DRM, or digital rights management, is a technology being used by publishers and other copyright holders to limit the piracy of digital media and devices. Most record labels insist that online music retailers employ DRM to prevent rampant copying and piracy.
However, Wal-Mart has recently began selling songs without DRM on their website for $0.94 per song, or $9.44 an album.
Kevin Swint, Wal-Mart’s senior director for digital media, said… “Our new ‘DRM-free’ MP3 digital tracks give (customers) the ease and flexibility to play music on virtually any device at a great value.”
Read the full article here.
Posted Saturday, August 25th, 2007
This should be interesting…
Veoh.com, an online video sharing website, has filed a pre-emptive lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), asking a federal judge to stop the music label from filing its own copyright infringement action.
Veoh Networks Inc. is arguing that they are entitled to protection under the “safe harbor” provision of U.S. copyright law… adding that they do not encourage users to infringe on any copyrights and actually go beyond today’s current legal requirements to investigate and remove infringing material when notified to do so.
Read more about this case.
Posted Thursday, August 16th, 2007
I just read this on ccMixter’s Blog…
A court in Moscow has acquitted the former owner of the Russian music website, AllofMp3.com, who sold downloads of Western music as low as $0 .10 per track. According to the District Judge, “The prosecution did not succeed in presenting persuasive evidence of his involvement in infringing copyright law.”
The website was closed in June due to pressure from US music companies, but not before attracting millions of customers.
Read the full article from BBC News
Posted Thursday, August 16th, 2007
The National Music Publishers’ Association is joining a copyright infringement lawsuit against YouTube. The lawsuit contends that YouTube is hosting video clips that the plaintiffs hold copyrights to… while YouTube states they are complying with copyright law by removing any such clips immediately after notification.
Other plaintiffs include Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Viacom Inc., the media company that owns MTV.
Read Full Article
Posted Thursday, August 9th, 2007
Bars featuring cover bands watch your back…
Nightclubs, bars, restaurants and other establishments featuring live artists that perform cover songs written by famous musicians are being targeted by music copyright companies in an effort collect royalty fees.
A $210,000 copyright infringement lawsuit was recently filed by a group of 13 licensing companies against the owner of the SaltyDawg II, an East Side Tuscan bar. Details related to the specific infringement in this case are not available, but possibilities include live musicians, karaoke, and the jukebox.
There’s more… according to a press release from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), this lawsuit is one of 26 recently filed against bars, restaurants and nightclubs in 17 states.
Unbelievable.
Read more about this case on the Tuscan Citizen website.
Posted Tuesday, August 7th, 2007
