EXTRA One of the questions hanging over calls to require generative AI developers to obtain licenses for copyrighted works used in training their models, such as we saw last week from the Human Artistry Campaign coalition of rights owners, is whether legal foundation for that demand exists in current copyright law, or would require new action by legislatures to create that foundation. It’s a political question as much as a legal one. And while its legal colorings may favor the pro-licensing position, the political ones may not. Just how much they may not can be glimpsed in a new U.K. government report issued this month that illustrates how difficult it could be to persuade policymakers to provide any such new statutory authority.
By banning the platform, the government risks prioritizing alleged national security interests at the expense of its antitrust agenda. Meta and Google, fighting lawsuits from competition enforcers seeking to break up the companies, stand to gain the most if TikTok is banned. Users likely would flock to the only viable alternatives in Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
Most audiobooks are narrated renditions of already-published print or ebooks, but the category’s success has led to increased experimentation, with “audiobook originals” or “audio first” productions gaining traction — and fans. But defining what makes an audiobook an “original” is not easy. Audible co-opted the term early on to describe any title that was its “exclusive,” regardless of whether it had a print life as well.
The transaction includes master and publishing rights to a collection of film scores including the score for director Taika Waititi’s upcoming sports comedy-drama film Next Goal Wins starring Michael Fassbender, and the score for the upcoming animated version of George Orwell’s Animal Farm from Andy Serkis. Next Goal Wins includes a score by Academy Award and Emmy-winner Michael Giacchino, who composed themes for Up, The Incredibles, The Batman and Lost.