Latest Managing Copyright News

• EU leaders call for copyright reform

  Twelve heads of government have called for urgent action to reform copyright in a letter to EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso

• EU refers ACTA to Court of Justice

  ACTA, the controversial international anti-piracy and counterfeiting treaty, has hit another hurdle after the European Commission announced this morning that it would ask Europe’s Court of Justice to consider its legality

• Why the CJEU is getting busier and busier

  More cases than ever were brought before Europe’s Court of Justice last year. Does that signal confidence of users or the over-complication of European law? Managing IP reports

• Politician attacks music piracy

  The UK government and search engines must do more to fight music piracy and promote legitimate content, Labour MP Harriet Harman said today

• Fatal blow for Pirate Bay in UK

  Both operators and users of The Pirate Bay infringe copyrights owned by a range of music companies, a UK judge ruled today

• This week’s IP news quiz – February 13-17

  How closely have you been following this week’s IP news? Test your knowledge with five, quick questions

• Copyright filtering systems illegal – CJEU

  Internet companies have welcomed today’s Court of Justice ruling in Sabam v Netlog, which stated clearly that service providers cannot be required to install a content-filtering system

• Sabam gets ready for more litigation

  Belgian collecting society Sabam is a step closer to suing internet access providers in the country after they refused to agree to pay fees to compensate copyright owners when their users access and share copyright-infringing material

Canada

• Tariffs on teacher copies debated in Supreme Court

  To what extent teachers' textbook copying is "fair dealing" was debated before the Supreme Court of Canada on Wednesday, one of three copyright-related cases the High Court is considering this week.

• Soundtrack royalties under scrutiny

  In the last of five copyright cases heard this week by the Supreme Court of Canada, justices weighed arguments as to whether broadcasters and cinema owners must pay a separate tariff for the performance of soundtracks

• Canada Supreme Court in copyright spree

  Canada’s Supreme Court is hearing five cases this week, in a historic burst of activity that could fundamentally reshape copyright protection in the country

• Case report: Supreme Court considers digital copyright cases

  The Supreme Court of Canada yesterday heard the first day of oral arguments in two cases centred on whether copyright infringement is triggered through downloading of digital media

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Broadcasting

• Analysis: Premier League ruling a relief for digital industry

  Today’s EU judgment on football broadcasts declined to address licences in other media, in contrast with the Advocate General’s opinion in the case

• Analysis: landlords may not benefit from Premier League case

  Publicans who raised a glass to celebrate today’s ruling from the Court of Justice on Premier League matches might find they choke on their drink by the time they reach paragraph 183

• Premier League loses right to territorial licences

  The Court of Justice of the EU has ruled that the Premier League cannot partition national markets for its football broadcasts, giving greater detail on copyright than the Advocate General

• Strictly come formatting: The Managing IP guide to protecting TV formats

  The BBC is taking legal action in Italy to prevent a rival version of its hit show Strictly Come Dancing from being shown by Silvio Berlusconi’s television network Mediaset

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Compilations

• Companies can be authors, says Singapore court

  A Singapore court has ruled that copyright can be owned by companies as well as individuals, in a dispute between two horse racing publications

• Court rules fixture lists protected by copyright

  Lists of UK football fixtures can be protected as databases under copyright law, Mr Justice Floyd ruled in the England and Wales High Court last week

• Courts get tough on copyright compilers

  A decision by a court in Australia last week could make it harder for compilers of factual information to protect their work under copyright law

• Australia rethinks rules on copyright for compilers

  Australia's highest court recently narrowed the scope of copyright protection for compilations and databases

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