May, 2023

Artists and Rights Owners Now Have Their Own ‘Google Books’ Case

EXTRA The timing was mere coincidence, and the context different. But the official organs or the copyright industries were quick to pounce on what is at least a colorable connection between the Supreme Court’s 7-2 ruling in Andy Warhol Foundation v. Lynn Goldsmith and the current bubbling controversy around the use of copyrighted works to train generative AI models.

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI says has no plans to leave Europe

OpenAI has no plans to leave Europe, CEO Sam Altman said on Friday, reversing a threat made earlier this week to leave the region if it becomes too hard to comply with upcoming laws on artificial intelligence. “We are excited to continue to operate here and of course have no plans to leave,” Altman said in a tweet on Friday. His threat of quitting Europe had drawn criticism from EU industry chief Thierry Breton and a host of other lawmakers.

Source: ChatGPT-maker OpenAI says has no plans to leave Europe

Roman Coppola: ‘A New Tarantino or Kubrick’ Could Come From Web3 Film World

Decentralized Pictures uses a combination of blockchain technology and a decentralized governance structure to effectively create a film funding DAO. Built on a fork of the Tezos blockchain dubbed T4L3NT Net, the platform runs on its own native token, FILMCredits. Aspiring directors can buy FILMCredits to submit their work for funding opportunities, or earn them by reviewing others’ projects.

Source: Roman Coppola: ‘A New Tarantino or Kubrick’ Could Come From Web3 Film World – Decrypt

‘Those who hate AI are insecure’: inside Hollywood’s battle over artificial intelligence

Los Angeles’s AI boosters tout the latest disruptive technology as a democratizing force in film, one that will liberate creators by taking over dull and painstaking tasks like motion capture, allowing them to turn their ideas into finished works of art without a budget of millions or tens of millions of dollars. Critics say that studio executives simply want to replace unionized artists with compliant robots.

Source: ‘Those who hate AI are insecure’: inside Hollywood’s battle over artificial intelligence

News execs fear ‘end of our business model’ from AI unless publishers ‘get control’ of their IP

Speaking on a panel about news sustainability, but dominated by discussion of artificial intelligence, Le Monde’s Dreyfus described the situation as “an emergency” and said “we need to define a common position” and establish “what AI companies are ready to put on the table” for use of our content. “Otherwise it’s the end of our business model.”

Source: News execs fear ‘end of our business model’ from AI unless publishers ‘get control’ of their IP

CISAC reports ISWC progress in annual report

International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) has published its latest annual report, which provides an overview of its work with its 227 member CMOs across the world. Elsewhere in the report, CISAC details its progress with its tracking system for musical works. CISAC upgraded the ISWC system in 2020 and said it would improve the speed, accuracy and efficiency of its member organizations’ work in tracking creators’ works and ensuring royalties are properly paid.

Source: CISAC reports ‘sharp’ rise in collections in Greece and global music identifier system progress in annual report

MetaCannes: How Web3 Filmmakers Are Leading ‘Next Wave’ of Cinema

Set apart from Cannes’ iconic Croisette and the Palais des Festivals, “La villa des ministres” has played host to French luminaries ranging from government ministers to writer Romain Gary. During the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, creators of another kind—independent film producers and directors—gathered in the gardens of the villa to launch the inaugural MetaCannes Festival.

Source: MetaCannes: How Web3 Filmmakers Are Leading ‘Next Wave’ of Cinema – Decrypt

The Great Rebundling: Who Will Figure Out How to Rebuild Pay TV First?

The renewed desire to bundle is something of a race against the clock. Zaslav and some other media moguls (perhaps most notably Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch) have long touted their plans to use the cash generated from their cable TV channels to help fund streaming efforts. But it has become increasingly clear that cord-cutting continues to accelerate, and there are inflection points on the horizon that would only speed up cable’s demise.

Source: The Great Rebundling: Who Will Figure Out How to Rebuild Pay TV First?

There are now 120,000 new tracks hitting music streaming services each day

Amid a rise in generative AI tools and a growing digital music distribution landscape, more recorded audio is being made and released than at any point in human history. This vast supply of content, some of which is literally just white noise, competes for a share of listening time with music released by artists signed, discovered, and developed by the record business establishment.

Source: There are now 120,000 new tracks hitting music streaming services each day

Bridger Is Building a PRO Alternative for Indie Artists

With a lack of affiliation with PROs and CMOs, indie songwriters and publishers generally miss out on the opportunities these organizations can offer. As a European IME, Bridger is authorized to collect mechanical and performing rights royalties directly without intermediaries. Unlike most other global distribution and royalty collection services that serve as copyright administrators, Bridger functions like a CMO for smaller, underrepresented indie artists.

Source: Bridger Is Building a PRO Alternative for Indie Artists

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