copyright

Congress’s top 5 tech questions for 2012 (more than just SOPA)

By Derrick Harris

GigaOM

January 19, 2012

The impending Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act have the Internet in a tizzy, but Congress has a lot more to think about on the technology front than just intellectual property. Even digging below the surface of the SOPA debate, you see that the issues at play — such as defining Internet borders and squelching innovation on the web — have broad effects that span everything from the digital divide to international commerce. read more

If Congress wants jobs, it can't want SOPA

By Derrick Harris

GigaOM

January 22, 2012

Although the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act have been shelved, their staunchest congressional supporters are still criticizing the opposition, claiming the bills would save thousands of jobs. However, these claims look like little more than empty rhetoric.

The entertainment industry — profit-hungry and change-averse — is already its own worst enemy. Meanwhile, the Internet economy that bills such as SOPA and PIPA threaten to derail is a potential job creator the likes of which Hollywood could ever be… read more

Future of Music Coalition's Casey Rae-Hunter On Media Matters Radio: SOPA Could Have "Chilling Effect" On Internet Expression

Media Matters For America

January 9, 2012

From the January 7 edition of Media Matters Radio on SiriusXM Left 127

FMC Supports Songwriters' Filing in Termination Case

Regular readers have probably seen us post about “termination rights,” which is a fancy way of saying that authors of copyrightable works — including musicians and songwriters — are eligible under federal law to have their rights return to them after a period of 35 years. Some of the companies to whom those copyrights were originally granted (like publishers and labels), aren’t keen to give them up. read more

Future Of Music Coalition Says It Cannot Support E-PARASITE/SOPA In Good Conscience

By Mike Masnic

TechDirt

November 3, 2011

While some groups representing content creators feel they need to hold their nose and stay lockstep with folks like the RIAA and MPAA in support of such obviously bad proposals as E-PARASITE/SOPA, at least some musicians groups are intellectually honest enough to admit that this is a bad, bad bill for creators. The Future of Music Coalition, whom no one can ever claim as being “anti-IP,” “pro-piracy” or (most ridiculous of all) “anti-artist,” has come out with a thoughtful rejection of E-PARASITE/SOPA. The group notes that while it quite frequently agrees with the RIAA/A2IM/AFM and other such groups, on this bill it simply cannot go along. The bill is that bad: read more

Supporters, Critics Spar Over Piracy Bills

By Juliana Gruenwald

National Journal

November 3, 2011

Lawmakers who back legislation that would crack down on piracy and counterfeiting on foreign websites pushed back Wednesday against critics who say that the measures could undermine the growth of new technologies and services on the Internet.

A group of artists held a competing news conference on Wednesday to voice their fears about collateral damage that the bills might cause. Supporters of the piracy legislation tried to allay their fears. … read more

Coming Clean on SOPA

In October 2011, members of the US House of Representatives introduced a piece of legislation called the “Stop Online Piracy Act,” or SOPA. The stated goal of the bill is pretty much what its name implies. Specifically, it deals with US access to foreign websites that traffic in the unauthorized distribution of intellectual property. read more

On Copyright

Future of Music Coalition respects intellectual property and copyright. We believe that musicians and songwriters must have the ability to be compensated for their work, regardless of where or how that work is used or accessed.

We also recognize that creators are not a monolithic group, and may have a variety of perspectives on issues at the intersection of copyright and technology. That’s why we think it is so important that the artist perspective is represented in debates about intellectual property in the information age. read more

I Got 99 Problems (But IP Enforcement Ain't One)

Check this scenario (it’s probably familiar):

You are a musician who has released music across a variety of legal digital platforms. Your fans can purchase your latest album on your own online store or at their favorite digital retailer for a reasonable price. Increasingly, though, you’re hearing that your fans are picking up copies from third party sites that aren’t licensed to carry your content. You blast off an angry email to that site telling them to cease and desist; they ignore your emails and continue selling your music, handling the payments through major payment processors. read more

Payment Processor Best Practices for Online Copyright Infringement

What it Means for Musicians

Monday, October 24, 2011

Intellectual property theft on the internet is as rampant as it is difficult to effectively curtail. Musicians are among those who earn a living — at least in part — from their copyrights, which is why Future of Music Coalition is generally supportive of efforts to protect artists’ rights online. read more