By , March 17, 2017.

Non-Profit Groups Urge Congress to Support Copyright Laws (Guest Column) — “In support of the millions of Americans who currently make a living in the creative industries and the next generation who will join them, our two organizations – the Copyright Alliance and CreativeFuture – recently sent a letter to all elected officials outlining the importance of copyright. Over 70,000 individuals signed their name to this letter because they understand that without a strong copyright system, content creation and the jobs it generates across film, television, music, photography, publishing, software, and other industries would be impossible.”

Review of Professor Thomas Höppner’s Lecture In Support of Neighbouring Right for Press Publishers — “Copying content is always cheaper than generating content. Professor Höppner argues that there are probably a greater number of start-ups which utilise an aggregation business model than start-ups engaged in the production of news – why bother investing millions in a global network of journalists, editorially review their work and build a trustworthy news brand if you can easily aggregate the news content generated by others?”

‘The Last Songwriter’ Documentary Spotlights Writers in the Age of Streaming — “Songwriters earn mere pennies when their songs are played on the radio, according to the documentary’s trailer. But in the age of streaming, songwriters are struggling now more than ever to turn music into money. Songwriters earn less than a thousandth of a penny for each stream. Although they’re the backbone of the music industry, many songwriters are being forced to leave the profession since they can’t afford to make a living.”

Who Does OpenMedia Really Speak For? — Hugh Stephens writes, “What I find questionable is OpenMedia’s attempt to masquerade as a US advocacy group, when it is not even based in the US. Partnership with like-minded organizations whether at home or in other countries is one thing, but passing yourself off as a US-based organization, speaking to and on behalf of Americans and in effect engaging in (one might say interfering in) the US policy process, is quite another.”