The Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act — On Thursday, the monumental bill was signed into law. Here, from the experts at the US Copyright Office, is a summary of what the bill does as well as what the next steps are in building a more modern and equitable music licensing system.
‘Truly a Historic Moment’: Music Business Reacts to Music Modernization Act Becoming Law — Billboard rounds up statements from the many artist and industry groups on the passage of the Music Modernization Act. The unity of support on the bill is not something you see every day.
The Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act — The Music Modernization Act was not the only copyright bill to become law this week. On Wednesday, the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act was signed into law. Here, Acting Register of Copyrights Karyn Temple recalls the diplomatic conference that led to the conclusion of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled, which requires countries to provide exceptions to copyright law to permit the creation and distribution, by authorized entities, of books in formats accessible to the blind and visually impaired, as well as allowing the cross-border exchange of such works. The Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act amends U.S. law to bring the Treaty into effect.
MPAA Granted ‘Dynamic’ Pirate Site Blocking Order in Singapore — Andy at Torrentfreak reports, “With plenty of experience of sites around the world taking evasive counter-measures to avoid blocking, the injunction in Singapore allowed copyright holders to return to Court to request an amended order to block new domains and/or IP addresses. However, this model has proven cumbersome in the past so it’s no surprise the MPA(A) has now persuaded the Court to adopt a more streamlined approach. After highlighting that several of the blocked sites changed their domains to avoid blocking, the High Court has now handed down a ‘dynamic injunction’ which will allow the Hollywood studios to block any new methods deployed by the 53 sites covered by the earlier injunction.”
SCOTUS Will Decide What the Copyright Act Means by “Registered.†— “The two approaches are known as the ‘application’ approach and the ‘registration’ approach. The courts following the ‘application’ approach hold that a work is ‘registered’ and the copyright owner can sue an infringer as soon as the applicant files the application, deposits the copy of the work, and pays the fee. The courts following the ‘registration’ approach hold that a work is not ‘registered’ until the Copyright Office has acted on the application by approving or refusing it, and as such, the owner cannot file suit until the Copyright Office has acted.”