U.S. Copyright Office Welcomes New Register — This week, Shira Perlmutter officially took the helm as the 14th U.S. Register of Copyrights. Perlmutter most recently headed the policy team at the USPTO. See her full bio at the link.
MLC Week October 26 – 30: Everything You Need to Know about The MLC — If you are a songwriter or musician, and aren’t familiar with the MLC, follow the link to get up to speed. The organization hosted a series of webinars this week to discuss the new blanket licensing regime for songs going into effect January 1, 2021, and what songwriters need to do to make sure they get paid.
Battle Lines Drawn Over Font Copyright Protection — Frankfurt Kurnit attorney Jeremy Goldman takes a look at recent decisions from the U.S. Copyright Office concerning registration of typefaces to consider whether there has been a shift in policy regarding their copyrightability.
Twitch, Amazon Slammed by RIAA and Major Industry Groups for Using Unlicensed Music; Twitch Disputes Claim — Variety reports: “Twitch, the rapidly growing livestreaming platform, and its owner Amazon received a blistering letter on Thursday signed by multiple major U.S. music organizations including the RIAA, the Recording Academy, the National Music Publishers Association, the Music Managers Forum, the American Association of Independent Music, SAG-AFTRA and more than a dozen others over its licensing situation with many major music rights-holders.”