A spokesperson for the short-form video company said in a statement: “We can confirm our deal with UMG expired approximately one week ago. We have been negotiating since then in an attempt to renew. The renewal however was just a formality and a courtesy to UMG, as a shareholder of Triller.”
Source: Triller: We don’t need Universal Music Group to run our business
Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s biggest music company, has pulled its song catalog from video-sharing app Triller, which it says has “shamefully withheld payments” to its artists. UMG also claims that Triller has cut off negotiations for a new music licensing deal to allow users to play UMG song clips in their videos, after the deal UMG signed with Triller in 2018 presumably ended.
Source: Universal Music Pulls Catalog From Triller, Saying App ‘Shamefully Withheld’ Artist Payments
Disney Television Studios has launched a creative acquisitions department led by Elizabeth Newman and Jordan Moblo, with the goal of acquiring and packaging new intellectual property to be developed into projects across Disney-owned platforms, the company said Friday.
Source: Disney TV Studios Forms Acquisitions Unit to Find New IP Content
YouTube’s written submission to the Parliamentary committee inquiry into music streaming economics outlines its case. “We are concerned that any overboard implementation of legislation of that type may lead to vague, untested requirements that could result in online services needing to over-block content to mitigate potentially significant legal risk,” YouTube writes.
Source: YouTube Says Artist Royalties Will Suffer If Gov’t Regulation Increases
Microsoft said on Wednesday it supports Australia’s plans to make the biggest digital platforms pay for news and would help small businesses transfer their advertising to Bing if Google quits the country. Although Bing is Australia’s second most popular search engine, it has only a 3.6% market share, according to web analytics service Statcounter. Google says it has 95%
Source: Microsoft backs Australian plan to make Google pay for news
The Copyright Directive has been highly controversial, largely due to well-founded concerns that it will undermine the free expression of individual internet users, who will risk having content they attempt to post blocked from publication by companies wary of running afoul of new copyright laws.
Source: The European Copyright Directive: Potential impacts on free expression and privacy
Big tech companies including Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Twitter are concerned about restrictive copyright legislation being implemented around the world. Industry groups warn that these changes, including Article 17 of the EU Copyright Directive, result in ‘hostile environments’ that harm the interests of US tech companies.
Source: Tech Giants Warn US of Hostile Copyright Environment in EU and Russia * TorrentFreak
After months of planning, the Library Futures Institute officially launched this week, a new 501c3 organization chartered to fight for a “technology-positive future” for libraries—including broader access to e-books and other digital content. Among the group’s priorities will be to advocate for “less restrictive licensing agreements for e-media and e-books” and for policies and licenses that would enable libraries to continue to fulfill the traditional roles libraries have played in the analog world in the digital space.
Source: New Nonprofit to Advocate for Digital Content in Libraries
Movie studios are increasingly experimenting with shorter release windows or even simultaneous theatrical and digital premieres. But how does this affect overall revenues? According to new research into shortened release windows in Korea, movie studios profit from this strategy. While pirated copies also become available quicker, the overall piracy figures don’t change.
Source: Research Shows that Shorter Movie Release Windows Boost Revenue, Not Piracy * TorrentFreak
The livestream licenses, which cover public performances as well as associated sync and mechanical licenses, cost $30.80 (£22.50) apiece for digital events with revenues of up to $342.25 (£250). Additionally, the licenses come with a price tag of $61.60 (£45) each for online gigs that make between £251 and £500.
Source: Now There’s a Licensing Platform for Small-Scale Livestreams In the UK