March, 2021

It’s an NFT Boom. Do You Know Where Your Digital Art Lives? 

The key use-case right now is for owning cool stuff minted online, usually with an image or GIF, but sometimes with sound, video or text attached to a completely unique token on Ethereum or, in the case of the surging NBA Top Shot, on Flow. So when users buy that cool-digital-thing, whether a sliver of basketball video or brilliant piece of artwork, do they know how the cool-digital-thing is hosted and can they verify it will continue to exist over time?

Source: It’s an NFT Boom. Do You Know Where Your Digital Art Lives? – CoinDesk

Spanish authors’ society SGAE re-admitted to CISAC following reforms

SGAE was temporarily kicked out of CISAC in May 2019 as a result of what the latter org calls a “violation of the international confederation’s rules, discriminatory treatment of rights holders and irregularities in its royalties distributions”.  CISAC states that its Board of Directors have now decided to re-admit SGAE after, what it describes in an official release as, “a thorough review of all changes in the society’s practices that have been implemented with the support of CISAC over the last three years”.

Source: Spanish authors’ society SGAE re-admitted to CISAC following reforms

Want to borrow that e-book from the library? Sorry, Amazon won’t let you.

In testimony to Congress, the American Library Association called digital sales bans like Amazon’s “the worst obstacle for libraries” moving into the 21st century. Lawmakers in New York and Rhode Island have proposed bills that would require Amazon (and everybody else) to sell e-books to libraries with reasonable terms. This week, the Maryland General Assembly will vote on its own bill, after the state Senate passed a version last week.

Source: Perspective | Want to borrow that e-book from the library? Sorry, Amazon won’t let you.

For Creators, Everything Is for Sale

Tens of millions of people around the globe consider themselves creators, and the creator economy represents the “fastest-growing type of small business,” according to a 2020 report by the venture capital firm SignalFire. But as the market gets more and more competitive — and the platforms and their algorithms remain unreliable — creators are devising new, hyper-specific revenue streams.

Source: For Creators, Everything Is for Sale

Disney Plus Tops 100 Million Subscribers Worldwide

Disney Plus continues to grow apace, topping 100 million subscribers worldwide, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said Tuesday during its annual shareholders meeting. That’s up from the 94.9 million Disney reported last month. “The enormous success of Disney Plus has inspired us to be even more ambitious, and to significantly increase our investment in the development of high-quality content,” Chapek said.

Source: Disney Plus Tops 100 Million Subscribers Worldwide

ASCAP payouts to songwriters and publishers grew in pandemic 2020 – but it was the smallest increase in 5 years

US-based collection society ASCAP distributed more money to its publisher and songwriter members in 2020 than it did in 2019. That’s positive news for a music business that might have feared Covid’s impact on these numbers would have seen payouts go into decline.

Source: ASCAP payouts to songwriters and publishers grew in pandemic 2020 – but it was the smallest increase in 5 years

How SoundCloud’s New Royalty Payouts Actually Work

Starting April 1, revenue from fans will go directly—and exclusively—to the artists they listen to. While SoundCloud made no mention of this publicly, they’ll take 45 percent of what an artist earns from their listeners through fan-powered royalties, Michael Pelczynski, SoundCloud’s head of rights administration and strategy, told VICE.

Source: How SoundCloud’s New Royalty Payouts Actually Work

Bipartisan group of lawmakers backs bill ‘to save local news’

A bill that would allow news outlets to bargain collectively with tech platforms over the distribution of their content was reintroduced in both chambers by a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Wednesday. The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act is being touted as a way to “save local news” and comes as lawmakers push forward with broader efforts to rein in the market power of the top tech companies.

Source: Bipartisan group of lawmakers backs bill ‘to save local news’

EU High Court: Embedding Protected Images Can Breach Copyright Law 

The EU Court of Justice has ruled that if rightsholders have taken or ordered protective steps to prevent their images from being embedded within frames on third-party sites, such embedding represents a violation of copyright law. The decision goes against a non-binding opinion handed down last year.

Source: EU High Court: Embedding Protected Images Can Breach Copyright Law * TorrentFreak

Digital Copyright Act ‘Will Chill Innovation and Harm The Internet’

Late last year, Senator Thom Tillis released a discussion draft of the “Digital Copyright Act of 2021,” which aims to replace the current DMCA legislation. However, this proposal is not welcomed by everyone. The Re:Create Coalition warns that it completely destroys the framework that made it possible for online creativity to thrive.

Source: ‘The Digital Copyright Act Will Chill Innovation and Harm The Internet’ * TorrentFreak

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