3 Count: Expensive TikTok

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1: Sony Awarded More than $800k Over TikTok Copyright Infringement

First off, today, Anagricel Duran at NME reports that TikTok user Trefuego has been ordered to pay Sony Music $802,997.23 in damages and licensing fees for his song 90mh.

Sony claimed that 90mh infringed the song Reflections, a 1986 song by Japanese composer Toshifumi Hinata. Sony claimed that 90mh not only infringed the song directly but also resulted in its being used in over 155,000 TikTok videos.

The judge determined that the song was infringing and ordered Truefuego to pay roughly $700,000 in streaming profits from the platform and $100,000 in licensing fees. Trefuego will also have to pay ongoing royalties, including a 20% cut of recording and 50% of publishing revenue. Trefuego was also ordered to pay some $2,230 in legal costs.

2: NCC Has Power To Arrest, Prosecute People Involved In Copyright Infringements

Next up today, Raji Adebayo at The Independent reports that the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has announced that it can arrest and prosecute alleged copyright infringers in the country.

The announcement came while the Director-General of the NCC, Dr. John Asein, spoke with members of the Nigerian Union of Journalists. He said that the organization has the power to search, arrest and prosecute copyright infringement cases but relies on other security agencies to get it done.

He said that the organization needs the support of journalists and other stakeholders to combat piracy and “reduce it to the barest minimum” in the country.

3: ‘Expensive’ Streaming Services Are a Key Reason for Americans to ‘Pirate’

Finally, today, Ernesto Van der Sar at Torrentfreak writes that a new online survey by the media company Cordcutting reveals that 1 in 3 Americans pirated TV content in the last year and that the price of legitimate services was the main motivator.

The survey involved 988 American adults and found that one out of three have pirated in the past year. That amount rises to 76% of Generation Z users and 28% of Baby Boomers. Piracy habits did appear stable, with most reporting that they were pirating roughly the same amount as they had the year prior, with slightly more reducing their piracy than increasing it.

The leading causes of piracy were that subscription services were too expensive or that they just wanted a specific show or movie that wasn’t worth a full subscription. The lack of legal availability was third.

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