ByteDance-owned video sharing app TikTok has inked a multi-territory licensing deal with Merlin, the global digital rights agency for the world’s independent label sector. Today’s news comes as TikTok is also understood to be in the middle of licensing negotiations with the majors.
Source: TikTok signs global licensing deal with indie label agency Merlin
The novel’s copyright is set to expire at the end of 2020, meaning that anyone will be allowed to publish the book, adapt it to a movie, make it into an opera or stage a Broadway musical. No longer will you need to permission to write a sequel, a prequel, a Jay Gatsby detective novel or a Gatsby narrative populated with Zombies.
Source: Everyone invited: `Great Gatsby’ copyright to end in 2021
Attorneys for Audible and seven major publishers told the court this week that they have resolved their high profile copyright lawsuit over Audible’s proposed ‘Captions’ program. In a January 13 letter, Audible attorney Emily Reisbaum “writing on behalf of all parties,” informed Judge Valerie Caproni that the sides “have resolved their disputes,”
Source: Audible, Publishers Say They’ve Settled ‘Captions’ Lawsuit
BMG will provide a selection of music from its catalog to be featured on Tracklib, where producers can sample the music and get clearance ‘in a few clicks’. Tracklib raised $1.7 million last year in a funding round joined by Sony Innovation Fund; WndrCo; and Jörg Mohaupt, a private, early-stage investor who has invested in several other music companies including Discogs and Amuse.
Source: After raising $1.7m last year, sampling startup Tracklib inks deal with BMG
Rights holders in India will be breathing a sigh of relief as today’s announcement appears to be a tacit acknowledgement that the argument for a streaming service hiding behind a statutory license in India doesn’t hold water. A Spotify spokesperson said of today’s settlement: “We’re pleased with this agreement, and together with Warner Chappell Music, we look forward to helping songwriters and artists connect with more fans.”
Source: War Is Over: Spotify and Warner Chappell sign global licensing deal – including India
US performing rights organization Pro Music Rights (PMR)has entered into a partnership with Cosynd, a New York-based legal service that automates copyright contracts and registrations. The partnership will allow PMR artists to create contracts (split sheets, premium split sheets, work for hire agreements, and producer agreements) that secure their copyrights and can register works with the US Copyright Office at a discounted rate.
Source: Pro Music Rights enters partnership with New York-based legal service Cosynd
Dish Network’s application outlines a system that allows owners to embed an identification mark into the content’s code that can be stored and regularly updated using a distributed ledger. Published Thursday, Dish says the proposal can better monitor and enforce ownership rights, alerting platforms to when content is used without permission.
Source: Dish Network Files Patent for Blockchain-Based Anti-Piracy System – CoinDesk
The boom in copyright lawsuits is rattling the music industry, to the point where some artists are taking out insurance policies. “There is a lot of confusion about what’s permissible and what’s not,” says Sandy Wilbur, a forensic musicologist who served as an expert witness for the defense in the “Blurred Lines” case. Because cases are decided by “the average listener, who is not an educated musicologist or musician,” she notes, “labels are very afraid.”
Source: How Music Copyright Lawsuits Are Scaring Away New Hits
Facebook says that it takes abuse and misuse of its ‘Rights Manager’ system very seriously. The company sees this type of abuse as one of its main challenges and it spends a lot of time making sure that legitimate content isn’t blocked. The social media giant made these statements in a recent “Article 17” stakeholder meeting at the EU Commission.
Source: Facebook Sees Copyright Abuse as One of the Platform’s Main Challenges – TorrentFreak
Attorneys for Katy Perry and her “Dark Horse” collaborators are demanding a retrial in the copyright infringement case that resulted in a $2.78 million judgment against Perry, Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald (Dr. Luke) and others last July. They claim the plaintiffs failed to satisfy both extrinsic and intrinsic tests of “substantial similarity” between the two tracks and likewise failed to establish that “Joyful Noise” was widely disseminated enough to prove the “Dark Horse” team had access to it.
Source: Katy Perry’s Lawyers Request Retrial in ‘Dark Horse’ Copyright Case: ‘A Travesty of Justice’