Digital

15 posts

DiMA rails against Canada’s streaming levy, launches letter writing campaign

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DiMA • 2 min read

DiMA rails against Canada’s streaming levy, launches letter writing campaign

Streaming services continue in their campaign against the proposed 5% streaming levy in Canada, funds from which would support independent music and commercial radio news. Already fighting the levy in the courts, they have now launched a public-facing campaign urging consumers to write to their MPs…

Chris Cooke • 01 Oct 2024

The MLC and Spotify’s legal back-and-forth rumbles on as MLC says Spotify is “relying on new purported facts”

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Spotify • 2 min read

The MLC and Spotify’s legal back-and-forth rumbles on as MLC says Spotify is “relying on new purported facts”

The back and forth in the big bundling dispute between Spotify and US collecting society The MLC continues. Last month Spotify urged the court to dismiss The MLC’s lawsuit. In a new legal filing, The MLC argues that the legal standard for dismissal at this stage has not been met…

Chris Cooke • 23 Sep 2024

Music groups ask US Supreme Court to stop “race to the bottom” by ISPs in anti-piracy work

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Cox Communications • 2 min read

Music groups ask US Supreme Court to stop “race to the bottom” by ISPs in anti-piracy work

After four ISPs made a filing with the US Supreme court supporting Cox in its legal battle with the major record labels, now six organisations representing copyright owners have made a submission in support of the music companies. The majors are trying to protect their billion dollar damages…

Chris Cooke • 20 Sep 2024

New AI protections come into effect in California - and no, they don’t make memes illegal

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AI • 3 min read

New AI protections come into effect in California - and no, they don’t make memes illegal

American union SAG-AFTRA has welcomed new protections for performers in the context of AI that were signed into law in California yesterday. There are also new laws about using AI when creating political content during election campaigns which have annoyed X boss Elon Musk…

Chris Cooke • 19 Sep 2024

Selling is not an option says TikTok’s lawyer, as court proceedings open with freedom of speech arguments

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TikTok • 2 min read

Selling is not an option says TikTok’s lawyer, as court proceedings open with freedom of speech arguments

Judges yesterday scrutinised lawyers from TikTok as the social media company tries to block the sell-or-be-banned law passed by US Congress earlier this year. It argues that the law violates free speech and is therefore unconstitutional…

Chris Cooke • 17 Sep 2024

US internet providers slam “extortionate pressure” of copyright lawsuits as they urge the Supreme Court to scrap Cox judgement

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Cox Communications • 3 min read

US internet providers slam “extortionate pressure” of copyright lawsuits as they urge the Supreme Court to scrap Cox judgement

Cox Communications is trying to get the US Supreme Court to review the billion dollar judgement in its legal battle with the major record companies. Yesterday four other ISPs made a submission to the court supporting their rival and urging the top court to intervene…

Chris Cooke • 17 Sep 2024

Spotify pilots new tools so parents can control how their kids experience the app

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Spotify • 2 min read

Spotify pilots new tools so parents can control how their kids experience the app

Spotify continues in its bid to be seen as a responsible platform protecting children that use its app. It is piloting new tools in three markets that allow parents to control managed accounts for their children within a family plan, so they can exclude certain content, artists and tracks…

Chris Cooke • 16 Sep 2024

BMI takes royalty rate dispute with Sirius XM to rate court

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BMI • 2 min read

BMI takes royalty rate dispute with Sirius XM to rate court

BMI is taking Sirius XM to the rate court, having failed to agree what royalty rates the satellite broadcaster should pay for use of the collecting society’s repertoire. The National Music Publishers Association has welcomed the move, saying it hopes the action will lessen the ‘digital radio divide’…

Chris Cooke • 13 Sep 2024

PopArabia's rights agency announces licensing deal with Anghami

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PopArabia • 1 min read

PopArabia's rights agency announces licensing deal with Anghami

Anghami, the MENA focused streaming service, has agreed a licensing deal with ESMAA, the rights management entity owned by PopArabia. It brings to an end a legal dispute between PopArabia and Anghami, and also includes rights from a number of other independent music publishers…

Chris Cooke • 13 Sep 2024

NO FAKES Act is a “blunt solution” that “goes too far” say tech companies

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NO FAKES Act • 3 min read

NO FAKES Act is a “blunt solution” that “goes too far” say tech companies

The NO FAKES Act in the US - seen by many in the music industry as a break-through legislative safe-guard against the threat of AI - is actually a bit rubbish. At least that’s what a group of signatories to a new letter say, adding that the new legislation could have unintended consequences…

Chris Cooke • 10 Sep 2024

Music publishers say “overwhelming evidence” against Anthropic means case must not be slimmed down

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Anthropic • 2 min read

Music publishers say “overwhelming evidence” against Anthropic means case must not be slimmed down

Anthropic recently tried to get a lawsuit filed against it by a group of music publishers trimmed down, citing other cases between copyright owners and AI businesses. The publishers have now insisted this case is different because of “overwhelming evidence” that Anthropic’s AI outputted their lyrics…

Chris Cooke • 09 Sep 2024

Previous music piracy judgements against ISPs were “wrong” says Verizon, and those legal arguments “are even less persuasive now”

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Verizon • 2 min read

Previous music piracy judgements against ISPs were “wrong” says Verizon, and those legal arguments “are even less persuasive now”

The latest ISP to be sued by the majors has said that past judgements that held its rivals liable for their customers’ copyright infringement were wrong. Verizon also hopes a Supreme Court ruling that limited the liabilities of social media firms can be used as grounds to dismiss this copyright case…

Chris Cooke • 09 Sep 2024