UK Considers Relaxing Copyright Laws
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Proposals would clarify fair use of digital materials, bringing British law in line with that of many other countries.
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Should creators insist on copy protection and other technologies to block the unauthorized spread of their works?
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Internet law professor Michael Geist looks at a copyright clash that could re-write the laws of online life.
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The UK Film Council wants changes in the law to tackle the growing problem of film piracy and illegal DVDs.
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Industry groups are looking for a way around controversial copyright proposal.
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David Cameron pledges to extend music copyright to 70 years in exchange for an effort to curb anti-social music.
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com November 16, 2004, 4:00 AM PT. After years of bitter battles between copyright holders and file-swapping services, the outlines of a partial truce are emerging that may soon see
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Stranglehold copyright could be going the way of the dinosaur, it seems, with both the big names and independent organisations moving towards a more open copyright structure.
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A senior member of the UK government warns that it may legislate if net service providers fail to curb file-sharing.
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The European Commissioner in charge of the single market, Charlie McCreevy, said Thursday he is restarting a consultation with industry with the aim of simplifying the European Union&#39;s approach to copyright levies.The move comes 14 months after the Commission abandoned a similar effort, following pressure from France and from lobbying by the music and film industries.Levies are slapped on a wide range of machines, ranging from photocopiers and re-writeable CDs and DVDs to mobile phones and MP3 players, in varying degrees in the 27 different countries. Their aim is to compensate rights holders when their copyright-protected material is copied.Levies on MP3 players, for example range from nothing to &#8364;15 ($21) depending on the rules in different E.U. countries. McCreevy said the current system is &quot;incoherent&quot; but he played down hopes of a total overhaul of the status quo.&quot;What is the right level? There are no easy answers,&quot; he said, during a press conference as he announced a consultation that will run until April 18. After hearing back from industry and from consumer groups the Commission will hold a conference in June &quot;to see if there is common ground&quot; to streamline the current system. &quot;Last time I suspended the initiative because there was no hope then. Now it should be possible,&quot; he said.Gadget makers welcomed the move. &quot;As an industry, we fully support fair and proper compensation for artists, creators and other rightholders. Industry is not advocating for private copy levies to be abolished, but has repeatedly demonstrated that the current system of &#39;rough justice&#39; is opaque, unfair to consumers and industry, and does not fulfill the stated purpose of fairly remunerating right holders,&quot; said Mark MacGann, director General of EICTA, the organization that represents the information and communications technology and consumer electronics industries in Europe.According to EICTA, levies collection has more than tripled since 2001, when the E.U. passed a copyright law designed to suit the digital age. The law permitted copying of copyrighted works such as music for personal use, but allowed individual member states to set levels of levies to help compensate artists.McCreevy said he had no plans to overhaul this law. &quot;The directive allows member states to set levies. There are no plans to do away with this. We just want to get some realism.&quot; He added: &quot;Hopefully people will come [to the conference in June] with an open mind.&quot;Meanwhile, McCreevy announced a parallel initiative to extend the period of copyright protection for performing artists from 50 years to 90 years. Stars that performed other people&#39;s songs in the 1950s, as well as the session musicians of that time, are at risk of being completely cut off from airplay and recording royalties just as they reach retirement age, McCreevy said.Extending the copyright period by 40 years won&#39;t have any impact on the price of music, McCreevy said.Both copyright-related initiatives will require political approval from national E.U. governments.
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Bee Gee Robin Gibb says he will campaign for a change in the UK's copyright laws.
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House of Reps. approve smaller fines in copyright spats A new US law which would reduce the damages to be paid out for patent infringement has been passed by one half of the US legislature. The proposed law was backed by large technology firms and banks but opposed by smaller tech companies and drug companies.â¦
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A new round of lawsuits aimed at prolific Internet song-swappers could be announced as early as Thursday as music executives meet in London to discuss the next step in their global war on Internet piracy.
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The effort to crack down on illegal music downloads moves across the pond.
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A battle over copyright infringement on the Internet heats up. No, not over music. Over the classic 'Gone With the Wind.'
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"Oldies" music remains popular among many generations, which could present a window of opportunity for record companies in Europe to take advantage of royalties terms expiring after 50 years. Today, the EC may be looking to shut that window.
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Record companies in the UK are for the first time to sue music fans who download tracks illegally from the internet. The British Phonographic Industry, the trade body for record labels in the UK, is to announce