2008
Universal Music: it's illegal to throw away the promo CD we sent you without your permission - Boing Boing
(via)In a brief filed in federal court yesterday, Universal Music Group (UMG) states that, when it comes to the millions of promotional CDs ('promo CDs') that it has sent out to music reviewers, radio stations, DJs, and other music industry insiders, throwing them away is 'an unauthorized distribution' that violates copyright law. Yes, you read that right -- if you've ever received a promo CD from UMG, and you don't still have it, UMG thinks you're a pirate."
Qui veut la peau du domaine public pour faire plaisir à Aznavour? — CAVEAT EMPTOR
(via)Quelle est la pertinence d’allonger uniformément la durée des droits pour tous les vieux enregistrements alors que seuls une trentaine d’artistes sont concernés? Quid des dizaines de milliers d’artistes qui ne touchent plus depuis longtemps un seul centime d’euro sur leurs premières interprétations, faute de vente? Pour tous ceux là -l’immense majorité- l’obscurité est un plus bien plus grand danger que les quelques euros supplémentaires perdus par tous ceux déjà passés à la postérité…
2007
Why artists should worry less about piracy and more about how much it costs to publish online - Boing Boing
(via)artists should be less alarmed by piracy and more alarmed by copyright enforcement systems that raise the cost of publication to the advantage of the established players and the detriment of new companies that might offer a better deal.
Boing Boing: French kid who translated Potter 7 faces charges
(via)Kids publishers shouldn't put kids in jail.
Boing Boing: URGENT! Europeans! Last chance to save Europe from worst copyright law in the world!
(via)Don't let them turn you into a copyfighting criminal.
BBspot - RIAA Lawsuit Decision Matrix
(via)BBspot has obtained secret documents which RIAA lawyers use to determine whether to file a lawsuit against a copyright violator. These documents give insight into the RIAA's decision-making process, and could help people avoid lawsuits in the future. We offer these documents as a public service.
Copyright Navigator
by 1 other (via)A Digital Annotated Concept Map
of the Fundamentals of U.S. Copyright Law
Texas court bans deep linking | The Register
(via)A court in Dallas, Texas has found a website operator liable for copyright infringement because his site linked to an 'audio webcast' without permission. Observers have criticised the judge for failing to understand the internet.
2006
Lawrence Lessig
(via)As reported yesterday, there was an ad in the FT listing 4,000 musicians who supported retrospective term extension. If you read the list, you’ll see that at least some of these artists are apparently dead
Slashdot | RIAA Wants Artist Royalties Lowered
(via)The RIAA has asked the panel of federal government Copyright Royalty Judges to lower royalties paid to publishers and songwriters.
2005
Yahoo! Search CC
by 11 othersThis Yahoo! Search service finds content across the Web that has a Creative Commons license. While most stuff you find on the web has a full copyright, this search helps you find content published by authors that want you to share or reuse it, under certain conditions.
EFF: Dangerous Terms: A User's Guide to EULAs
(via)common eula terms, including : "Do not criticize this product publicly.", "Using this product means you will be monitored.", "By signing this contract, you also agree to every change in future versions of it. Oh yes, and EULAs are subject to change without notice.". -- yeah
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