The Librarian of Congress and the Register of Copyrights — Last week’s news that the Librarian had removed the current Register from office—the Register subsequently resigned—shocked the copyright community. Here, Zvi Rosen presents an interesting (and possibly relevant) historical anecdote: shortly after the first Register of Copyrights was appointed in 1897, the Librarian of Congress stepped down. Worried that the next Librarian would be a political appointee, the Register rallied the library community to push for a nonpartisan appointee with the necessary expertise to head the important institution.
Argument preview: Court to consider copyright protection for cheerleading uniforms — On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Star Athletica v Varsity Brands, currently the only copyright case on its docket. SCOTUSBlog has that rundown on the issues that you asked for.
Content Industry Gets Favored Interpretation of “Repeat Infringers” in MP3Tunes Appeal — The Second Circuit’s decision in Capitol Records v MP3Tunes comes ten years into the decision, and it delivers welcome news on the issues of Section 512’s repeat infringer policy requirement and “red flag” knowledge.
AFL-CIO Pushes for Set-Top Text — The federation of labor unions is calling on the FCC to be “fully transparent” and release the text of its proposal regarding cable set-top boxes. Said the AFL-CIO, “The middle class Americans who depend on copyright protections to earn family-supporting pay and the consumers entrusting their personal information with corporations that deliver their entertainment content deserve a voice in the process.”
Bombshell: Copyright Office Talks about Copyright with Agencies and Interested Parties — MPAA’s Neil Fried writes, “The bottom line is that the Copyright Office did not approach stakeholders, selectively or otherwise. It spoke with any and all comers who asked for the opportunity. It then examined the issues and met its statutory obligation to advise federal agencies and Congress on the law. Any EFF suggestion to the contrary is entirely false.”