Google Asks Supreme Court To Grant Cert In Oracle Copyright Case. Reuters reported that Google asked the Supreme Court to review a copyright court case over the use of software interfaces (known as application programming interfaces, or APIs), which enable computer programs to interact. Oracle sued Google for using its Java programming language to build the Android platform, claiming copyright infringement. Meanwhile Google has argued use of Oracle’s APIs is protected by fair use. “The U.S. Constitution authorized copyrights to ‘promote the progress of science and useful arts,’ not to impede creativity or promote lock-in of software platforms,” wrote Google chief legal officer Kent Walker in a blog post.
Instagram And Snow Help Entrepreneur Become A Multi-Million Dollar Brand. During a Boston snow storm last March Christina Fagan, entrepreneur and owner of Sh*t That I Knit, saw an Instagram opportunity to draw attention to her knit hat business. By posting a picture of herself standing in the snow wearing just a bathing suit and knit hat and challenging others to do the same, Fagan showed how entrepreneurs are becoming brand influencers themselves, rather than rely on other influencers. A recent Boston Globe profile of her knit hat business that started in college reported, “But Fagan’s clever use of Instagram transformed the concept from what could have been an Etsy side gig into a bona fide business. She now sells $125 hats and $185 wraps knit by a women’s collective in Lima, Peru.” On the success of her business, Fagan said “Instagram has really been everything.”
Gigi Hadid Faces Copyright Lawsuit Over Deleted Instagram Photo. Xclusive-Lee, Inc. officially filed a copyright lawsuit against model Gigi Hadid over a photo she posted on her personal Instagram account in October 2018 before removing it, World Intellectual Property Review reported. Xclusive-Lee claimed that the photo of Hadid was taken by one of its photographers before being posted without the company’s permission. Hadid was aware of the lawsuit, posting to Instagram back in October a criticism of paparazzi for “legally stalking” her for a photo and then suing her for posting a picture. Hadid also took a stand for fan accounts who have been sued by paparazzi photographers, noting “you don’t know what the fan base community means to them.”
Largest Petition In European History Opposes The EU Copyright Directive. The German Minister of Justice agreed to receive the largest petition in European history against the pending EU Copyright Directive, signed by more than 4.5 million Europeans. The Association of European Research Libraries also came out against the Directive this week. As Boing Boing’s Cory Doctorow wrote, although EU elections are approaching and time is running out for the Directive to face a vote in this Parliament, it “is still so important that opposition is continuing to mount for the Directive.”