CJEU rules that linking can be restricted by contract, though only by using effective technological measures — The question of whether and when embedding copyright protected works can constitute infringement continues to be posed to courts. But this week, the highest court of the EU provided additional guidance by deciding that where a rights owner implements technological measures restricting access to or use of the work, then embedding the work by circumventing those measures can constitute a new communication to the public.
The $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Bill Congress Just Passed Includes $470 Million for America’s Arts and Culture Sector — The bill, signed into law yesterday afternoon, “includes $470 million earmarked for cultural organizations, with $135 million each for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and $200 million for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).”
The Constitutional Protection of Intellectual Property — Legal scholar Adam Mossoff explores “how intellectual property rights have long been secured as property rights under the Constitution” from the Founding era through the centuries that followed.
ISPs and Rightsholders Unite to Block Pirate Sites in Germany — Torrentfreak’s Ernesto Van der Sal reports, “Several of the largest Internet providers and copyright holders in Germany have joined forces to tackle online piracy. With the new ‘Clearing Body for Copyright on the Internet,’ they have agreed to block structurally infringing sites without going to court. The first target is streaming portal S.to and other prominent sites including Kinox and The Pirate Bay are being considered.”
U.S. Copyright Office Announces Webinar on New Group Registration for Works on an Album of Music (GRAM) — The US Copyright Office recently created a new registration process for registering both the musical composition and sound recording copyrights on an album together, along with any artwork, liner notes, or other copyrighted works included in the album. The Office is hosting a webinar March 31 to explain the new process and answer questions from registrants.