The UK government has announced plans to introduce a wide range of copyright exceptions. The plan includes a new private copying right that will permit personal copying of content onto any medium (including personal cloud storage) for personal use. The personal copying right will not require further payment or a levy system. Canada enacted a similar reform this year, though the levy remains for copying of sound recordings onto some media. The UK reforms will also include a fair dealing exception for non-commercial use of materials in teaching. The summary of UK reforms include:
News
UK To Introduce Wide Range of Copyright Exceptions
European Commission Drops ACTA Appeal
The European Commission has dropped its appeal of ACTA at the European Court of Justice. Earlier this year, the EC promised to take ACTA to the ECJ to review its compatibility with fundamental rights. With ACTA now politically dead in Europe, the EC has dropped the action.
ITU Phobia: Mueller on the WCIT
Milton Mueller offers an insightful take on the recently concluded WCIT. Mueller characterizes some of the extreme ITU criticism as “ITU phobia”, which he notes: One notable feature of ITU phobia is that it takes the alternative internet institutions off the hook. They are inherently good – good by definition […]
Access Copyright Confirms K-12 Schools Dropping Licence in 2013
Access Copyright has confirmed that schools from kindergarten to Grade 12 will be dropping its licence as of January 2013. The schools will presumably rely on fair dealing to cover copying that would have been subject to the licence.
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David Ellis provides an excellent review of yesterday’s court hearing involving Voltage Pictures’ request for a court order mandating that TekSavvy disclose customer information on thousands of subscribers.
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