Hope this is helpful -
Lesley
FROM THE OFFICES OF LESLEY ELLEN HARRIS
Copyright, New Media Law & E-Commerce News
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Vol. 12, No. 1, January 16, 2008
ISSN 1489-954X
Contents:
1. Studies, Legislation and Conventions:
Canadian Government Holds Back Copyright Bill
U.K. Government Launches Copyright Consultation
2. Legal Cases:
Cookbook Author Sues Seinfeld
Scrabble Maker Acts Against Facebook
3. Of Interest:
Egypt to Copyright Pyramids
4. Seminars and Publications:
New Online Course on: Copyright Education
New Program for Special Librarians: Certificate in Copyright Management
The Copyright & New Media Law Newsletter
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Copyright, New Media & E-Commerce News is distributed for free by the office
of Lesley Ellen Harris. Information contained herein should not be relied
upon or considered as legal advice. Copyright 2008 Lesley Ellen Harris. This
e-letter may be forwarded, downloaded or reproduced in whole in any print or
electronic format for non-commercial purposes provided that you cc:
lehletter at copyrightlaws.com.
This e-letter, from 1996 to the present, is archived with Library & Archives
Canada at: http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/201/300/copyright/.
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1. STUDIES, LEGISLATION AND CONVENTIONS:
CANADIAN GOVERNMENT HOLDS BACK COPYRIGHT BILL - The Canadian Government did
not table a Copyright Bill in December 2007, as initially planned (see
LEH-Letter, Volume 11, No. 4). Jim Prentice, the Industry Minister, said
that he will introduce a bill when he and the Minister of Heritage are
satisfied that the bill strikes the appropriate balance between the rights
of creators and consumers.
U.K. GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES COPYRIGHT CONSULTATION - The U.K. government has
announced the Gower Copyright Consultation, aiming at "ensuring the U.K.'s
copyright laws are fit for the digital age." The proposed changes include
more freedom to transfer music and movies between formats, such as from a CD
to an MP3 player. See:
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/press/press-release/press-release-2008/press-release-20080108.htm.
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2. LEGAL CASES:
COOKbOOK AUTHOR SUES SEINFELD - Missy Chase Lapine, the author of a
nutritional cookbook for children, The Sneaky Chef, is suing Jessica
Seinfeld for copyright infringement. Seinfeld, wife of comedian Jerry,
published a book six months after Lapine's, called Deceptively Delicious.
Lapine claims that Seinfeld's book has "striking similarities" to her own
title, including identical recipes, cover art, structure, and identical
language.
SCRABBLE MAKER ACTS AGAINST FACEBOOK - Hasbro, the manufacturer of Scrabble,
has issued a cease-and-desist order against social networking site Facebook.
Hasbro claims that Facebook's Scrabulous, an online version of the popular
board game that attracts 500,000 users a day, breaches its copyright in
Scrabble.
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3. OF INTEREST:
EGYPT TO COPYRIGHT PYRAMIDS - The Egyptian government has announced a
proposed law that will require royalties to be paid when copies are made of
artifacts or monuments such as the sphinx or the pyramids. Only exact,
to-scale replicas would be subject to royalties. Copyright experts question
whether the law would be enforceable internationally.
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4. SEMINARS AND PUBLICATIONS:
NEW ONLINE COURSE ON COPYRIGHT EDUCATION - New in 2008, Copyright Education:
Demystifying Copyright in Your Enterprise, is designed to allow both lawyers
and non-lawyers to develop an enterprise-wide internal copyright education
plan. Topics include: why copyright education; why employees want and
need copyright education; the search for an internal or external copyright
instructor; determining the copyright issues; balancing practical,
academic and legal copyright education in your enterprise; the role of your
written copyright policy; preparing a copyright education plan including
budget and timeline; developing content for your education; determining
the best format for your copyright education; and evaluating your copyright
education.
This is an 8 week course (beginning April 14, 2008), with one e-lesson per
week. There is also a moderated discussion list for general discussions.
Each week, a specific discussion question will be posted on this list. As
well, each week a case study for class discussion will be posted on this
list.
Copyrightlaws.com is also offering the following 8-week online courses:
? U.S. Copyright Law
? Canadian Copyright Law
? Managing Copyright Issues
Register at: http://www.acteva.com/go/copyright. If you are a member of
NFAIS, Solinet, OCLC/Capcon of ACP, register through your association.
NEW PROGRAM FOR SPECIAL LIBRARIANS: CERTIFICATE IN COPYRIGHT MANAGEMENT -
This program, consisting of 5 online courses and 2 in-person courses,
created in partnership between Lesley Ellen Harris and SLA Click University,
begins in January 2008. Participants have two years to complete the 7
courses required for the certificate, or may take any course ? la carte. The
first course, Introduction to Copyright Principles, begins on January 22,
2008. There is an optional additional course for Canadian librarians on
Canadian copyright law. For more information, see:
www.clickuniversity.com.
THE COPYRIGHT & NEW MEDIA LAW NEWSLETTER - This unique publication deals
with copyright law, licensing and related matters for a diverse audience of
copyright professionals including librarians, archivists, curators,
educators, lawyers, publishers, and digital content creators. This is a
print newsletter, begun in 1997. It is published four times per year, with
contributors and authors from around the world. Sample copy is at:
http://copyrightlaws.com. To subscribe, visit:
http://www.acteva.com/go/copyright.
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This newsletter is prepared by Copyright Lawyer Lesley Ellen Harris. Lesley
is the author of the books Canadian Copyright Law (McGraw-Hill), Digital
Property: Currency of the 21st Century (McGraw-Hill), and Licensing Digital
Content (ALA Editions). Lesley edits the print newsletter, The Copyright &
New Media Law Newsletter. Lesley may be reached at:
http://copyrightlaws.com.
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This LEH-Letter issue was prepared with the help of Beth Davies.
If you are looking for further topical and practical information about
copyright law, obtain a sample copy of the print newsletter, The Copyright &
New Media Law Newsletter, from http://copyrightlaws.com.
