Mumbai University to Frame Anti-plagiarism Guidelines, US Senate Passes Music Modernisation Act, ISPs Entitled to Compensation for Costs: Canada Supreme Court, Argentine Authorities Seize Film Equipment Stolen from US, Eros International Partners with iQiyi in China, Spotify to Launch in Middle East in November.
COPYRIGHT QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Copyright Promotes Creativity by Proscribing the Right to Copy” -Kalyan C. Kankanala
INDIAN COPYRIGHT STATISTICS
There is a substantial decrease of 14.4% in the total number of copyright applications filed last week as compared to the applications filed previous week. A total of 340 applications were filed for copyright registration during the last week. Most of the applications were filed for literary and artistic works. Applications for cinematograph film decreased substantially from 17 to 01.
| S. No | Types of Work | Number of Applications filed in the Previous Week (1st September to 9th September, 2018) |
Number of Applications filed in the Recent Week (10th September to 19th September, 2018) |
Change | Percent Change |
| 1. | Literary Work | 210 | 169 | 41 | Decrease of 19.52 % |
| 2. | Musical Work | 8 | 4 | 4 | Decrease of 50 % |
| 3. | Artistic Work | 129 | 131 | 2 | Increase of 1.22% |
| 4. | Cinematograph Film | 17 | 1 | 16 | Decrease of 94.12 % |
| 5. | Sound Recording | 9 | 9 | 0 | |
| 6. | Software | 24 | 26 | 2 | Increase of 8.33% |
| Total | 397 | 340 | 57 | Decrease of 14.4% |
INDIAN COPYRIGHT NEWS
Mumbai University to Frame Anti-plagiarism Guidelines
Based on the rules provided by the UGC (University Grants Commission) last month, Mumbai University has decided to formulate its own guidelines to tackle plagiarism. Mumbai University will be setting up a Committee to draft the guidelines, and will also be acquiring a software to detect plagiarism. The UGC guidelines imposed penalties on students and professors found to be plagiarising content. Through its guidelines, UGC aims to create awareness about responsible research and set up mechanisms to detect and prevent plagiarism.
INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT NEWS UPDATE
US Senate Passes Music Modernisation Act
On September 18, the US Senate unanimously approved the Music Modernisation Act, a legislation for music reform. Before the Bill becomes a law, it must be reconsidered by the House and then signed by President Trump. The Act aims to make it easier for rights holders to get paid when their music is streamed online, and improve royalty payouts for producers and engineers from SoundExchange when their recordings are used on satellite and online radio.
The Bill was approved despite opposition from mechanical licensing groups. The bill has been widely supported by artists, songwriters, and other members of the music industry.
ISPs Entitled to Compensation for Costs: Canada Supreme Court
The Canadian Supreme Court recently held that, Internet service providers (ISPs) can charge copyright holders for some steps taken to identify customers suspected of illegal downloading. However, ISPs cannot claim compensation for the cost of fulfilling obligations required to be carried out free of cost as per the the Copyright Act. The suit involved the interpretation of the Copyright Act to determine who should have to pay for an ISP to reveal a customer’s identity. It was determined that ISPs could ask for reasonable compensation for their time and effort spent in complying with the requests of copyright owners for procuring and verifying the accuracy of information regarding copyright infringers. It is also expected that this step will prevent ISPs from being flooded with requests for information.
Argentine Authorities Seize Film Equipment Stolen from US
Last week, Argentine authorities reported that they had seized film equipment worth USD 3 million, which had been stolen in Hollywood and New York. The equipment includes cameras, camera cases, lenses, lights and other equipment.
Argentine Federal Police Chief Nestor Roncaglia said 17 people are being investigated. The equipment was seized through raids conducted on a criminal gang, which had rented stolen equipment on the black market to companies for the production of movies and TV commercials in Argentina.
MERCHANDISING AND LICENSING NEWS
Eros International Partners with iQiyi in China
Movie production house Eros International on Monday announced a partnership with iQiyi, a Chinese streaming service, to make Indian movies available to viewers in China. iQiyi, which is backed by Chinese internet giant Baidu, signed a similar deal last year with Netflix for global content. Although the financial terms of the deal are not available, viewers will have access to the entire catalogue of Eros’ movies, starting with 100 movies in October 2018. Eros Now, which has rights to more than 5,000 movies in various Indian languages, and is targeting a revenue of USD 10 million in the first year. China is becoming an important market for the Indian film industry, with recent movies such as Dangal (2016) attracting more attention. However, the strict content regulations have not only prevented global streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime from getting a foothold, but have also forced many producers to partner with a Chinese company.
Spotify to Launch in Middle East in November
Spotify is set to become the third streaming service to become available to users in the UAE, where it will join Apple Music and local player Anghami. In preparation for this launch, Spotify is looking for advertisers on its platform, and is also looking to fill key positions for a regional office. Spotify’s launch in the Middle East and North Africa was reportedly delayed due to direct licensing of music from artists, which major music labels viewed as a threat to their commercial model. Although Spotify operates in over 65 countries, it continues to be unavailable in a number of key territories, including India, Russia, and most of Africa. Indian Music labels also appear to have opposed Spotify’s direct licensing model.
COPYRIGHT TIP
Copyright Infringement and Photos
Posting or sharing photos or images found online on social media platforms or blogs may invite copyright infringement claims. Images governed by creative commons licenses may be used to avoid copyright risks.
Author: BIP’s Copyright and Entertainment Law Attorneys
Senior Partner, the entertainment law attorneys at BIP are among the well-known lawyers in the field. They work with clients such as Yash Raj Films, Dharma Productions, Ananda Audio, Anushka Sharma, Sushant Singh, and Arka Media (Producer of Bahu Bali). BIP’s entertainment law team helps clients protect, manage and effectively license and merchandise their creative works such as films, music, brands and other content, to maximize financial returns.
The weekly copyright and entertainment law news initiative is a part of their pro bono work, and is aimed at spreading entertainment law awareness. You are free to share the news with appropriate attribution and backlink to the source.
If you have any questions, you may write to BIP’s Copyright and Entertainment Law Attorneys – contact@bananaip.com
