Re:Create Members Press Copyright Office On Constitutional Concerns With CASE Act. This week, Re:Create joined with Public Knowledge, the Center for Democracy & Technology, R Street Institute and the Organization for Transformative Works to submit feedback to the Copyright Office urging it to acknowledge and address the unconstitutional aspects of the CASE Act and its “Copyright Claims Board” (CCB). The groups highlighted potential abuse of the CCB and addressed harmful ambiguities in the CASE Act that could let claimants litigate the same facts twice, among other things. See here for the full comments.
Hollywood Opposes Open Access To Vaccine Technology And Research. The Intercept reported on Hollywood mobilizing its lobbyists to oppose a World Trade Organization proposal to temporarily suspend certain IP rules in support of vaccine development, medical supply production and research to help stop the Covid-19 pandemic. The Motion Pictures Association, Recording Industry Association of America, and Association of American Publishers are among the groups lobbying against an effort that would boost global vaccine production. Sean Flynn, director of the information justice and intellectual property program at the American University College of Law, commented on the industry’s deep reliance on copyright enforcement calling their argument a “deliberate misinterpretation” and said, “The MPA, the music industries really aggressively resist any kind of copyright policy that bends toward access.”
Celebrating Balanced Copyright On World IP Day. In a blog commemorating World IP Day this week, Engine called on policymakers to better appreciate the importance of balanced and certain IP laws when crafting IP policy that applies to emerging startups: “When it comes to copyright law, startups that encounter user-generated content online need policymakers to focus on balanced, commonsense legal frameworks like the notice-and-takedown and safe harbor frameworks in U.S. law.”
Social Media Platforms Offer New Ways To Pay Creators. As the creator economy continues to boom, social media platforms are introducing new payment features allowing users to directly send money and gifts to the content creators they love. Axios highlighted the various upgrades, which include Twitter’s new “Tip Jar”, Instagram’s “Badges” feature for virtual gifting, and Spotify’s upcoming direct payment option.