Law Commons^™

From Betamax To Youtube: How Sony Corporation Of America V. Universal City Studios, Inc. Could Still Be A Standard For New Technology, Veronica Corsaro

Federal Communications Law Journal

Internet technological innovations, particularly the development of Peer-to-Peer ("P2P") networks and the proliferation of user-generated content sites, have introduced considerable challenges for the application of copyright law and infringement liability. The response from the courts and Congress has been mixed, with severe legal curtails being applied to P2P technology while usergenerated content sites have been afforded a level of protection against infringement claims as part of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's section 512 "safe harbor" provisions. However, these provisions have raised concerns about the issue of secondary copyright liability, a matter that has still been left undefined. This Note will …

Thwack!! Take That, User-Generated Content!: Marvel Enterprises V. Ncsoft, Carl Michael Szabo

Federal Communications Law Journal

Comic-book heroes show us how to be valiant, how to fight for those less fortunate, and, in some circumstances, how to combat those who break the law. Such is the situation in the case of Marvel Enterprises, Inc. v. NCSofl Corp., a battle between user-generated content and the copyright violations that resulted.

While the issue of copyright liability has been seen in hundreds of comments and notes from courts and attorneys alike, the issue of copyright liability on the internet remains an open question that if not addressed, could endanger the protection afforded to authors. Federal and state suits have …

The Sound Of Money: Securing Copyright, Royalties, And Creative "Progress" In The Digital Music Revolution, Armen Boyajian

Federal Communications Law Journal

Academics and popular critics alike want to distill, reform, or altogether destroy U.S. copyright law as we know it. Much of this stems from animosity toward the old-guard record industry's alleged practices of overcharging consumers, underpaying royalties to artists, and suing teenagers and grandmas. But what those calling for reform all seem to neglect is a tiny but inevitable fact: for the first time in history, composers and recording artists can keep their copyrights.

Tangible media sales are being replaced by P2P file sharing, retail downloads, and streaming Webcasts. Digital technologies and wireless networks have opened prime channels for music …

Whose Burden Is It Anyway? Addressing The Needs Of Content Owners In Dmca Safe Harbors, Greg Janson

Federal Communications Law Journal

Much of today's network neutrality debate addresses concerns that cable providers will limit access to competing Web-based services delivering multimedia content. While proposals to mandate nondiscrimination for all Internet traffic surely will help create a competitive environment where online entertainment providers can prosper, ISP interference is not the only threat. Online entertainment sites that relay user-generated content are threatened by crippling litigation brought by copyright holders for actions taken by third parties using their services. Reliance on the safe harbors provided in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act has, in most cases, proved unsuccessful. This Note addresses the concerns of both …

The Riaa, The Dmca, And The Forgotten Few Webcasters: A Call For Change In Digital Copyright Royalties, Kellen Myers

Federal Communications Law Journal

Emerging webcasting technology is playing an increasing role in modem society. The ease of use of webcast technology has brought about an increased user base as well as an increased viability for small webcasting businesses. However, the mix-tape genre of independent Internet radio has been financially and legislatively abused as a forerunner of rapidly advancing digital technology and concerns over protecting copyright royalties. This Note argues for a revision of the DMCA to provide a middle ground between protecting copyrighted works and allowing the continued existence of Internet radio.

The Broadcast Flag: It's Not Just Tv, Wendy Seltzer

Federal Communications Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Innovation Policy In Telecommunications: Revisiting The Successes Of Guglielmo Marconi, John M. Williamson

Federal Communications Law Journal

Book Review: Signor Marconi's Magic Box: The Most Remarkable Invention of the 19th Century & the Amateur Inventor Whose Genius Sparked a Revolution, Gavin Weightman, Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Press, 2003, 312 pages.

A review of Gavin Weightman's Signor Marconi's Magic Box, Da Capo Press, 2003. An entertaining and informative biography of the inventor of applied wireless communications, this book also gives practical insight into the effect of patent policy on innovation. The Marconi story parallels the challenges faced by today's telecommunications innovators and offers a significant historical perspective relevant to present-day debates over the direction of innovation policy and …

Broadcast Flags And The War Against Digital Television Piracy: A Solution Or Dilemma For The Digital Era?, Debra Kaplan

Federal Communications Law Journal

With the advent of digital TV, many homes in the U.S. are now on the cutting edge of what is likely to be a sea change in how this country watches TV. While these homes can now begin to enjoy the numerous benefits of the technology, regulators and industry experts are working to craft responses to problems, both actual and anticipated, that the technology creates. Mindful of the piracy issues that came with the popularity of digital file formats in the music industry, the FCC addressed piracy in the digital TV context by endorsing the use of "broadcast flags" on …

An Introduction To Lessigian Thought, Russ Taylor

Federal Communications Law Journal

Book Review: Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity, Lawrence Lessig, New York: Penguin Press, 2004, 306 pages.

A review of Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity by Lawrence Lessig. Lawrence Lessig is a frequent commentator and prolific writer on media and communications topics. His body of work touches copyright issues, radio spectrum policy, media ownership issues, and legal ownership and control of the physical platforms that deliver broadband content. In this 2004 publication, he focuses on copyright policy. …

Staying Afloat In The Internet Stream: How To Keep Web Radio From Drowning In Digital Copyright Royalties, Emily D. Harwood

Federal Communications Law Journal

In the 1990's, the development of "streaming" technology allowed webcasters to begin broadcasting music on the Internet. The public took advantage of a plethora of free media players, and the number of web-based radio stations soared. However, a crippling dispute over broadcast rates left the viability of this technology in doubt. This Note criticizes current policies that curtail radio streaming by providing harsh financial restrictions on webcasters. In looking to the future, this Note argues that Congress should extend licensing exemptions to cover those Internet stations most like their AM/FM counterparts who do not have to pay additional fees.

When Channel Surfers Flip To The Web: Copyright Liability For Internet Broadcasting, Baoding Hsieh Fan

Federal Communications Law Journal

Digital streaming capabilities have enabled real-time Internet transmission of video signals. The advent of "Webcasting" will potentially change the way in which programming reaches audiences-increasing diversity in content as well as customer choice. Currently, cable and satellite systems secure retransmission rights to broadcast programming through statutory copyrights, and debate has ensued over whether online retransmitters should benefit from the same. This Article describes the evolution of streaming video over the Internet and examines the economic exploitation of such technology. After offering an overview of the compulsory copyright system, the Article analyzes the applicability of statutory licenses to Internet retransmissions of …

The Availability Of The Fair Use Defense In Music Piracy And Internet Technology, Sonia Das

Federal Communications Law Journal

This Note examines the development of the fair-use defense to other new technologies, such as the VCR and photocopier, and concludes that courts generally make the fair-use defense available in cases involving copying using new technology. Such uses of the technology have contributed, rather than deterred, to both the bettering of the technology itself and increasing the use of a copyright work. Ultimately, the increased uses reward the copyright holder. Next, this Note applies fair-use cases to new technology in the music industry, namely the increase availability of music on the Internet and a device known as the Rio, which …

Interpreting The Copyright Act’S Section 201(C) Revision Privilege With Respect To Electronic Media, Robert Meitus

Federal Communications Law Journal

New electronic media-including CD-ROMs and online services such as LEXIS/NEXIS-offer new outlets to which traditional publishers can disseminate the content of their publications. Recently, in Tasini v. New York Times, freelance authors claimed that the publishing industry allegedly infringed their copyrights in the underlying works of authorship. In absence of express agreements to the contrary, the authors maintained that section 201(c) of the Copyright Act gives the publishers only the limited privilege of publishing an article as part of a "particular collective work, any revision of that collective work, and any later collective work in the same series" and that …

Copyright And Antitrust: The Effects Of The Digital Performance Rights In Sound Recordings Act Of 1995 In Foreign Markets, Connie C. Davis

Federal Communications Law Journal

The licensing of copyrighted nondramatic works by performance rights societies has long been recognized as a potential source of antitrust violations. In 1995, the Congress passed the Digital Performance Rights in Sound Recordings Act in an effort to deal with the licensing problems associated with nondramatic musical works. The DPRSRA created a right in sound recordings to perform the copyrighted work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission as well as establishing compulsory licensing scheme. However, the DPRSRA failed to address the problem of licensing of nondramatic works in foreign markets. This Note identifies the anticompetitive licensing scheme practiced …

Shrinkwrap And Clickwrap Agreements: 2b Or Not 2b?, Garry L. Founds

Federal Communications Law Journal

Several problems plague typical mass-market software licensing agreement, specifically that the public is powerless to negotiate and the terms often are perceived as exceedingly broad and restrictive. The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act is designed to remedy those problems and establish the general enforceability of such agreements, with certain qualifications related to unconscionability, assent, and other caveats. UCITA, however, does not resolve, or even purport to resolve, the tension between federal copyright law and state contract law. This Note analyzes UCITA's attempt to resolve the enforceability issue; argues for an approach to preemption that promotes clarity and preserves the objectives …

The Copyright Dilemma Involving Online Service Providers: Problem Solved . . . For Now, Christian C.M. Beams

Federal Communications Law Journal

The Internet environment has presented copyright law with a development unlike any other this century. The illegal trading of copyrighted works has become easier than ever. Until recently, it was possible to hold online service providers strictly liable for the infringing actions of their users, regardless of whether the provider had knowledge of any infringing activity. While promoting the policy of copyright law, upholding such a standard had the potential to limit Internet speech and retard its growth. Seeing this, Congress began to debate on legislation that would protect innocent service providers from this liability. This Note argues that with …

Linking Copyright To Homepages, Matt Jackson

Federal Communications Law Journal

The explosive growth of the Internet as a widespread medium of communication raises many novel copyright issues. One issue that has escaped much examination is the copyright implications of "links"--references to other Internet Web sites that allow immediate access to those sites. This Comment analyzes such questions as whether linking gives rise to direct or contributory liability to the copyright owner of a linked site, and whether the links themselves are copyrightable. It concludes that, although contributory liability is possible, linking cannot constitute a direct infringement any more than dialing a phone number to reach an answering machine with a …

Contributory Liability For Access Providers: Solving The Conundrum Digitalization Has Placed On Copyright Laws, Wendy M. Melone

Federal Communications Law Journal

Courts should not rely upon a standard of vicarious liability to hold service providers responsible for copyright infringement. Rather, courts should rely on a contributory liability standard which will not undermine the growth of the Internet.

Welcoming Remarks And Statement Of The Issues, Fred H. Cate

Federal Communications Law Journal

The creation, manipulation, transmission, storage, and use of information constitute the United States' and the world's largest economic sector, affecting almost every aspect of business, education, government, and entertainment. The convener of From Conduit to Content: The Emergence of Information Policy and Law introduces The Annenberg Washington Program forum by noting the proliferation of information technologies and services, the diversity of industries and interests affected, and the number of government entities with jurisdiction, that contribute to both the complexity and the importance of information policy making.

From Conduit to Content: The Emergence of Information Policy and Law. The Annenberg Washington …

Panel Two: Information Policy Making, Allen S. Hammond, Bruce W. Mcconnell, Michael Nelson, Janice Obuchowski, Marc Rotenberg, Fred H. Cate

Federal Communications Law Journal

The second panel of From Conduit to Content: The Emergence of Information Policy and Law addresses the government's response to the policy making challenges presented by information. Panelists from the government and academia explore the question: "How has, and how should, the policy-making process respond to the diversity of issues, interests, and policymakers?" Participants include Fred H. Cate, Allen S. Hammond, Bruce W. McConnell, Michael Nelson, Janice Obuchowski, and Marc Rotenbergaddresses the government's response to the policy making challenges presented by information. Panelists from the government and academia explore the question: "How has, and how should, the policy-making process respond …

Panel One: Information Issues: Intellectual Property, Privacy, Integrity, Interoperability, And The Economics Of Information, Anne W. Branscomb, Brian Kahin, Ellen M. Kirsh, P. Michael Nugent, Fred H. Cate

Federal Communications Law Journal

The first panel of From Conduit to Content: The Emergence of Information Policy and Law examines the wide range of legal and regulatory issues presented by information, including intellectual property, privacy, free expression, liability for false or damaging expression, interoperability, international trade, antitrust, and government investment in and provision of information. Participants include Anne W. Branscomb, Fred H. Cate, Brian Kahin, Ellen M. Kirsh, and P. Michael Nugent.

From Conduit to Content: The Emergence of Information Policy and Law. The Annenberg Washington Program. Friday, March 3 1995, Washington, D.C.

Raise The Yellow Submarine! Subafilms And Extraterritorial Application Of The Copyright Act, Michael T. Crowley

Federal Communications Law Journal

Protecting United States industry from the costs of overseas pirating is complex without an enforceable bilateral copyright agreement. In fact, the U.S. loses billions of dollars to acts of piracy abroad every year. Yet, the Ninth Circuit destroyed a potential check against overseas piracy in Subafilms, Ltd. v. MGM-Pathe Communs. Co. when it ruled that the U.S. Copyright Act does not prohibit piracy abroad. After a discussion of relevant case law surrounding extraterritorial application of the Copyright Act, the Author of this Note criticizes the Subafilms decision and proposes changes to the current language contained in the Copyright Act.

Strange Fixation: Bootleg Sound Recordings Enjoy The Benefits Of Improving Technology, David Schwartz

Federal Communications Law Journal

Entrepreneurs have manufactured unauthorized sound recordings since the'turn of the century. At first, most of these recordings were counterfeits and copies of existing recordings. Starting in the late 1960s, a new genre of unauthorized recording, the "bootleg," found eager listeners, particularly among fans of rock music. Bootlegs offered music that was unavailable elsewhere such as concert recordings and unfinished studio recordings. The widespread availability of compact discs and ever improving recording technology means that some new bootlegs sound better than ever.

This Note explores the history of bootlegs and how copyright law has tried to come to grips with the …

Newscasts As Property: Will Retransmission Consent Stimulate Production Of More Local Television News?, Lorna Veraldi

Federal Communications Law Journal

The Cable Act of 1992 required, for the first time, that cable systems receive the consent of broadcast stations to retransmit their signals. While the fees that some stations had hoped to extract from the cable systems have generally not materialized, broadcasters may be able to use their expertise in the provision of local news and programming to gain additional cable channel space for this local-interest programming. The Author explores the historical interaction and conflict between cable systems and local broadcasters over retransmission rights. The Author also examines the courts' and FCC's responses to the copyright issues surrounding retransmission. Focusing …

Stolen From Stardust And Air: Idea Theft In The Entertainment Industry And A Proposal For A Concept Initiator Credit, Robert M. Winteringham

Federal Communications Law Journal

In the entertainment industry idea theft is rampant. Because copyright protects only fixed expressions, a legal remedy does not always exist to stop the unattributed and unrewarded use of plot ideas. By incorporating elements from existing copyright and contract law, this Note proposes the creation of a "concept initiator" credit to protect fully developed ideas even where copyright cannot attach. The Author argues that the credit and the three-part test to determine when the credit applies will protect ideas from theft without drastically increasing the number of frivolous lawsuits.

Ain't Nothin' Like The Real Thing, Baby : The Right Of Publicity And The Singing Voice, Russell A. Stamets

Federal Communications Law Journal

The right of publicity has allowed celebrities and their licensees to commercially exploit "personality" through ever greater and subtler methods. Two celebrated cases involving entertainers Bette Midler and Tom Waits have expanded the right of publicity to the amorphous realm of vocal performance. The indeterminacy of this new right and the significant damages awarded in the leading cases have left commercial interests confused and hesitant. This Note argues that this new right unjustly rewards a small group of celebrity performers while reducing the economic incentives that encourage the development of new performers. This Note further argues that the right in …