In the demarcation of certain important techno-cultural moments, I believe that early 2021 will be noted as the time in which one of my axioms from a prior moment of demarcation — “We will know blockchain-based music startups have arrived when people stop saying the word Blockchain” — may have come to fruition.
March, 2021
Apple ordered to pay $308.5 million after jury finds it infringed on digital rights management patent
Apple has been ordered to pay $308.5 million to Personalized Media Communications after a federal jury in Texas found the company had infringed on a technology patent related to digital rights management. PMC had sued Apple over its FairPlay technology, used to distribute encrypted content from iTunes, Apple Music, and its App Store.
How Crying on TikTok Sells Books
An app known for serving up short videos on everything from dance moves to fashion tips, cooking tutorials and funny skits, TikTok is not an obvious destination for book buzz. But videos made mostly by women in their teens and 20s have come to dominate a growing niche under the hashtag #BookTok, where users recommend books, record time lapses of themselves reading, or sob openly into the camera after an emotionally crushing ending.
Source: How Crying on TikTok Sells Books
Literary World Is Latest to Embrace NFTs
Anand Giridharadas, a former The New York Times columnist and author of books including India Calling, The True American, and Winners Take All, announced today that he is auctioning off a collection of previously unpublished materials in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Yes, Your NFTs Can Go Missing—Here’s What You Can Do About It
Remember when musician 3LAU sold an NFT album for $11 million on the Gemini-run marketplace NiftyGateway? It might seem like forever ago, but it was at the beginning of March. And now it’s missing. To be sure, you can still find a copy of it on NiftyGateway, but the actual NFT asset is no longer discoverable online. It exists only on a centralized provider, a business that could eventually go bust as so many businesses eventually do.
Source: Yes, Your NFTs Can Go Missing—Here’s What You Can Do About It
AI and Copyright in the Cultural Sector
Developments in artificial intelligence (AI) present a host of exciting opportunities for GLAMs (galleries, libraries, archives and museums) in the digital world. These range from the development of models or algorithms perfected through data processing, to mining, analyzing and enriching datasets with new metadata. While these opportunities are likely to propel GLAMs forward through their digital transformation, they also raise questions in the area of copyright.
Roblox, piracy and the future of music in UGC 2.0
A community of Roblox users are losing a battle against moderation as the platform cracks down on music piracy, due to the platform’s newly public status bringing with it a new level of responsibility. Commercial music is now disappearing from the platform and users are not happy about it. In recent weeks Roblox has been blocking users, muting unauthorised audio playback and removing results when searching for artist music on its developer platform.
NFTs: crypto grifters try to scam artists, again
Famous artists are getting into NFTs. Grimes did an NFT, and it’d be fair to say that Elon Musk’s partner isn’t going to be doing an NFT for the money. Even if it’s a bit at odds with her album about ecological collapse. But famous musicians have long had a habit of adopting some awful headline-friendly technology that’s utterly unready for prime time consumer use, in order to show that they are hep and up to speed with the astounding future. Then they never speak of it again. Remember Björk’s cryptocurrency album in 2017?
Film Distribution Chiefs Talk Pandemic Takeaways: “The Old System Was Creaky”
Four top studio executives discuss the past year and the near future, including the slow march to a box office recovery, the shattering of the theatrical window and the streaming tsunami.
Source: Film Distribution Chiefs Talk Pandemic Takeaways: “The Old System Was Creaky”
YouTube can now warn creators about copyright issues before videos are posted
In an effort to make the process of uploading a video and receiving ad revenue easier, YouTube is rolling out a new tool called “Checks” that tells a creator ahead of time if their video contains copyrighted material and complies with advertising guidelines. The new feature screens uploads for copyrighted content, which could lead to takedowns or copyright holders claiming ad revenue, and whether the video runs afoul of advertising guideline issues.
Source: YouTube can now warn creators about copyright issues before videos are posted