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UK implements licensing scheme for orphan works
Famous orphans The UK has implemented yet another piece of positive copyright reform by creating a scheme that licences orphan works. Now, that is one sentence that you do not get to say often enough,...
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Can you copyright a tweet?
Some weeks ago I was asked to comment on whether tweets are subject to copyright protection. Unsurprisingly, this is a common question that gets asked over and over again, as some of the information...
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Katy Perry jumps the shark, makes copyright claim over 3D print model
During this year’s Super Bowl, Katy Perry baffled and endeared millions with an act that included a giant metal tiger, a floating star, and the real stars of the show, two blue dancing sharks....
View ArticleLiving in a remixed world (TEDx talk)
I like telling stories, and today I bring you a story in space and time, involving knitting, 3D printing, over-blown intellectual property claims, and sharks. I hope that it will all make sense. The...
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Should copyright terms be shorter?
The Green Party in the UK has found itself in a bit of hot water with the creative sector when it made a policy statement that it would shorten copyright terms to 14 years. As far as I am aware, this...
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High Court takes second step in making it illegal to rip CDs
Last month we reported about a decision by the High Court of Justice that declared that a new law making it legal to make private copies of media you own contravened EU copyright law. As the decision...
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Do androids dream of electric copyright? Ownership of Deep Dream images
You may have come across Deep Dream, a visualization tool by Google that uses artificial intelligence to create unique, bizarre, and sometimes unsettling images. Deep Dream is an open source program...
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No, iTunes is not illegal under UK copyright law
My social media timeline has been inundated with reports that iTunes is now illegal in the UK. The origin of the story is an article in TorrentFreak, where the author contacted the UK IP Office to ask...
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File sharers could face 10 years in jail in the UK
The Open Rights Group (ORG) has sent us a communication regarding a new proposal in the UK to criminalise copyright infringement beyond the current limits to up to 10 years. I reproduce their...
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Can Ashley Madison use copyright law to stop leaked data?
Some of the Ashley Madison data out there simply reflects population sizes Back in July the infamous website Ashley Madison, which facilitates marital infidelity, was hacked by a group calling itself...
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Army of Lame Ducks: Is copyright irrelevant in the viral age?
Last month, a 22-year old Norwegian called Kevin Synnes took a trip with his girlfriend to get a new engine for his car. They stopped at a hardware store and Kevin found a large box filled with toy...
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Legal analysis of the PETA monkey selfie suit
More monkey business Just when you thought that the monkey selfie story had ran its course, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have sued the photographer David Slater and his company...
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Private copying is illegal again in the UK
Illegal activity detected A few months ago we reported on a couple of decisions by the England and Wales Hight Court declaring private copying illegal (here and here). Incredibly, before 2014 making a...
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Time to #SaveTheLink
Policy-makers may still be struggling with this Internet thing I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the EU is not about to make linking illegal. The bad news is that the latest proposal...
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California judge reaches decision in PETA’s monkey selfie case
A judge in California has dismissed a copyright case brought by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), where the animal rights organisation claimed that it represented the monkey that...
View ArticleCourt rules copyright is infringed by 8 second video clips
At 7 seconds, this happy llama is thankfully not infringing.*How much do you need to reproduce a video or broadcast in order to infringe copyright? In the age of Vine, Periscope and animated gifs,...
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Cat selfies: the next copyright battle?
I admit that I am currently obsessed with non-human copyright. First monkey selfies, then I am writing an article on artificial intelligence and copyright. Now enter Manny, a cat that loves taking...
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No, taking a Snapchat screenshot will probably not land you in jail
We tackle the big issues here in Technollama. Do monkeys and cats own copyright? Will the UK government ban Whatsapp? Can you copyright a tweet? Can you knit a Dalek?The latest copyright controversy...
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European Court rules on copyright jurisdiction and private copying
Where can you sue?The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has once more helped to answer one of the most puzzling aspects of Internet regulation, where do things happen online? In particular,...
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Can you copyright the Klingon language?
bortaS bIr jablu’DI’ reH QaQqu’ nay’There has been a disturbance in the Force, have you felt it? Wait, wrong franchise. To Boldly Go Where No Copyright Suit Has Gone Before! Yes, Qapla’ !Occasionally...
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