3 Count: Partial Judgment

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1: YouTube Wins Partial Summary Judgment in Maria Schneider Copyright Lawsuit

First off today, Andy Maxwell at Torrentfreak reports that YouTube has won partial summary judgment in their ongoing case against musician Maria Schneider with hundreds of alleged infringements being tossed.

Schneider filed the lawsuit alleging her music was appearing on the site without her permission and that YouTube was not completing its obligations to expeditiously remove infringing material or ban repeat infringers. YouTube, however, has made a variety of counterclaims including that they have a license to use the compositions at question, that they are protected under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and that other members of the proposed class action lawsuit acted in bad faith.

Both sides sought summary judgment, but it was YouTube that was the most successful. The court, citing various reasons, dismissed all claims against 27 works, direct infringement claims against 15 and some 121 other alleged infringements. However, the judge ruled that there wear material matters of fact that needed to be dealt with at a trial.

2: Meta Must Face U.S. Copyright Lawsuit Over Facebook Ads

Next up today, Blake Brittain at Reuters reports that Meta has failed to get a lawsuit against them dismissed as a sculptor who sued the company over allegations that that counterfeiters have copied and reposted her photos in Facebook ads.

The lawsuit was filed by JL Cook, a sculptor that specializes in snakes and other reptiles. She claims that her work repeatedly appeared in Facebook ads that were duping customers into buying fake products. Meta filed for a motion to dismiss, but the judge has denied that motion.

According to Cook, Facebook declined to remove the ads in question, even after being notified. She further claimed that she had to reach out directly to the company’s intellectual property council to get any response. This recent decision means that the case moves into the discovery phase, with a motion for summary judgment likely to follow that.

3: Hundreds of Artists Push for Copyright Rule Change On Streaming Royalties: ‘We Stand Together’

Finally today, Bill Donahue at Billboard reports that more than 350 artists, songwriters, managers and other music industry professionals have signed onto a letter encouraging the United States Copyright Office to move ahead with a new rule that would guarantee that musicians get royalties for their work once the rights revert back to them.

Under the current poly adopted by the Mechanical Licensing Collective, which collects streaming royalties, royalties would still be distributed to publishers even after they lose the rights to the music in question. This means that, if an artist uses copyright termination to reclaim their rights, they still will not receive royalties for their work.

The USCO is exploring the possibility of addressing that by creating a new rule that would force the collective to give such royalties directly to the creators. The letter is in support of that rule and has been signed by celebrities such as Sting, Sheryl Crow and Don Henley.

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