Below is my office e-letter on copyright news--please email me if you would
like to be added to this list.
Lesley
Lesley Ellen Harris
lesley at copyrightlaws.com
FROM THE OFFICES OF LESLEY ELLEN HARRIS
Copyright, New Media Law & E-Commerce News
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Vol. 10, No. 5, October 23, 2006
ISSN 1489-954X
Contents:
1. Studies, Legislation and Conventions:
Congress Holds Hearings on Campus Copyright Infringement
Australian Copyright Reform Bill
2. Legal Cases:
Canadian Supreme Court Upholds Rights of Freelancers
Morpheus File-Sharing Software Ruled Illegal
3. Of Interest:
YouTube Deletes Almost 30,000 Files
Updated Copyright Web site
4. Seminars:
Fall 2006 Online Courses
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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 2006 Lesley Ellen Harris. This
newsletter may be forwarded, downloaded or reproduced in whole in any print
or electronic format for non-commercial purposes provided that its author is
acknowledged and 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:
Congress Holds Hearings on Campus Copyright Infringement - The U.S. House of
Representatives' Committee on Education and the Workforce, Sub-Committee on
21st Century Competitiveness, recently held hearings on the impact of
copyright violation, particularly over the Internet, on college campuses.
The committee heard from both education and entertainment industry
representatives. In March, the House passed H.R. 609, a bill to reauthorize
the Higher Education Act, which allows universities to use federal funds to
address online copyright infringement.
AUSTRALIAN COPYRIGHT REFORM BILL - On October 19, 2006, The Copyright
Amendment Bill 2006 was introduced into Australian Parliament. The
Government has referred the Bill for consideration by the Senate Standing
Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs. The Bill provides new
exceptions that make it legal for people to record TV or radio programs in
order to play them at a more convenient time. It also allows format shifting
of material such as music, newspapers and books so people can put CDs they
own onto their iPods or other music players. It also gives courts extra
powers to tackle large-scale Internet piracy and unauthorized access to pay
TV.
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2. LEGAL CASES:
CANADIAN SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS RIGHTS OF FREELANCERS - The Supreme Court of
Canada has upheld a ruling that newspaper electronic databases cannot
reproduce print articles and photographs without permission of the authors
and artists. In a 5-4 decision, the Court held that, "The right to reproduce
a collective work under the Copyright Act does not carry with it the right
to republish freelance articles as part of an entirely different collective
work." For the text of Robertson v. Thomson Corp., 2006 SCC 43, see:
http://scc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/2006/2006scc43/2006scc43.html
Morpheus File-Sharing Software Ruled Illegal - Morpheus online file-sharing
software has been found by a U.S. federal judge to
encourage computer users to share copyright-protected works such as music
and
movies, without authorization. StreamCast is the distributor of Morpheus
software.
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3. OF INTEREST:
YouTube Deletes Almost 30,000 Files - YouTube, the popular video-sharing
site, deleted 29,549 videos this week after complaints from the Japanese
Society for Rights of Authors and Composers that TV and movie clips, and
music videos, had been posted without permission of copyright owners.
YouTube, acquired by Google earlier this month, has recently signed
distribution deals with media groups including Universal Music Group, Warner
Music and CBS to offer short-form programming including news, music videos,
sport and entertainment.
UPDATED COPYRIGHT WEB SITE - What would be the ideal Web site on copyright
information? Copyrightlaws.com is updating its Web site and we want your
input on what content would help you. Please email your suggestions to:
contact at copyrightlaws.com.
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4. PUBLICATIONS AND SEMINARS:
FALL 2006 ONLINE COURSES - Beginning on 30 October 2006, Copyrightlaws.com
is offering three online courses:
? U.S. Copyright Law - A primer on U.S. copyright law
? Managing Copyright Issues - An advanced course on managing all
types of copyright-protected works
? Digital Content Management - An advanced course on the legal,
strategic and practical implications of using, publishing and
re-distributing licensed digital content
To request a syllabus for any of these courses, e-mail:
seminars at copyrightlaws.com. To register, go to:
http://www.acteva.com/go/copyright. If you are a member of SLA, NFAIS,
Palinet, Solinet, OCLC/Capcon, or RGD, please register for these courses
through your association.
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This newsletter is prepared by Lesley Ellen Harris, a Copyright Lawyer and
Consultant. Lesley is the author of the books Canadian Copyright Law
(McGrawHill), Digital Property: Currency of the 21st Century, and Licensing
Digital Content (ALA Editions). Lesley may be reached at:
http://copyrightlaws.com.
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This LEH-Letter issue was prepared with the help of Beth Davies.
