News on Hot Topics in Copyright, for staff and students of the University of Melbourne http://www.unimelb.edu.au/copyright/news.html http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:34:54 +1000 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:34:46 +1000 FeedForAll v2.0 (2.0.2.9) http://www.feedforall.com The Copyright Office is undertaking its regular review of this website. We apologise if any links are broken or have been moved. If you can't find what you're looking for, please feel free to call us on (03) 8344 6647. We apologise for any inconvenience and promise all will be ship-shape very soon! http://www.unimelb.edu.au/copyright/ 56104C3A-6C26-41F4-A8B4-83530A970F1F Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:53:10 +1000 An updated Information Guide and the powerpoint from the Copyright and Your Thesis awareness session, held on 2 September, are now available on the Copyright Office website. The powerpoint (entitled Copyright, Your Thesis & Future Publications) and Copyright and Your Thesis guide can be found on the Resources and Awareness page of the website. http://www.unimelb.edu.au/copyright/awareness.html 7D89D1DF-4E44-43E4-BD24-283EE2EFB9F8 Thu, 3 Sep 2009 12:28:09 +1000 Meet the chief executive of Creative Commons, here to spread the word – and to hint at how Twitter will start making money. (The Guardian 23/9/09) http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/sep/23/joi-ito-creative-commons-twitter BCEEBB34-4045-49E9-B482-A4D5A618D676 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:31:03 +1000 British rockers Coldplay are said to be "relieved" to have settled their long-running plagiarism row. (NZ Herald 18/9/09) http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10598089 F19D85B9-1D5A-4801-924C-FE66D42E4D8A Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:31:02 +1000 Pirated copies of Dan Brown's latest tome, The Lost Symbol, can already be obtained for free from illegal download websites two days after the book went on sale around the world. (The Age 17/9/09) http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/symbol-of-digital-age-as-pirates-grab-new-dan-brown-20090917-fso4.html 488C4F93-B190-4649-9B44-F147BF2E6314 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:31:01 +1000 Video games developer Eidos have come up with a novel way of catching users playing pirated copies of their game. (BBC News 15/9/09) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8256405.stm C29D7FA4-8398-403C-853C-5FBEFAB7A77B Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:31:00 +1000 In an effort to support alternatives to traditional scholarly publishing, five major American research universities have announced their joint commitment to open-access journals. (The Chronicle of Higher Education 14/9/09) http://chronicle.com/blogPost/5-Major-Research-Universities/8042/ 2DF6D8D3-DF73-4113-8A16-97A316D05792 Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:30:54 +1000 Google has no right to "restructure copyright" in a deal which could see it monopolise the market by converting millions of copyrighted books for digital sale, Microsoft said. (The Independent 9/9/09) http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/microsoft-opposes-google-in-copyright-battle-1783990.html B9A1C3A1-3C12-404B-B4D0-0B0683915559 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:58:27 +1000 The public role of universities and the freedom of their researchers have been given strong emphasis in a Federal Court judgment upholding a surgery professor's ownership claim to his anti-cancer inventions. (The Australian 9/9/09) http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26045741-12332,00.html C338CD21-06B0-460D-A121-D881465E4D4B Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:58:26 +1000 This audio recording from ABC Radio National’s Law Report discusses IP law and contracts in universities, following the Federal Court’s decision to uphold Bruce Gray’s ownership of his inventions. (ABC 8/9/09) http://www.abc.net.au/rn/lawreport/stories/2009/2678819.htm FECA8685-8473-48B6-8CF0-99DEB0F372E6 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:58:25 +1000 Weeks after Joel Tenenbaum was ordered to pay $US675,000 to record labels for illegally downloading and sharing music, those labels are saying that Tenenbaum is continuing to encourage music piracy by linking to a file-sharing service on a Web site created by his legal team. (New York Times 3/9/09) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/04/arts/music/04arts-DOWNLOADSCON_BRF.html 579D9186-D009-448B-A998-893744B07DF6 Fri, 4 Sep 2009 16:01:30 +1000 Google’s settlement with authors and publishers to gain copyright licenses over millions of books will expand the underprivileged’s access to information, a group of professors and civil rights advocates have argued. (Wall Street Journal Blogs 3/9/09) http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/09/03/the-social-benefits-of-the-google-books-settlement/ 6AB632E6-63EE-4813-B77E-BBE669DDBBB2 Fri, 4 Sep 2009 16:01:29 +1000 Flickr has adopted a less severe way of handling copyright infringement claims after a small firestorm of controversy erupted about a photograph of President Barack Obama modified to look like The Dark Knight's Joker. (CNet 2/9/09) http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-10339509-264.html 9C50D7A8-AFD5-4B7E-8B0C-A8EA96DAF47A Fri, 4 Sep 2009 16:01:22 +1000 This blog discusses Creative Commons and whether or not it is good or bad for copyright. (Tech Dirt 1/9/09) http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090901/0140596065.shtml 506A2EC5-BE10-4887-8E4F-032242166DF9 Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:58:18 +1000 With artists and journalists increasingly turning to the Internet to self-publish their work, marketers are finding a wealth of material online. The result, in some cases, has stretched standards of fair play. (The Star 27/8/09) http://www.thestar.com/business/article/687054 CE2997B1-79DF-49F5-ABE8-E8DA615B196A Fri, 4 Sep 2009 16:00:56 +1000 A popular YouTube clip of a group of Lego characters playing a song made famous by the satirical rock legends Spinal Tap, has been banned from use in an anniversary DVD. (Telegraph 26/8/09) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/celebritynews/6093234/Lego-refuses-permission-for-Spinal-Tap-YouTube-hit-to-be-used-in-anniversary-DVD.html 116CB637-4C46-40E7-B51F-449E48465872 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:27:07 +1000 Fairfax has accused a website of plagiarism for publishing abstracts of The Australian Financial Review, as publishers become increasingly alarmed about the appropriation of their content by online businesses. (The Australian 24/8/09) http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25971084-7582,00.html 72618D58-E66F-40AC-888C-4CA4164974F4 Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:27:14 +1000 A woman who wrote an obscure vampire book as a teenager has sued 'Twilight' author Stephanie Meyer, accusing her of stealing ideas from the work for the fourth book in her vampire series, 'Breaking Dawn'. (Reuters 20/8/09) http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssConsumerGoodsAndRetailNews/idUSN2052146520090820 A92C800A-E8D3-4C71-8B8F-AACFCF6B4A33 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:11:52 +1000 Google's ambition to create the largest body of human knowledge on the internet by scanning millions of library books and turning them into a massive digital publishing venture is prompting growing opposition from authors and legal experts who object to its scope and copyright implications. (Guardian 19/8/09) http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/aug/19/google-internet-digital-book 80615981-9D24-4540-9DC7-94E14C447EF6 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:11:51 +1000 An American college student has created a photo of U.S. President Barack Obama wearing the iconic Joker makeup from 'The Dark Knight', but has been told to remove the image from photo-sharing website Flickr due to 'copyright infringement concerns'. (ReadWriteWeb 19/8/09) http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/censorship_or_copyright_infringement_flickr_takes_down_obama_as_joker_photo.php 9C2C559D-98D3-4629-A722-351EEFC910E2 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:11:50 +1000 Google Inc. is now enabling authors and publishers who release their work under Creative Commons licenses to distribute it through Google Books, a free service that allows users to search and read books online. (Sydney Morning Herald 14/8/09) http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/google-books-to-add-creative-commons-books-20090814-ekpi.html 31E4AE36-2583-47ED-84D0-0B7DF8DDDC4E Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:11:42 +1000 Former army major Mary-Ann Martinek will win the right to sell Sam the Koala-branded chocolates within a month, unless there is a successful objection. (Herald Sun 12/8/09) http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25917135-661,00.html 68B5C154-54C7-4FBA-8521-65F24E89A1D6 Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:56:03 +1000 A Melbourne fan with an ''unhealthy obsession'' for the late Michael Jackson has been convicted and fined $24,000 for pirating the King of Pop's music and DVDs. (The Age 13/8/09) http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/jackson-fan-fined-for-pirating-music-20090812-eibc.html CDFA5933-4FC2-425C-86B1-9CE9B35DD24D Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:55:57 +1000 A British man has been arrested for his role in running one of the internet's oldest file sharing websites. (Guardian 4/8/09) http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/aug/04/file-soup-sharing-tv-movies 0CCF18F2-8140-4C4E-BC6A-CB0F690267F8 Fri, 7 Aug 2009 14:51:23 +1000 A review of a new book, titled Digital Barbarism, in which novelist Mark Helprin advocates long-term copyright extensions and happily insults anyone who disagrees with him. (Ars Technica 4/8/09) http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/08/one-mans-stand-against-digital-barbarism.ars B87CAF8C-3E96-40B5-99F2-9FF371BBCB35 Fri, 7 Aug 2009 14:51:22 +1000 Six major Hollywood studios have joined forces to criticise the Government's plan to stamp out internet copyright theft. (3 News 3/8/09) http://www.3news.co.nz/Movie-studios-renew-call-for-three-strikes-copyright-law/tabid/423/articleID/115023/cat/238/Default.aspx EC55C0AA-B756-4AB1-AAD4-EC301D30807F Fri, 7 Aug 2009 14:51:21 +1000 The recent popular YouTube video of an American couple’s wedding entrance dance has raised questions about use of copyright material by amateur video-makers. (Sydney Morning Herald 31/7/09) http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/chris-brown-cashes-in-on-jill-and-kevins-viral-wedding-20090731-e446.html 2AECBD94-4C3A-4BC2-B6D0-7385C7D9DC55 Fri, 7 Aug 2009 14:51:14 +1000 The US is pondering a crackdown on peer-to-peer file sharing programs after details of a Secret Service safe-house location for President Barack Obama and his family were found being traded on LimeWire. (The Age 30/7/09) http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/topsecret-obama-safe-house-leaked-on-limewire-20090730-e267.html E5B941E0-59B7-46AE-801F-CD4EF70B90FC Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:03:08 +1000 A judge in the Federal Court has ruled that a company suing Men At Work for copyright infringement does own the copyright of Kookaburra Sits In The Old Gum Tree, which the band is alleged to have copied in their 1980s smash hit, Down Under. (The Age 30/7/09) http://www.theage.com.au/national/men-at-work-one-step-closer-to-losing-royalties-20090730-e28k.html 15D20B6D-F28E-4B85-9D82-84C40D087E75 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:03:07 +1000 The major recording labels in the US are again going after an individual for swapping songs through file-sharing networks. (The Age 30/7/09) http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/song-swapper-faces-55m-fine-for-doing-what-kids-do-20090730-e28q.html AD5EC27C-389B-4E6B-B881-F8CF3B03D63D Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:03:06 +1000 The Maasai people of Kenya have enlisted the United Nations to help turn their songs, dances and stories into copyrighted assets, a model that could create new income for indigenous groups worldwide. (Ottawa Citizen 29/7/09) http://www.ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/Maasai+seek+copyright+protection+song+dances/1840913/story.html CE0648EE-55BB-468A-9AA0-F5AFD04F40F7 Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:03:04 +1000 The Motion Picture Association of America has filed a lawsuit against The Pirate Bay over alleged copyright infringement, saying they have not stopped their activities after they were sentenced to prison. (TG Daily 29/7/09) http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/43431/118/ 14F58E9B-E4DE-4011-BB35-B31A64DDFABD Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:03:03 +1000 The creator of a "Charging Bull" sculpture near Wall Street has sued Random House for putting a picture of his statue on the cover of a book about the fall of Lehman Brothers. (Newsday 29/7/09) http://www.newsday.com/artist-sues-random-house-in-nyc-over-book-cover-1.1336069 78D9E540-49DD-4633-B3EB-572DDB9493CF Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:03:01 +1000 A struggling Monash University graduate who turned to pirating the world's most popular computer games for profit has been convicted and fined $20,000 on three copyright charges. (The Age 24/7/09) http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/game-pirate-converted-home-into-fakes-factory-20090724-dv8t.html 8298F05E-5028-4DD7-BFCE-31C56E6FA1DB Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:50:09 +1000 Amazon has inked a deal with the University of Michigan to reprint and sell 400,000 rare books that are all out of print and out of copyright. (Digital Trends 23/7/09) http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-article/20471/amazon-signs-a-deal-to-reprint-rarities 01EE9F49-09BA-4B65-A9F5-BD8824BD8C8E Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:50:08 +1000 The Australian Privacy Commissioner says Facebook could be breaching Australian privacy laws. (The Age 23/7/09) http://www.theage.com.au/technology/biz-tech/privacy-watchdog-puts-bite-on-facebook-20090723-du79.html B27B8BDA-8790-477E-BF08-FDF82D30A977 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:50:02 +1000 Canada's privacy commissioner has accused Facebook of breaching Canadian law by keeping users' personal information indefinitely after members close their accounts. (The Age 17/7/09) http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/facebook-violates-privacy-law-watchdog-20090717-dnhe.html 9F6E5B9B-686E-453D-814F-097AFCC002DD Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:55:42 +1000