Second Round Of NAFTA Negotiations And Implications For Balanced Copyright. In anticipation of the second round of NAFTA negotiations beginning in Mexico City at the end of this week, Computer and Communications Industry Association’s (CCIA) Matt Schruers published his latest Disruptive Competition Project blog post, outlining the implications for copyright exceptions and exemptions. According to Schruers, the Trump Administration is facing mounting pressure from the music industry to “defy Congressional directives on IP in Trade Promotion Authority,” narrow safe harbor provisions and extend copyright protections beyond U.S. law. Schruers explained that weakening safe harbors “would eliminate over 425,000 U.S. jobs and decrease GDP by $44 billion annually.”
EFF Fights For Free Speech In U.S. Court Of Appeals Case. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) announced that it will represent Public.Resource.Org, a website that makes laws and regulations publicly available online, in challenging a recent U.S. Court of Appeals ruling that allows for copyright to be used in controlling access to state and federal laws. Six standards development organizations sued Public.Resource.Org in 2013, claiming copyright infringement on laws and regulations originally written by the organizations. In an opening brief, EFF argued that “giving private organizations the power to limit access violates the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech, and the due process protections of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments and contradicts copyright law.”
When Copyright Trolls Attack. The case of a 72-year old man accused of illegally downloading a movie despite never downloading anything in his life reveals the problem of “copyright trolling.” In an August 24 blog post, Tech Dirt’s Timothy Geigner explained that “copyright trolling” occurs when third parties use different IP addresses to pirate copyrighted material. Geigner then questions the merits of the initial complaint arguing whether “the authors of these settlement offers have any real evidence against the recipients at all.”
Facebook’s “Watch” Offers New Platform For Creators. The introduction of Facebook’s new “Watch” platform for original video content offers creators yet another way to participate in today’s new creative economy. Launched earlier this month, the platform allows creators to connect with their growing fan bases by offering content exclusively on their platform. Additionally, Facebook will also unveil the first of its original programming on the platform on August 30 according to Digiday. They hope to offer hundreds of shows once the platform is fully rolled out.