5 Seriously Dumb Myths About Copyright the Media Should Stop Repeating — John Degen kicks us off this Friday with a provocative and entertaining look at some of the common criticisms of copyright and authors’ rights.
Judiciary Committee to Hold Copyright Review Hearing — Two years ago, Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante pondered a Next Great Copyright Act. Now, after 20 hearings and 100 witnesses, the House Judiciary Committee will be hearing from Pallante to get her perspective on copyright review. The hearing is April 29, 10amET, with a webcast available here.
From Mockingjay to Boardwalk Empire, Seamstress Lara A. Greene Has Dressed the Best — “If clothes make the man or woman, than costumes often go a long way towards making a movie, particularly in historical dramas. Costumes are a major part of setting the tone of a film or a television show; they tell us so much, even before an actor utters his or her first word.”
PWC Report Confuses the “Stealing Economy†With the “Sharing Economy†— “PwC equates peer-to-peer sharing of copyrighted works—an illegal action that deprives the owner of that copyright their just compensation—with the legitimate peer-to-peer networks that people use to sell rides via their personal automobiles or to rent out their power tools. This distinction is stark: The latter encompasses sharing things that individuals own and thus have the right to share, and the former encompasses sharing things that individuals do not own, and therefore do not have the right to share. By equating these two things, PwC is buying into the false narrative that digital media companies are fighting tech innovation by not succumbing to the peer-to-peer sharing model. The truth is that the film and TV industry are offering a variety of legal services that allow users to watch their favorite programming.”
Term extension and respect for artists: a reply to Michael Geist — From Barry Sookman: “Michael Geist, a long-time advocate of weaker laws for artists and makers of sound recordings and loopholes for those wanting to use their creations without compensation…  was quick to criticize the proposed amendments in a post the day after the proposal was announced and in another one earlier today. Unfortunately, many of his assertions are inaccurate or do not stand up to scrutiny.”
Green party plan to limit copyright attacked by writers and artists — “The Green party may be forced to backtrack on its proposals to limit UK copyright terms to 14 years after a howl of protest from prominent writers and artists including Linda Grant, Al Murray and Philip Pullman.”