About copyright law - Page 2

Jan 20, 2012 9:38 AM CST

Reid Delays Anti-Piracy Vote

As Republicans solidify PIPA opposition

(Newser) - Harry Reid has postponed Tuesday's test vote on the Senate's anti-piracy bill, after a storm of online protests convinced several of the bill's co-sponsors to switch sides, the AP reports. Democrats have now emerged as the main backers of the PROTECT IP Act, the Wall Street Journal...

Megaupload Founder Hid
From Cops in Panic Room

Jan 20, 2012 8:38 AM CST

Megaupload Founder Hid From Cops in Panic Room

Police raid Kim Dotcom's fortified mansion

(Newser) - New Zealand police raided the fortified mansion of Megaupload founder "Kim Dotcom" today, and the arrest did not go smoothly. Police tell the AFP that when they arrived, Dotcom, who is also known as Kim Schmitz, "retreated into the house and activated a number of electronic locking mechanisms,...

SOPA Author's Own Website Violated Copyright

Jan 13, 2012 9:35 AM CST

SOPA Author's Own Website Violated Copyright

Meanwhile, Senate author of piracy bill says it needs 'more study'

(Newser) - SOPA author Lamar Smith is being roundly mocked thanks to Jamie Lee Curtis Taete of VICE , who found that as of July, Smith's own website violated copyright, using a background image without attribution. The photo was under a Creative Commons license, so if Smith had just credited the photographer,...

US Cuts Off Funding to UNESCO Over Palestine

Oct 31, 2011 2:26 PM CDT

US Cuts Off Funding to UNESCO Over Palestine

Political workaround unlikely to go anywhere

(Newser) - The US has officially cut off all funding to the UN’s Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization over its acceptance of Palestine as a full member. The impact will be felt immediately, because the US had a $60 million dues payment due in November, the AP reports. The Obama administration’...

Massachusetts' New
Political Party: Pirates

Massachusetts' New Political Party: Pirates

Pirate Party now accepted as a political designation

(Newser) - Avast there, Massachusetts voters! A’fore ye register f’r some lilly-livered party like the “Democrats” or “Republicans,” ye might want to consider signin’ on with the state’s newest crew: the Massachusetts Pirate Party. That’s right, the Massachusetts Election Division has officially approved the swashbuckling...

Sorry, You Can't
Copyright Your Tweets

Feb 25, 2010 12:24 PM CST

Sorry, You Can't Copyright Your Tweets

The law doesn't cover short phrases, no matter how profound

(Newser) - No matter how brilliant, your tweets just aren't copyright material, writes Jeffrey Zeldman. The law covers "fixed phrases," but that doesn't apply to names, titles, or short phrases. At 140 characters max, tweets are most definitely in the latter category, making them fair game in the public domain....

Danish Man Turns Himself In for Copying DVDs

Dec 2, 2009 2:25 PM CST

Danish Man Turns Himself In for Copying DVDs

He hopes to test-anti piracy law in court

(Newser) - A Danish man has reported himself to police for copying his DVD collection to his computer. Henrik Anderson is looking to test two contradictory Danish laws—one that allows the creation of "personal use" backup copies and another that prohibits the breaking of DRM, or digital rights management, to...

Fairey Admits Lying
Over 'Hope' Photo

Oct 17, 2009 9:50 AM CDT

Fairey Admits Lying Over 'Hope' Photo

Artist tried to conceal mistake with false evidence

(Newser) - An unexpected twist in the Shepard Fairey copyright fight: The artist admits that he lied about which AP photo he used for his Obama Hope poster and submitted fake evidence to support his claim. His lawyers have now dropped him as the legal fight continues. "I am very sorry...

Baseball Won't Give You Permission to Talk About It

Sep 5, 2009 11:25 AM CDT

Baseball Won't Give You Permission to Talk About It

Fan calls league's bluff on legal disclaimer

(Newser) - If you’ve ever watched baseball, you’ve probably heard the stern warning that “Any rebroadcast, retransmission, or account of this game, without the express written consent of Major League Baseball, is prohibited.” Well, Phil Villarreal of the Consumerist wanted to tell his buddy about a recent Diamondbacks-Astros...

Flickr Cowardly for Taking Down Obama Joker

OPINION

Aug 22, 2009 1:50 PM CDT

Flickr Cowardly for Taking Down Obama Joker

Website caved too easily: image isn't a copyright violation

(Newser) - Flickr is catching fire for its decision to take down the now-infamous image of Barack Obama photoshopped to look like the joker. Flickr says it received a takedown notice under the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act for the Time cover mockup, but that excuse doesn’t fly for Michael Arrington...

Swedish Pirate Party
Scores EU Seat

Jun 8, 2009 5:45 AM CDT

Swedish Pirate Party Scores EU Seat

(Newser) - Sweden’s Pirate Party scored a major victory last night, capturing one of the country’s 18 seats in the European parliament, AFP reports. The party—which advocates for the legalization of peer-to-peer file sharing, stronger digital privacy protections, and reforms in copyright law—was formed in 2006 and saw...

Pirate Bay Judge Belongs
to Pro-Copyright Groups

Apr 23, 2009 4:10 PM CDT

Pirate Bay Judge Belongs to Pro-Copyright Groups

(Newser) - One of the men convicted in the Pirate Bay file-sharing case is demanding a retrial, claiming that the judge is in cahoots with copyright-protection organizations, the Local of Sweden reports. Judge Tomas Norstrom acknowledges being a member of such groups but denies any conflict of interest. Last week, he found...

File Sharing Lawyer's Stunts Shock Peers

Apr 8, 2009 1:29 PM CDT

File Sharing Lawyer's Stunts Shock Peers

'Insane' Nesson posts absolutely everything in copyright case online

(Newser) - Charles Nesson has thrown out the standard playbook in his defense of a Boston University student being sued by the RIAA for file sharing. The storied Harvard Law professor is posting everything related to the case online, including a secretly taped conversation with the judge and opposing counsel, and even...

Obama Tries
to Rein In Use
of His Image

Jan 31, 2009 2:10 PM CST

Obama Tries to Rein In Use of His Image

White House lawyers look for ways to cut down on marketing

(Newser) - Marketers have been using Barack Obama to sell everything from futons (Ikea's Embrace Change line) to ice cream (Yes Pecan from Ben & Jerry), but now the White House is trying to rain on their parade, Bloomberg reports. Lawyers are working to “protect the presidential image,” a...

Chinese Court Sentences Microsoft Pirates

Dec 31, 2008 9:59 AM CST

Chinese Court Sentences Microsoft Pirates

11 jailed for counterfeit software ring with 'unprecedented' scope

(Newser) - A Chinese court has convicted 11 people of violating copyright laws and sentenced them to as much as 6 1/2 years of prison for working with a counterfeiting ring that sold fake Microsoft products around the world. Microsoft hailed the crackdown on the pirates, whose organization may have made $2...

Google Settles Lawsuit Over Book Scanning for $125M

Oct 28, 2008 2:43 PM CDT

Google Settles Lawsuit Over Book Scanning for $125M

Settlement will make it easier to access out-of-print books

(Newser) - Google has settled a lawsuit concerning intellectual property rights in its book-scanning initiative, Wired reports. Google will pay $125 million to authors who claimed their work was put online without their consent. The settlement also establishes a system where many out-of-print, but still copyrighted, books will be available to buy...

Rowling Wins Copyright Case

Sep 8, 2008 3:03 PM CDT

Rowling Wins Copyright Case

Judge rules publishing Potter encyclopedia would cause creator 'irreparable harm'

(Newser) - A fan-written "Harry Potter lexicon" will not be published, a federal judge in New York ruled today, finding for author JK Rowling that the reference guide was an infringement of copyright. The ruling held that the book would cause Rowling irreparable harm as a writer, the BBC reports. The...

Blogger Arrested in GN'R Leak

Aug 28, 2008 10:16 AM CDT

Blogger Arrested in GN'R Leak

27-year-old reportedly admitted to posting 9 songs

(Newser) - FBI agents arrested a blogger suspected of posting songs from the unreleased Guns N' Roses album Chinese Democracy on his website; the 27-year-old appeared in court yesterday, where bail was set at $10,000. Kevin Cogill, who reportedly admitted to streaming nine songs on his website in June, was charged...

1920s Mickey
May Be Public
Domain

Aug 23, 2008 7:44 PM CDT

1920s Mickey May Be Public Domain

Ex-researcher, law student raise questions that anger Disney lawyers

(Newser) - A trio of unlikely challengers has angered Walt Disney Co. by arguing that an early version of Mickey Mouse is no longer copyright-protected, the Los Angeles Times reports. Disney has won a $500,000 lawsuit against ex-employee Gregory Brown, who uncovered old film credits that he says invalidate Disney's claim...

Rock on!
EU May
Extend Song
Copyrights

Feb 15, 2008 8:31 AM CST

Rock on! EU May Extend Song Copyrights

Ditties from Beatles, Who, Stones at play

(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...