Over the past two decades, electronic books have taken off as a way to read on smartphones and e-readers like the Kindle. They’ve also found popularity in public library systems, where cardholders can download multiple e-books and audiobooks to their devices without leaving home. But, as with hardback library books, there can also be weeks-long waits and the inability to extend loan times for in-demand titles.
Source: E-books at libraries are a huge hit, leading to long waits, reader hacks and worried publishers
Media reports this week suggest that European football’s heavyweights are bracing themselves for a seismic shift in the way they generate revenue for their live rights, with OTT becoming an increasingly important alternative to pay TV. FT reports that general secretary Theodore Theodoridis may abandon selling rights to TV networks in some markets and provide matches via a streaming service instead.
It’s no secret that the approval of the European Union’s new copyright directive was not the end of the lobbying (and arguments). Article 17 (formerly Article 13) will now, like the rest of the directive, have to be implemented by each of the EU member states, and creative-industry bodies and technology firms alike are keen to encourage these implementations to sway one way or the other.
Swift – who is now signed to Universal Music – has said she will re-record her old albums starting next year. In the past artists might not have taken this route because marketing and distributing the new versions themselves would have been prohibitively expensive. In the digital age, and with her fanbase, no such issues will hold Swift back.
Police in New Zealand have reportedly seized $6.7m in cryptocurrency and $1.1m in cash as part of a money laundering investigation. According to a local report, a man from Hamilton allegedly received the funds from a US-based movie piracy site he helped to create. PayPal noticed unusual activity on an account linked to the suspect and reported the case to the IRS.
Ahead of Brexit and the imminent General Election, the Society of Authors has called for a commitment from the next government to follow future EU copyright law and the EU’s Digital Single Market Strategy, and to remain within Creative Europe or else increase domestic funding for the arts.
