Here at EFF, we take particular notice of the way that intellectual property law leads to expression being removed from the Internet. We document the worst examples in our Takedown Hall of Shame. Some, we use to explain more complex ideas. And in other cases, we offer our help. In terms of takedowns, 2020 prefaced the year to come with a…

Have you ever seen an eighth-grade production of Romeo and Juliet? You may be interested to know that classroom productions would not be possible to put on in a cost-effective way if the works of Shakespeare were not in the public domain. The public domain is a collection of plays, books, movies, music, images, data sets, and other materials that are…

2020’s Top Moments of Online Creativity While the COVID-19 pandemic forced much of daily life to take place online in 2020, the shift has resulted in many bright spots of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. Below are a few of our favorite highlights from the year — all made possible by platforms that rely on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)….

2020, A Breakout Year For The Creative Economy. Axios profiled the creative economy, highlighting how 2020 has been a standout year for creators. “Nearly every major app geared towards content creators has seen significant percentage increases in downloads this year,” the report finds. Throughout the pandemic, Twitch doubled the number of streamers on its platform, while TikTok’s number of downloads…

The DMCA was intended to protect copyright holders from having their work stolen or reproduced online. Too often, however, the DMCA is used as a weapon for rights holders to bully competitors, critics, and even fans discussing their work online. Lindsay Ellis, prominent YouTube creator, will discuss her run-ins with DMCA notices after she published a video that was critical…

Chairman Tillis, Ranking Member Coons, Members of the Committee, thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify today about voluntary agreements. This is an issue that Re:Create’s members care deeply about. Re:Create is a coalition that represents a diverse set of creators, innovators and internet users — groups that overlap with each other more and more over the last…

Lawmakers Attempt To include Controversial IP Bills In Unrelated Government Funding Bill. Protocol reported on last-minute efforts to include the CASE Act, Trademark Modernization Act and felony streaming legislation “at the eleventh hour.” A group of 18 organizations, including Re:Create, sent a letter to congressional leadership asking to remove these proposals from government funding bills. “This backroom deal to empower…

We are at a critical juncture in the world of copyright claims. The “Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act”—the CASE Act—is apparently being considered for inclusion in next week’s spending bill. That is “must pass” legislation—in other words, legislation that is vital to the function of the government and so anything attached to it, related to spending or not, has a…

Washington — Reports indicate there may be a package combining several pieces of proposed intellectual property legislation with a spending bill that must be signed by December 11th. The intellectual property part of the legislation may include the CASE Act, Trademark Modernization Act, and a proposal regarding “streaming.” The Computer & Communications Industry Association has serious concerns about substance and…

DMCA Special Edition: What Public Interest Groups, Libraries, Creator and Consumers Groups Told Senator Tillis About Changes to the DMCA Re:Create Calls For Transparency In DMCA Submission To Sen. Tillis. Re:Create issued a statement following its submissions to Senator Thom Tillis as part of his ongoing review of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA): “In the name of public interest, the Re:Create…