Copyright Wars

[AnimeFan188]

Europe’s controversial overhaul of online copyright receives final approval:

"The European Parliament has given final approval to the Copyright Directive, a
controversial package of legislation designed to update copyright law in Europe for the
internet age.

Members of parliament voted 348 in favor of the law and 274 against. A last-minute
proposal to remove the law’s most controversial clause — known as Article 13 or the
‘upload filter’ — was narrowly rejected by just five votes. The directive will now be passed
on to EU member states, who will have 24 months to translate it into national law.

The Copyright Directive has been in the works for more than two years, and has been the
subject of fierce lobbying from tech giants, copyright holders, and digital rights activists."

See:

https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/26/1...ight-directive


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Werner Herzog: 'Piracy Has Been The Most Successful Form of
Distribution Worldwide':

"Research suggests that piracy may not be an issue for film sales. In 2015, a Dutch
firm submitted a 304-page report to the European Commission that found there is no
evidence that piracy hurts sales (the EU seemed to suppress the results of the study,
despite paying about $428,000 for it). And another study by the University of Houston
and Western University published in January even suggests that piracy can be beneficial
for artists. It found that movies that are leaked online when the movie is still showing in
theaters can stir buzz and increase box-office revenue."

See:

https://gizmodo.com/werner-herzog-pi...orm-1834106768

[AnimeFan188]

Hollywood’s Fight Against VPNs Turns Ugly

"A group of over two dozen film studios has repeatedly taken popular VPN providers to
court, sometimes extracting judgements worth millions of dollars in damages. While piracy
remains the central issue, recent legal arguments employed by Hollywood studios have
surpassed accusations of copyright infringement and delved into dirtier waters.

Filmmakers attempting to recoup revenue lost to piracy have long alleged that VPN
companies both encourage online piracy and have clear-cut evidence that their customers
are abusing the privacy and security provided by virtual private networks. But court
records show that studios’ legal teams have also accused VPN providers of enabling illegal
activity far beyond copyright infringement and, legal experts say, are challenging the notion
that VPNs should exist at all."

See:

https://www.wired.com/story/hollywoo...-vpn-lawsuits/

[AnimeFan188]

Hawley introducing measure to strip Disney of copyright protections

"Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced legislation on Tuesday that would strip “woke
corporations like Disney” of special protections enabling companies to hold copyright
material for decades.

The Copyright Clause Restoration Act would limit copyrighted material to 56 years
and apply the new rule retroactively, meaning Disney and other companies could
immediately lose some copyright protections if the law were passed."

See:

https://thehill.com/news/senate/3483...t-protections/