YouTube’s latest Transparency Report shows that fewer copyright holders used the Content ID system to protect their works. Despite the modest decline, more content was flagged overall, with over 750 million claims during the first half of 2022. Traditional DMCA takedown notices are on the rise as well, with an increase of more than 30% year-over-year.
Source: Fewer Rightsholders Use YouTube Content ID, But They Flag More Content * TorrentFreak
Microsoft, its subsidiary GitHub, and its business partner OpenAI have been targeted in a proposed class action lawsuit alleging that the companies’ creation of AI-powered coding assistant GitHub Copilot relies on “software piracy on an unprecedented scale.” The case is only in its earliest stages but could have a huge effect on the broader world of AI, where companies are making fortunes training software on copyright-protected data.
Source: The lawsuit that could rewrite the rules of AI copyright
Universal Music Publishing China (UMP China) has signed an exclusive global publishing agreement with China-based RYCE Publishing. RYCE is the publishing unit of music and entertainment company RYCE Entertainment, and covers more than 700 C-Pop and K-Pop songs. UMP China will exclusively lead global administration responsibilities for hundreds of hit songs as part of the deal.
Source: Universal lands exclusive global publishing deal with China’s RYCE spanning 700+ songs
There has been a steady increase in the chorus of grumbling from music rightsholders about how TikTok pays royalties for music. It is true that TikTok virality generates streaming spikes on other platforms where royalties are higher. But it’s also true that there are ghosts of past industry arguments about promo versus consumption (from MTV to YouTube) that are stiffening rightsholders’ resolve to push TikTok to pay more.
Source: Pressure mounts on TikTok over its music royalties payments – Music Ally
The European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers (GESAC) and The European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA) are calling on EU officials “to put an end to the coercive buy-out practices of US-based VOD platforms.” The way ECSA and GESAC see it, these buy-out contracts, i.e. one-time payments for the use of works, “deprive audiovisual (or screen) composers from an appropriate and proportionate remuneration, as well as the exercise of their moral rights.”
Source: GESAC, ECSA Lobby to End VOD Platforms’ ‘Buy-Out Practices’
As many NFT platforms shifted away from honoring creator-set royalties in recent weeks, top marketplace OpenSea had remained silent on the subject, apparently weighing its options. On Saturday night, the $13.3 billion startup finally showed its hand—but OpenSea’s newly expressed strategy isn’t sitting well with many prominent Web3 creators.
Source: OpenSea Breaks Silence on NFT Royalties, But Creators Don’t Like What They Hear – Decrypt
When Content ID flags an infringing video, copyright holders have choices: do nothing, take a video down or divert the revenue it generates to themselves. But that system has led two groups of musicians to clash with YouTube. On one hand, there are YouTubers like Jones, who create content to teach people how to build and play musical instruments. On the other, some independent musicians say Content ID doesn’t go far enough to address copyright infringement.
Source: YouTube’s automated copyright tool riles up musicians
Curve Royalty Systems, the London-headquartered music technology company, has unveiled a new version of its industry-acclaimed platform specifically designed for smaller music content owners and distributors. Curve says that Curve Lite offers “everything required to produce fast, accurate and professional royalty statements for artists and composers.”
Source: Curve Royalty Systems launches ‘Curve Lite’ platform for smaller labels, distributors and publishers
The U.S. Copyright Office is quietly proposing a new rule to make sure that songwriters who invoke their termination rights actually get paid their streaming royalties, overturning a previous “erroneous” policy that could potentially have kept sending money to former owners in perpetuity.
Source: Obscure Copyright Rule Change Might Be Big Win for Songwriters
Intellectual property is what fuels today’s Hollywood. As the industry has become more risk-averse, fewer truly original screenplays are getting made, and ones that seem to be original often have some tie-in with recognizable properties (from music to video games to crime cases and other true stories), attaching most any given project to a proven success or brand.
Source: Media Companies Find New Ways to Exploit Their IP as Innovation Drives Content Creators