Category «Copyright»

Fenced-off culture, the privatized Internet, and why book publishers lean on a 30-year-old doctrine

The Internet Archive (IA) “is a non-profit digital library offering free universal access to books, movies & music, as well as 624 billion archived web pages.” The IA offers users unrestricted access to its expansive ecosystem of knowledge and educational resources from the public domain. Andy Oram, prolific author, editor, publisher, and technical expert on all aspects of computing, undertook an extensive examination of a game changing case, Hachette v. Internet Archive, that may dismantle this unique, invaluable digital library. In this article Oram examines what the publishers are trying to protect and why they have to wield a large and heavy cudgel to protect it. His inquiry leads to a look at how culture has been privatized as it has become digitized—an effect quite opposed to the hopes of most public advocates who maintain the view that the Internet and the World Wide Web should remain focused on public access, not private sector monetization.

Subjects: Archives, Congress, Copyright, E-Books, Internet Resources, KM, Legal Research, Legislative, Libraries & Librarians, Publishing & Publishers (Legal), Search Engines, United States Law, Virtual Library

Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 2, 2022

Privacy and security issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: The dangers of dark data: How to manage it and mitigate the risks; US Still Lacks Federal Cyber Strategy After Decades of Attempts; The Worst Scams of 2021; and Tips for providing digital security benefits to employees.

Subjects: Comparative/Foreign Law, Congress, Copyright, Cybercrime, Cyberlaw, Cybersecurity, KM, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media, Spyware, Technology Trends

Why Informal Information Sharing is Holding Your Organization Back

This article by Mary Ellen Bates is an excerpt from her recent presentation “The Strategic Value of Copyright Licensing Solutions,” to which she also provides a video link. Bates discusses ways published information is being used throughout organizations that you may not have considered, and the impact on copyright compliance.

Subjects: Communications, Competitive Intelligence, Copyright, Information Management, KM, Libraries & Librarians, Technology Trends, Training

Increased ebook lending popularity leaves publishers worried, librarians still dissatisfied

Chris Meadows was Editor and Senior Staff Writer at TeleRead, a site focusing on e-book and library news. It is with sadness that I share one of his last articles – he passed away last week after a hit and run accident. Chris was an expert on all facets of digital content issues, and the son of two librarians. I have included more information in my editor’s note at the end of the article. He will be missed. My deepest condolences to his family.

Subjects: Copyright, E-Books, Education, Gadgets/Gizmos, Health, Healthcare, Libraries & Librarians, Library Marketing, Library Software & Technology, Publishing & Publishers (Legal), Technology Trends

Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues May 24, 2020

Privacy and security issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: Foreign Hackers Swipe Millions in Unemployment Benefits; An Apple whistleblower has publicly slammed the company, claiming it violated ‘fundamental rights’ after Siri recorded users’ intimate moments without consent; Google censored search results after bogus copyright claims; and COVID-19 data sharing with law enforcement sparks concern.

Subjects: Competitive Intelligence, Computer Security, Copyright, Criminal Law, Cybercrime, Cyberlaw, Cybersecurity, Financial System, Health, Healthcare, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media, Technology Trends

COVID-19, Copyright and Library Superpowers Part I

If you work in any of the higher ed institutions that are preparing to move online – maybe your copyright world has exploded in a range of questions on fair use, e-reserves, online access, scanning, digitization, and more! Many in the library community are working towards the best solution for students, faculty, staff, and patrons in this time of crisis. To help you navigate this process, lawyer, librarian, copyright academic Kyle K. Courtney’s Two Part article offers a wealth of guidance on the legal tools libraries have for copyright as “stewards of access” in our communities. [See Part 2]

Subjects: Copyright, Education, Federal Legislative Research, Health, Law Librarians, Legal Education, Legal Research, Libraries & Librarians, Licensing, Reference Resources

COVID-19, Copyright, and Library Superpowers Part II

If you work in any of the higher ed institutions that are preparing to move online – maybe your copyright world has exploded in a range of questions on fair use, e-reserves, online access, scanning, digitization, and more! Many in the library community are working towards the best solution for students, faculty, staff, and patrons in this time of crisis. To help you navigate this process, lawyer, librarian, copyright academic Kyle K. Courtney’s Two Part article offers a wealth of guidance on the legal tools libraries have for copyright as “stewards of access” in our communities. [See Part 1]

Subjects: Copyright, Document Delivery, Education, Health, KM, Law Librarians, Legal Education, Legislative, Licensing, Reference Resources, United States Law

If My AI Wrote this Post, Could I Own the Copyright?

Todd A Carpenter, Executive Director of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), discusses the factors that have brought us to an inflection point with a new technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and associated questions about the boundaries of intellectual property rights. Carpenter contends there could be profound implications for the publishing and scientific communities, which are becoming key sources of training data for artificial intelligence systems, as well as for publishers themselves, potentially becoming reliant on artificial intelligence for creation, curation and engagement of new content. In this article he reports on a forum hosted by WIPO and the Copyright Office that focused on whether copyright can apply to the works created by artificial intelligence systems.

Subjects: AI, Comparative/Foreign Law, Copyright, Intellectual Property, KM, Legal Research, Technology Trends, United States Law

The Music of the Algorithms: Tune-ing Up Creativity with Artificial Intelligence

In this article, Alan Rothman engages us with significant insights into how the music business is using artificially intelligent music composers, producers and performers that challenge the boundaries of intellectual property and human versus AI musical production. Rothman offers perspective and resources that address whether the dawn of new music produced by AI is upon us, what are the consequences for the artists, the consumers, and the legal system that may be called up to deal with conflicts that will invariably arise.

Subjects: AI, Copyright, Intellectual Property