Headlines

Should photographers and rightsholders get paid when tattoo artists ink pictures of music icons?

A trial underway in California could determine whether a tattoo based on a copyrighted image is a copyright violation. The case has potentially large implications for IP-centered industries such as the music business, which in recent years has increasingly focused on “name and likeness” rights in contracts and acquisitions. The case could also have implications for bodily autonomy and free expression – given that the tattoo in question has been indelibly stamped onto the arm of Blake Farmer, a friend of tatoo artist Kat Von D.

Source: Should photographers and rightsholders get paid when tattoo artists ink pictures of music icons?

CISAC President Björn Ulvaeus Seeks Greater AI Protections

The CISAC President and ABBA founder called for sustained support for copyright and the protection of creators by the European Union as Belgium takes the six-month presidency of the EU. Belgium will be overseeing discussions to finalize the text of the EU AI act. Ulvaeus urged the establishment of proper transparency principles in the EU AI Act and to require AI operators to adhere to copyright regulations.

Source: CISAC President Björn Ulvaeus Seeks Greater AI Protections

Universal Music unveils ‘UMusicLift’ hub for music startups

The platform, currently in pre-launch, will cater to music-focused startups through resources like educational materials, news updates, and avenues to connect with UMG’s team. Its mission, outlined on the UMusicLift website, is to support “the next generation of diverse, music-related startups and entrepreneurs who aim to accelerate the next wave of digital transformation.”

Source: Universal Music unveils ‘UMusicLift’ hub for music startups

The News About the News Business Is Getting Grimmer

Even by the standards of a news business whose fortunes have plummeted in the digital age, the last few weeks have been especially grim for American journalism. Prominent newspapers like The Washington Post are shedding reporters and editors, and on Tuesday, The Los Angeles Times laid off more than 20 percent of its newsroom. Cable news ratings have fallen amid an uncompetitive presidential primary contest.

Source: The News About the News Business Is Getting Grimmer

Pamela Samuelson to Keynote RightsTech AI Summit

Noted copyright scholar and fair use advocate Pamela Samuelson will be a featured speaker at the 2024 RightsTech AI Summit at Digital Entertainment World. The Richard M. Sherman Distinguished Professor of Law at Berkley, Samuelson has been a prominent voice in debates around the intersection of copyright and technology over the past two decades. She has recently emerged as a vocal advocate for treating the use of copyrighted works to train generative AI models as a fair use under copyright law.

Source: Blog

OpenAI Quietly Scrapped a Promise to Disclose Key Documents to the Public

OpenAI’s reports to US tax authorities have from its founding said that any member of the public can review copies of its governing documents, financial statements, and conflict of interest rules. But when WIRED requested those records last month, OpenAI said its policy had changed, and the company provided only a narrow financial statement that omitted the majority of its operations.

Source: OpenAI Quietly Scrapped a Promise to Disclose Key Documents to the Public

Royalty-embedded blockchains can help NFT artists get paid

Blockchains with royalties embedded within their code can guarantee that creator royalties will be respected, according to professionals working in Web3. While some platforms continue to hop on the optional royalty trend, others are going the other way, implementing built-in royalty enforcement tools within their blockchains. In June 2023, NFT-focused blockchain platform Enjin released a blockchain mainnet with royalty enforcement embedded in the blockchain’s foundational code.

Source: Royalty-embedded blockchains can help NFT artists get paid

Deezer CEO talks artist-centric: ‘We want quality over quantity’ 

Folgueira said that this was Deezer’s attempt to bring an element of ‘user-centric’ concepts – a model the company had been trying to launch without success in previous years – into the new artist-centric model. Folgueira described the double boosts as “a rebalancing of the pool… we’re probably shifting around 1% of the royalties between the two boosts… so we don’t generate too much of a disruption with the new system”.

Source: Deezer CEO talks artist-centric: ‘We want quality over quantity’ – Music Ally

Writers, Actors, & Musicians, Oh My! — Will Musicians Strike Next?

Following last year’s strike from the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, the AMPTP may face a strike from the American Federation of Musicians. The AFM represents members who create music for TV, film, commercials, and other platforms and will begin negotiating a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The AMPTP negotiates on behalf of major Hollywood studios.

Source: Writers, Actors, & Musicians, Oh My! — Will Musicians Strike Next?

Facebook made a change after years of PR disasters, and news sites are paying the price

Meta has been de-emphasizing news across Facebook’s feed, upending many publishers that had come to rely on referral traffic. In September, Meta said it would “deprecate” its Facebook news tab in European countries including the U.K., France and Germany as “part of an ongoing effort to better align our investments to our products and services people value the most.”

Source: Facebook made a major change after years of PR disasters, and news sites are paying the price

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