Google
VG Media, an association of publishers including
Handelsblatt and Axel Springer, has brought a claim against Google in relation
to the German 2013 Ancillary Copyright Law. This law was designed to compel
Google to pay for publishing summaries of news content in web searches, which
Google argues is only for indexing purposes. In addition Google claims its
search service helps publishers reach a wider audience.
This is the fifth claim VG Media has made against Google,
with three of those claims having been decided in Google’s favour (with the rest
still pending). In 2014 Google had previously removed snippets in relation to
one such claim made by VG Media, but the consortium responded by characterising
this behaviour as an abuse of Google’s dominant position. Some have suggested
VG media had hoped to compel Google into licensing agreements, see here.
The Berlin District Court has recently asked the European
Court of Justice for clarity on a technical point, whether the law had been properly
submitted to European Commission authorities under a process of review called
“notification”. This could be a potential stumbling block for the lawsuit – the
ruling is currently expected on the 9th of May this year so stay
tuned.
Paul McCartney sues Sony/ATV
Paul McCartney will be able to reclaim the rights to music
which Sony/ATV currently hold as of October 2018 under US Copyright Act (the
right discussed here
in relation to Duran Duran, which also involved Sony/ATV). McCartney has
previously asked Sony/ATV to acknowledge his rights to terminate copyright
transfers of his music but did not receive this confirmation. As such,
McCartney is seeking a judicial declaration allowing him to reclaim his
copyright. No doubt this will be influenced by the Duran Duran case, which was
granted leave to appeal by Mr Justice Arnold earlier this month.
Canada: The Canadian government plan to review copyright
laws next year and commissioned a study on views of Canadian businesses
(reported here).
In particular the study found that follow-the-money strategies (which focus on
methods such as reducing online advertising revenues and disabling payment to
intermediaries) have a mixed record of success, especially with the continuing
popularity of online advertisers who prioritise reaching large audiences over
enforcing copyright. It is also interesting to note rights holders tended not
to give fighting online piracy a high priority, as many believe that “their
scarce resources are better invested in other battles and counted on global
organizations to pursue the fight.”
US: In a recent speech, House Judiciary Committee Chairman
Bob Goodlatte said that several copyright policy proposals would be voted on
during the current legislature. Goodlatte said one of the first proposals will
focus on the US Copyright Office to ensure that it "keeps pace in the
digital age", including granting the Office autonomy and the creation of a
searchable database of all copyright works – a monumental task indeed. Industry
observers also suggested that music licensing and a small claims tribunal would
be possible other proposals. See here
for more details.
The estate of the late Anthony Barré (known as Messy Mya) is
suing Beyoncé for the use Barré’s voice in the song “Formation”. Sample audio
clips were allegedly taken from a hit YouTube videos including one named ““Booking
the Hoes From New Wildin”. The claim is for more than $20 million in back
royalties and other damages, as well as credit for being a writer, composer,
producer, and performer. Listen to the clips here.
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