New Re:Create Podcast: What Can Star Wars Teach Us About Copyright? Are you one of the many Star Wars fans eagerly awaiting the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story later this month? Take a break to tune into Re:Create’s new Copy This podcast to learn about copyright and the role it has played in the success of the fan-favorite series. Hosted by writer, director and remixer Kirby Ferguson, the first episode features an interview with journalist and science fiction author Cory Doctorow. Starting with the Star Wars series and the anticipated release of the spinoff Rogue One as some of the most well-known remix examples, and culminating with your rights to record videos in your living room and J.K. Rowling’s fight with Amazon to bring her novels to readers, this first episode of Copy This shows how digital innovations interacting with copyright law.
YouTube Stars Cash In On The New Creative Economy. For the second consecutive year, Forbes highlights YouTube’s top streaming channels in The Highest-Paid YouTube Stars 2016: PewDiePie Remains No. 1 With $15 Million. YouTube Star Tyler Oakley, who ranked 5th on the list, talks about how YouTube serves as a “microphone for marginalized voices…[and] is a place for people from all over the world to feel less alone,” said Oakley. Rosanna Pansino, who made $6 million last year, describes how YouTube can be a career for anyone: “[YouTube’s] low level of entry allowed me to start my channel with nothing more than an $80 camera.” You can view the full list here.
Meet Our “New Creator” Of The Month: Jouelzy. Originally started as a beauty resource for African-American women, Jouelzy’s eponymous YouTube channel has evolved into an online hub driving discussions on pop culture and historical commentary geared toward what she calls the “smart, brown girl.” “I got into it because I felt like there was a void of my audience — educated, black women that are career minded — that wasn’t being spoken to,” said Jouelzy, the latest in the Re:Create Coalition’s new creator profile series. She has found that providing a way for these women to connect and share their experiences provides a source of support and strength as seen in her growing list of 164,000 subscribers.
Re:Create Coalition Reacts To Judiciary Committee’s Copyright Reform Proposal. Today, the House Judiciary Committee released a proposal to reform the Copyright Office. The Re:Create Coalition issued a statement reacting to the proposed policy, agreeing with the Committee that the Office “needs to be modernized to keep pace with the digital age, and this is long-awaited legislation could help achieve that goal. While it addresses important areas for reform, we have some concerns and unanswered questions about the policy proposal.” The Coalition and its members look forward to working with Congress to “improve the proposal and modernize the Copyright Office.”
Rapper Wins Suit After False Takedowns Hurt His Reputation. Montreal hip hop artist Jonathan Emile collaborated with Kendrick Lamar on a track, but then Lamar’s label issued false takedown notices to pull down the song from YouTube, iTunes and SoundCloud for copyright infringement. In an interview with Billboard, Emile emphasized that his successful lawsuit against the labels for damages was to protect his reputation. “So, after going back and forth with these companies, they realized that they were in error and that there was no copyright claim on the song, but the damage had already been done and the momentum to promote the song had already been [lost],” he said. “So on the advice of my lawyers, we took them to small claims — to make a statement more than anything — and to show that what was done was not right and to clear my name, in terms of a lot of folks really did think that the verse was stolen and it’s not legitimate.”