This case fits squarely within the tradition of copyright enforcement. Turchin’s conduct—pirating and distributing dozens of copies of Glacier’s film—does not “promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts†by “assur[ing] authors the right to their original expression†and “encourag[ing] others to build freely upon the ideas and information conveyed by a work.†This is not a case of the infringer creating something new and incorporating a copyrighted element into that new, creative work. Rather, this case is the digital equivalent of standing outside the neighborhood Redbox—or Blockbuster Video, for fans of history—and giving away copies of the movie for free.
Glacier Films v Turchin, 9th Circuit (July 24, 2018)
The AG Opinion in Levola Hengelo: more questions than answers? — Can the taste of cheese be protected by copyright? This week, the Advocate General for the European Court of Justice advised that court that the answer is “no.” IPKat’s Eleonora Rosati takes a closer look at that opinion.
Nintendo Sues Console ROM Sites For ‘Mass’ Copyright Infringement — Torrentfreak reports on the lawsuit filed in the federal district court of Arizona against two websites alleged to offer a “vast library” of unauthorized copies of Nintendo video games. The suit is perhaps unsurprising given Nintendo’s new line of retro consoles for sale.
Five Reasons Why I Went from Making Films to Fighting for Those Who Make Them — Ruth Vitale, film producer and CEO of CreativeFuture, writes, “Creativity is at the heart and soul of our culture, of ideas that challenge us, and change our perception. Creativity is innovation. It’s the fabric of shared understanding that brings cultures together. And its success depends on strong copyright protections that ensure artists get fairly compensated for what they do. That’s been the American way for two centuries, and it is why we are global leaders in creativity. For a long time, I helped to tell stories about the human condition. Now, I do this work to help protect those very same storytellers, because I do not want to live in a world that doesn’t value creativity.”
Finally, today’s helpful tip comes from Vinton Cerf:
Simple flowchart: pic.twitter.com/Q2NCyOLBTH
— vinton g cerf (@vgcerf) July 19, 2018