Now 2 #Chicago Bars Hit By Lawsuits For Playing Unlicensed Music !

 

Picture via Fatpour's Facebook Page

We probably take music at bars for granted. You head inside, you're greeted by whatever happens to be on the jukebox and you internally stew about why they don't have the kind of music you want. As two Chicago bars found out, there's a pretty good reason you can't listen to whatever you want: the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is always listening.

ASCAP has filed lawsuits against Fatpour in Wicker Park and Kirkwood Bar in Lakeview, seeking $150,000 in damages for not purchasing a license to play songs, according to DNAInfo. According to the complaint, ASCAP repeatedly reached out to both bars in an attempt to have them submit into full compliance with the organization. A license for Fatpour would cost $2,800 a year while Kirkwood's would cost $1,100 a year.

ASCAP exists to protect its members, which includes most of the anonymous individuals who write your favorite songs. In 1917, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of songwriters in the caseHerbert v. Shanley Co., a decision that has had tremendous ripple effects in the ensuing 100 years.

http://goo.gl/fC6bdW

Please RT - THANKS!

PATIENT PRIVACY IN AN ERA OF #SOCIAL #MEDIA @JDSupra

Dropbox, Confidentiality, and the Attorney-Client Privilege

Follow Ryan

Dropbox, Confidentiality, and the Attorney-Client Privilege

Ryan Van MeterDeputy General Counsel - North America at ImerysTop Contributor

My boss and I have a running discussion about whether privileged documents saved to shared cloud-based resources operated by third parties, like Dropbox, can hold up as truly confidential under scrutiny. The resource is incredibly useful for transferring large amounts of data that would have previously required FTP sites to be set up, or massive amounts of paper to change hands.

But when we hear that Dropbox can identify (and delete) copyrighted docs in your folders without even looking at them ( http://tcrn.ch/1gFy1zh ), or if folders you set up and delete on your account can remain in another person's account if you "shared" your folder with them, does the service really maintain the level of confidentiality that the courts would demand for privileged materials? And if not, are there other services who do a better job of this? Thanks.

https://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&item=5856820273814200320&type=member&gid=1320117&trk=eml-b2_anet_digest-null-8-null&fromEmail=fromEmail&ut=2z5WUuyNG8u6c1

Authors Guild files appeal in Google copyright claim

by Nicholas Tomsho

©  WikiMedia (user)

[JURIST] The Authors Guild[advocacy website] filed an appellate brief [text] on Friday, renewing its complaint that Google[corporate website] is violating copyright laws with its mass book digitization project. The brief, filed with the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit [official website], claims that Google's "Library Project" is scanning copyrighted works and making them available online without the copyright holders' consent, "driv[ing] potential book purchasers away from online book retailers, increas[ing] its advertising revenue, and stifl[ing] its competition." The original lawsuit was filed in 2005 with a settlement agreement reached in 2008 that was rejected [JURIST reports] by a federal judge in 2011. The Authors Guild has suggested that Congress instead establish a "National Digital Library" that would be available to schools, libraries, and other subscribing institutions.

http://jurist.org/paperchase/2014/04/authors-guild-files-appeal-on-copyright-claim-against-google.php#.U0ri-VW8B7Z

Copyright Registration Basics for "Creative Entrepreneurs"

Linking to a website doesn't infringe copyright, Europe's Court of Justice says

Loek Essers@loekessers

• Feb 13, 2014 3:40 AM
• print

The owner of a website does not require authorization of the copyright holder to link to freely accessible copyright works on another site, even if Internet users get the impression that the work is appearing on the site that contains the link, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) said Thursday.

The CJEU provided advice to the Court of Appeal in Svea, Sweden, in a case pitting Swedish journalists against Retriever Sverige, a media monitor and aggregation company that provides access to information from newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, Internet and social media.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2097660/no-authorisation-required-for-hyperlinks-to-copyright-works-cjeu-says.html
========================================================================
Be realistic - if Google gets away with Google BOOKS there is little hope for something as minor as a link to material being seen as a copyright violation.

Judge Issues Devastating Ruling Against Online Copyright Crusaders

Geoffrey Ingersoll

geoffrey.ingersoll@hotmail.com

  

China Stringer/Reuters

Washington District Judge Robert Lasnik ruled simply that IP addresses are not individuals, according to a report by Torrentfreak.

An "Internet Protocol" address is a numerical value placed on a computer that is participating in Internet traffic. An Internet Service Provider, or ISP,

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/judge-copyright-claims-2014-1#ixzz2rLorK9aF