Copyhype

Copyhype has a Facebook page — I created a Facebook page for Copyhype this week. Hope to see you there!

Video Streaming Bill Targets Criminals, Not Lip-syncers — The MPAA knocks down the fears that S.978 will put people in jail for embedding YouTube videos. Of course it won’t; how many people are in jail now for such conduct? (None). Yet, criminal infringement of the public performance right is already punishable by up to one year in prison — and has been since 1897 (that’s not a typo, the prohibition is over 100 years old).

“Independent” Creation in the Mainstream Media — Chris Castle shares his thoughts on the recent op-ed pieces from the NY and LA Times regarding the PROTECT IP Act.

Ask ARS: Which image services might commercialize my photos? — Ars Technica examines the TOS of several major UGC image sites to see which ones require users to grant permission for commercial use of photos they upload. Because that would be bad if that’s not what you wanted, and you didn’t realize you were granting that right. But if someone else uploads your content for a site to commercialize … then register your complaints with the you’re-a-greedy-creator-with-an-outdated-business-model department.

Questionable Morality — Faza at The Cynical Musician has written a number of fantastic posts this week. This one tackles the issue of the public good/private right distinction in copyright law by making an analogy to someone who trespasses in your home while you’re away for various reasons.

Big Idea, Big Support — The European Commission has been seeking proposals for implementing its Digital Agenda, the goal of which “is to deliver sustainable economic and social benefits from a digital single market based on fast and ultra fast internet and interoperable applications.” Dominic Young discusses one of the ideas he supports that’s been included — digital copyright licensing standards that make managing copyrights easy. (Full paper here).

Does Cable TV Have a Future — Andrew Keen interviews Peter Stern, Chief Strategy Officer at Time Warner Cable, in this fascinating series of videos. Among the topics discussed: Netflix, network neutrality, a la carte cable packages, and yes, the future of cable television.

New Dot-Anything Domain Name Policy Lousy for Most Bloggers — ICANN recently announced it is going forward with plans to allow applications for new top-level domains. Eric E. Johnson raises one of the concerns he has with the idea.