Musician & Educator Uses Social Media To Have Copyright Strikes Lifted. Musician and songwriter Rick Beato, who testified before the Senate IP Subcommittee this summer about the importance of the DMCA, took to his YouTube channel with a passionate post about his first two Content ID copyright strikes in over five years. He’d received these after rightsholders submitted notices on his videos which feature music. After more than 800 free videos, the strikes could have forced his channel to be removed. Fortunately Beato and his millions of followers, including notable musicians, were able to exert social media pressure on labels to lift the takedowns. Beato’s video demonstrates how filtering systems discourage the creation of educational content.
Australia Link Code Could Force News Blackouts. As the Australian Parliament prepares for a vote on the News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code, Public Knowledge blogged about the negative consequences for the public interest. “France and Australia have created a structure that will both preserve the existing market power of dominant platforms and the market position of the largest news publishers by requiring negotiations between the two. Worse, by framing this as a negotiation to prevent unjust enrichment, the Australian and French regimes threaten to bring news blackouts to the internet…”
Australian Link Tax Will Disrupt Free Expression Rights And International Law. In a new blog about the Australian Code proposal, Jonathan Band and Sean Flynn wrote that the proposal operates “more like an extra copyright duty to license mere quotations.” The blog also cites a new analysis by international copyright scholars warning that the proposal “is incredibly worrisome from an international copyright law perspective, as it is the latest attempt to tax quotation rights protected by the Berne Convention.”
TikTok Is A Safe Haven For The Ballet Community. TikTok is serving as an outlet for ballet dancers to express themselves and relate to one another in a casual setting — something uncommon in the world of ballet. The New York Times gave insight into how TikTok is helping ballet dancers address the sensitive and sometimes problematic lifestyle conditions that come with being involved in such a demanding art form. “I love that on TikTok anyone can do anything and find support, even if — especially if — they’re breaking constructs that were built in the past,” said one dancer.