With the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic lingering, Penguin Random House announced this week that it has once again extended its Temporary Library Terms of Sale for digital content as well as its temporary story time permissions, both of which will now run through June 30, 2022.
Source: PRH Continues Temporary E-book, Digital Audio Terms for Libraries
Just last month, UK-based Cutting Edge Music Holdings partnered with affiliates of London-based investment firm Blantyre Capital to acquire music publishing rights owned by composers who write music for film and TV – committing an initial $125 million to the strategy. Now, a new and very well funded player has entered the fold.
After some of the music business’ attention turned from HitPiece to NFT platform NFT Music Stream, also known as Streamer, on Monday, the site posted on Twitter early Tuesday (Feb. 8) that it would soon release a statement responding to allegations of music appearing on its site without artists’ consent.
Source: Music Industry Turns Ire to Another Unauthorized NFT Platform
Plagiarism and fraud have been an issue since NFTs exploded in early 2021, but something shifted last fall, according to NFTTheft, a collective of artists highlighting fraudulent listings. Where before artists saw a few thefts a day — an annoying but manageable number to file takedowns for — suddenly artists were seeing dozens, hundreds, or thousands of thefts.
After a nearly three-hour virtual hearing on February 7, federal judge Deborah L. Boardman is now set to rule on the Association of American Publishers’ December 16 bid to temporarily block Maryland from enforcing its recently enacted library e-book law.
Source: After Hearing, Maryland’s E-book Law Hangs in the Balance
Heirs of Jimi Hendrix’s former bandmates, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, have filed a lawsuit against Sony Music in the U.K., alleging copyright infringement and seeking royalties. The filing, in London’s High Court, follows an application for a legal declaration made by Sony Music and the Hendrix estate in a Manhattan federal court last month that would pre-emptively exonerate them of all legal claims.
Source: Jimi Hendrix Bandmates’ Heirs Sue Sony Music U.K. for Millions Over Copyright, Streaming Royalties
On Monday, L.A. law firm King & Ballow filed copyright-infringement lawsuits against Pandora on behalf of five comedians or their estates: Robin Williams, George Carlin, Andrew Dice Clay, Bill Engvall and Ron White. Each are represented by digital rights management and collection agency Word Collections. In total, the five lawsuits seek $41.55 million in damages from Pandora.
Verifi Media says the VRDA creates an orchestra of definitive data, with each player maintaining its own information while collaborating to create a symphony of media intelligence. Four enterprise companies, from labels to publishers to PROs and DSPs are inaugural members of the VRDA. Inaugural members include Warner Music Group (WMG), Spanish rights management entity Unison, digital service provider Deezer, and music distributor FUGA.
Source: Verifi Rights Data Alliance Launches – WMG, Unison, Deezer, & FUGA
In a 25-page brief, Maryland lawyers contend that the AAP is seeking to find a copyright violation where none exists, and reiterated their contention that the state has both the authority and a compelling interest to protect public libraries from unfair market practices.
Source: Maryland Lawyers Say E-book Law Is a Defense of Public Libraries
Powerful football leagues are calling on EU legislators to fix a provision in the Digital Services Act that would allow pirated content to stay online following a takedown notice, until complaints can be verified. Any delay in the removal of pirated live streams would damage the interests of the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A plus dozens of other leagues, they argue.
Source: European Football Leagues Slam “Notice-and-Stay-Up” Provision in DSA * TorrentFreak