Inside Saudi Arabia’s Billion-Dollar Bet on Hollywood

Paramount Skydance’s proposed $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery — a merger that would unite Paramount’s century-old IP library with HBO, CNN and Warners’ global television assets — is being powered by $24 billion from Gulf sovereign wealth funds, including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The Saudis backing the Warner Bros. deal represents more than just another international investor taking a financial stake in Hollywood. For Riyadh, the deal offers the House of Saud proximity to American media power — and, potentially, to the political ecosystem that surrounds it.

Source: Inside Saudi Arabia’s Billion-Dollar Bet on Hollywood

Yout.com Hopes Supreme Court’s Cox Ruling Helps Its Case; RIAA Disagrees

The Supreme Court’s recent reversal of the billion-dollar Cox Communications verdict also makes an appearance in the long-running legal battle between Yout.com and the RIAA. The streamripper’s counsel argues that the ruling’s treatment of noninfringing uses is relevant to its case against the RIAA. The music group disagrees, suggesting that it is not relevant.

Source: Yout.com Hopes Supreme Court’s Cox Ruling Helps Its Case; RIAA Disagrees

After Cox ruling, Supreme Court wipes out Grande Communications’ $47M music piracy verdict

The decision comes as  the Supreme Court last month ruled unanimously in Cox v. Sony Music that internet service providers cannot be held liable for copyright infringement committed by their users, unless the provider actively induced the infringement or provided a service tailored to that infringement — meaning a service not capable of substantial noninfringing uses.

Source: After Cox ruling, Supreme Court wipes out Grande Communications’ $47M music piracy verdict

Australia introduces new “orphan works” copyright legislation

Australia’s government has unveiled new copyright reforms this week, specifically involving circumstances in which the copyright owner is unknown or unlocatable – ‘orphan works’. Expanding on the contents of the Copyright Act 1986, the Copyright Amendment Bill allows Australians new access to “orphaned” creative, historical and educational materials, some of which have been previously held indefinitely in the archives of cultural institutions across the country.

Source: Australia introduces new “orphan works” copyright legislation

How Accurate Are Google’s A.I. Overviews?

A recent analysis of AI Overviews found that they were accurate approximately nine out of 10 times. But with Google processing more than five trillion searches a year, this means that it provides tens of millions of erroneous answers every hour (or hundreds of thousands of inaccuracies every minute), according to an analysis done by an A.I. start-up called Oumi.

Source: How Accurate Are Google’s A.I. Overviews?

Music Publishers Ask Court to Dismiss X’s ‘Weaponized DMCA’ Antitrust Suit

Major music publishers and the NMPA are asking a Texas federal court to throw out X’s antitrust lawsuit, calling it a baseless attempt at retaliation. The music companies argue that X’s conspiracy theory rests on a single word in an email, while adding that their massive DMCA takedown campaign was not a sham but fully protected by the First Amendment.

Source: Music Publishers Ask Court to Dismiss X’s ‘Weaponized DMCA’ Antitrust Suit

Hollywood Assistants Are Using AI Despite Their Better Judgment

And, as with previous introductions of new technology into Hollywood, from digital film to email, AI is percolating from the bottom up, starting with the assistant class — on track to become industry standard as today’s underlings (those that survive the continual layoffs, that is) rise to positions of power. Confronted with larger workloads and a shrinking headcount, AI — both the kind officially approved by companies and more surreptitious uses — has made its way via support staff into essential Hollywood workflows.

Source: Hollywood Assistants Are Using AI Despite Their Better Judgment 

WGA Reaches Surprise Deal With Studios a Month Before Contract Expires

The guild reached a tentative agreement on Saturday with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The deal will run for four years — instead of the typical three-year term — a significant benefit to the studios, which will get an extra year without the possibility of a strike. Details were not immediately forthcoming, but the deal was expected to include a major cash infusion into the guild’s teetering health fund, which has bled $200 million over the last four years.

Source: WGA Reaches Surprise Deal With Studios a Month Before Contract Expires

IMPALA says WMG’s Revelator acquisition is ‘bad news for artists, fans, and Europe’s diversity’

The statement, published on Thursday (April 2), came one day after WMG announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the independent music platform, which specializes in digital music distribution, rights management, royalty accounting, and real-time analytics. IMPALA acknowledged that the deal reflects well on the independent sector’s capacity for innovation, but argued that it continues a pattern in which independent infrastructure is absorbed by major label groups

Source: IMPALA says WMG’s Revelator acquisition is ‘bad news for artists, fans, and Europe’s diversity’

U.S. Lawmakers Work on Unified Site-Blocking Bill to Counter Online Piracy

Last week’s Supreme Court decision in Cox Communications reshaped the piracy liability landscape, creating new urgency for site-blocking legislation in Congress. This could be addressed by Senator Thom Tillis and Representative Zoe Lofgren, who have been working on bicameral legislation that would require ISPs and DNS resolvers to block foreign pirate sites under court order, TorrentFreak has learned.

Source: U.S. Lawmakers Work on Unified Site-Blocking Bill to Counter Online Piracy

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