Christopher Mele, New York Times; 'We Shall Overcome’ Is Put in Public Domain in a Copyright Settlement
"The settlement was “an enormously important achievement” because others can now use the song without paying for it or seeking permission, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, Mark C. Rifkin, said in a telephone interview on Friday night. “We’re really thrilled to be part of an effort to give this song back to the public where it belongs,” he said.
The case is the latest one to cancel the copyright of a time-honored song that many people may well assume was available for anyone to sing: A judge invalidated the copyright on “Happy Birthday to You” in 2015."
Monday, January 29, 2018
Friday, January 26, 2018
Exclusive: playwright's estate says The Shape of Water used his work without credit; Guardian, January 25, 2018
Sam Levin, Guardian; Exclusive: playwright's estate says The Shape of Water used his work without credit
"The estate of the Pulitzer-winning playwright Paul Zindel has accused the film The Shape of Water of using the late writer’s work without credit, arguing that Guillermo del Toro’s movie, which is leading in Oscar nominations, was “obviously derived” from a 1969 play.
David Zindel, son of the American playwright, told the Guardian he believes his father’s work Let Me Hear You Whisper, a play about a female janitor in a research laboratory who bonds with a captive dolphin and tries to rescue the creature, is a source of inspiration for The Shape of Water. Del Toro’s film was nominated on Tuesday for 13 Oscars, including best picture, best director and best original screenplay."
"The estate of the Pulitzer-winning playwright Paul Zindel has accused the film The Shape of Water of using the late writer’s work without credit, arguing that Guillermo del Toro’s movie, which is leading in Oscar nominations, was “obviously derived” from a 1969 play.
David Zindel, son of the American playwright, told the Guardian he believes his father’s work Let Me Hear You Whisper, a play about a female janitor in a research laboratory who bonds with a captive dolphin and tries to rescue the creature, is a source of inspiration for The Shape of Water. Del Toro’s film was nominated on Tuesday for 13 Oscars, including best picture, best director and best original screenplay."
Grumpy Cat Awarded $710,000 In Copyright Infringement Suit; NPR, January 25, 2018
Scott Neuman, NPR; Grumpy Cat Awarded $710,000 In Copyright Infringement Suit
"In the end, the jury sided with Grumpy Cat, awarding $710,000 for copyright and trademark infringement and $1 for breach of contract, Courthouse News says."
"In the end, the jury sided with Grumpy Cat, awarding $710,000 for copyright and trademark infringement and $1 for breach of contract, Courthouse News says."
What's behind the soaring cost of college textbooks; CBSNews.com, January 26, 2018
Kathy Kristof, CBSNews.com;
"Notably, a movement is growing to provide copyright-free open-access text books. But these programs have been adopted at only 6 percent of schools. Open-access course materials are peer-reviewed, easily customizable and can include textbooks, articles and even sample problems and quizzes -- just like the materials publishers often hide behind paywalls.
"With open educational resources, there are no access codes, and students never lose access to their core content," said Nicole Finkbeiner, associate director of institutional relations for OpenStax, an open-textbooks publisher based at Rice University in Texas. "This enables students to continue to use and refer to their core content as they move forward in their studies, when studying for advancement exams, and in their professional lives, without any additional costs or barriers."
U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colorado, has twice introduced legislation would create a national grant program to encourage professors to adopt open-access texts. However, the legislation stalled in the Health and Education Committee."
What's Behind the Soaring Cost of College Textbooks
"Notably, a movement is growing to provide copyright-free open-access text books. But these programs have been adopted at only 6 percent of schools. Open-access course materials are peer-reviewed, easily customizable and can include textbooks, articles and even sample problems and quizzes -- just like the materials publishers often hide behind paywalls.
"With open educational resources, there are no access codes, and students never lose access to their core content," said Nicole Finkbeiner, associate director of institutional relations for OpenStax, an open-textbooks publisher based at Rice University in Texas. "This enables students to continue to use and refer to their core content as they move forward in their studies, when studying for advancement exams, and in their professional lives, without any additional costs or barriers."
U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colorado, has twice introduced legislation would create a national grant program to encourage professors to adopt open-access texts. However, the legislation stalled in the Health and Education Committee."
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Appeals court vacates decisions that canceled Redskins trademark registrations; USA Today, January 18, 2018
Erik Brady, USA Today; Appeals court vacates decisions that canceled Redskins trademark registrations
"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Thursday vacated decisions that had canceled the Washington NFL team’s federal trademark registrations, officially ending a legal fight that lasted more than 25 years.
Legally speaking, the team won. Culturally speaking, Native American petitioners believe they did."
"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Thursday vacated decisions that had canceled the Washington NFL team’s federal trademark registrations, officially ending a legal fight that lasted more than 25 years.
Legally speaking, the team won. Culturally speaking, Native American petitioners believe they did."
Kitty Perry and the copyright lessons for seven-year-olds; BBC News, January 17, 2018
Brian Wheeler, BBC News;
"The Intellectual Property Office is leading the government's efforts to crack down on internet piracy and protect the revenues of Britain's creative industries.
Kitty Perry and the copyright lessons for seven-year-olds
"The Intellectual Property Office is leading the government's efforts to crack down on internet piracy and protect the revenues of Britain's creative industries.
The government agency is spending £20,000 of its own money on the latest Nancy campaign, which is part-funded by the UK music industry.
Catherine Davies, head of the IPO's education outreach department, which already produces teaching materials for GCSE students, admitted IP was a "complex subject" for small children and something of a challenge to make accessible and entertaining...
"A basic understanding of IP and a respect for others' IP rights is therefore a key life skill."
But some fear the IPO is being too heavy-handed in its warnings about piracy and that the message could backfire.
Jim Killock, director of the Open Rights Group campaign, said: "Some of the material seems misleading, in particular the episode explaining that downloading is the same as stealing from a shop."
How AI and copyright would work; Tech Crunch, January 9, 2018
Dave Davis, Tech Crunch;
"The real problem of self-aware AI generating original content with intent has not arrived (yet). But it may, and it is interesting to think about.
The core question about AI-generated works is: Can AI-generated works be reasonably construed as original expression, even though there’s no person behind the work doing the expressing?"
How AI and copyright would work
"The real problem of self-aware AI generating original content with intent has not arrived (yet). But it may, and it is interesting to think about.
The core question about AI-generated works is: Can AI-generated works be reasonably construed as original expression, even though there’s no person behind the work doing the expressing?"
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