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CCC Paid a Record $188.7 Million in Royalties in 2013
Under the direction of CEO Tracey Armstrong, who took the helm of CCC in 2007, the Copyright Clearance Center has posted an increase of more than $34 million in royalties paid in the last three years alone.
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Podcast: Tilting to Fair Use
The Google Books case, first brought by the Authors Guild in 2005, had once received that billing. But court observers today expect the lawsuit will end soon – and without an awful lot of hoopla.
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Google Books Case Appears Ready to Be Decided
Once expected to be a defining copyright battle for the digital age when it was first filed in 2005, the case came down to a short, anticlimactic hearing in which Chin reserved judgment, but sounded more than ready to rule.
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Authors Guild: Wait for Congress to Sort Out Google Scanning
The fair use doctrine is not designed to address the enormity of Google’s infringement, Authors Guild attorneys argue, calling the legality of the book scanning program “a cutting edge” technological issue best left to Congress to address.
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A Year Later, Opposition Briefs Filed in Authors Guild vs. Google
After losing its class action status on appeal, the long-running copyright case now continues in the name of the Authors Guild and the three named plaintiffs.
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Despite Copyright Concerns, 1DollarScan Grows, Marks Second Year
1DollarScan is an unusual venture that will scan print books and deliver a PDF back to the customer--for a dollar. While the Authors Guild has called the company a copyright infringer, 1DollarScan's business is growing.
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Ingram Adapts CoreSource to Comply with U.K. Deposit Law
In an agreement that marries one of the oldest collections of print publications with modern technology, the Ingram Content Group has expanded its CoreSource platform to include direct distribution to the British Library, making it easy for publishers to comply with U.K. legal deposit law.
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Judge Deals ‘Used’ E-book Market a Setback
Publishers breathed a sigh of relief last week as federal judge Richard Sullivan dealt a setback to any potential resale market for digital books. In a forceful ruling in Capitol Records v. ReDigi, Sullivan held that the doctrine of “first sale,” which allows consumers to redistribute lawfully acquired copies, does not apply to the transfer of digital files.
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Grimmelmann: ReDigi, Digital First Sale...and Star Trek
At oral argument, Judge Sullivan drew a Star Trek analogy. He asked whether ReDigi was more like a transporter, or a replicator. The problem for ReDigi, and the reason the case is so fascinating, is that the Internet is both.
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In ReDigi Case, Court Forcefully Rejects Digital First Sale
In Capitol Records vs. ReDigi, federal judge Richard Sullivan strongly rejected the expansion of the first sale to cover digital files.
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No Resale for Digital Music
Judge Richard Sullivan ruled against "the world's first pre-owned digital marketplace" ReDigi and cited the fact that music on the site was in fact copied.
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Grimmelmann: Issues in Kirtsaeng 'Significant'
PW contributing editor James Grimmelmann breaks down yesterday's landmark Supreme Court ruling. "However one comes out on first sale and imported textbooks, the issue, in books and beyond, is too significant to end here," he writes. "Ladies and gentlemen, start your lobbyists."
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Supreme Court Upholds First Sale In Landmark Kirtsaeng Ruling
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court, by a 6-3 margin, today held that the doctrine of first sale, which allows for legally acquired copyrighted works to be resold by their owners, does apply to works made overseas.
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Orphan Works Legislation Appears Unlikely
When the U.S. Copyright Office asked for comments on the thorny orphan works problem last October, hopes were raised that a legislative solution could be in the offing. But after hundreds of initial comments from both individuals and organizations it is now looking like meaningful orphan works legislation may not be in the cards.
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U.S. Attorneys Opt Out of GSU E-Reserves Case
In a filing late last week, the U.S. Department of Justice said it will not file an amicus brief after all in the appeal of the Georgia State e-reserves case.
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White House Issues Public Access Directive
The Obama Administration today used its executive power to issue a Policy Memorandum that could finally make public access to federally funded research a reality.
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Lawsuit Seeks to Put Sherlock Holmes in the Public Domain
Author and scholar Leslie Klinger has filed suit in federal court last week against the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate, asking the court to declare that the famous characters of Sherlock Holmes and John H. Watson are no longer protected by federal copyright laws.
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Publishers Blast New Open Access Bill, FASTR
Once again, Congress has introduced a bill that would mandate public access to publicly-funded federal research, ramping up the the tension between publishers and the research community. The Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act (FASTR) was introduced in Congress yesterday, February 14, on a bi-partisan basis. The bill would require that federal agencies with annual extramural research budgets of $100 million provide the public with online access to research manuscripts stemming from publicly-funded research no later than six months after publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
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U.S. Attorneys May Weigh in On GSU E-Reserves Case
In a brief filed last week in the Georgia State e-reserves case, U.S. attorneys asked for a 21-day extension "in which to file any amicus brief in support of appellants, or in support of neither party."
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Information Activist Aaron Swartz Dead at 26
Aaraon Swartz, the brilliant but troubled young activist and programmer, has died, in an apparent suicide. While details were still emerging, the Internet this morning was abuzz with news of his tragic passing. He was just 26 years old. "There is no way to express the sadness of this day," blogged Lawrence Lessig.
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