2016: The Year We Stopped Listening To Big Tech’s Favorite Excuse — Charlie Warzel at BuzzFeed writes, “But in 2016, Big Tech’s well-practiced excuse became less effective. The idea that their enormous and deeply influential platforms are merely a morally and politically neutral piece of the internet’s infrastructure — much like an ISP or a set of phone lines — that should remain open, free, and unmediated simply no longer makes ethical or logical sense.”
‘Star Trek’ Fan Film Dispute Goes to Jury Trial in Big Ruling — In a ruling on motions for summary judgment, District Court Judge Klausner rejected Axanar’s talismanic “fan fiction” fair use argument. He also ruled that the planned Star Trek spinoff film was objectively substantially similar to Paramount and CBS’s works but the question of subjective substantial similarity was necessarily a question for the jury.
Breaking Windows — At CreativeFuture, film distributor Meyer Shwarzstein discusses the critical importance of “windowing” to indie films. “Do we need independent distributors? In 1948, the US Government became concerned that there was too much power in too few people’s hands. Once the chain of distribution was broken, more voices found their way into the marketplace and more talent was developed. And while this benefited viewers by bringing them more, diverse content, it also benefited the studios that are continually looking for emerging talent.”
Disney’s multiplane camera, an innovation in illusion — A great example of how those in the creative fields are also responsible for technological innovation as well.
Standing up for Songwriters: A Journey Through Recovery — Finally, in the must-watch video below, entertainment attorney Dina LaPolt talks about her recovery and how it informs her advocacy for songwriters.