Mike Butcher

Over 250 copyrights are covered by the deal signed today by Universal Music Publishing Group for Elton John’s back catalogue. The worldwide agreements administer the post-1974 publishing interests of Elton John and his collaborator, Bernie Taupin. As UMPG already owns the copyrights of songs written up to 1974, these new agreements put the entire Elton John catalog under one roof.

Streaming radio service Live365 is being scrutinised by the Recording Artist Association of America (RIAA) which is interested in user-generated stations that do not properly comply with various DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) statutes. The RIAA says it will “reserve the right to shut them down or otherwise restrict access” and Live365 has emailed its users with exactly that warning. What this means, of course, is that the glittering new world of ‘user generated content’ may turn out to be a mirage, killed off by a hail of lawsuits.

It’s interesting that a Chinese company – a part of thew world normally notorious for copyright violation – is suing other chinese firms for just that. The Chinese-based music and video company, Guangdong Meika Music and Video, has filed 50 piracy lawsuits with the courts against companies it claims are producing and selling pirated versions of its goods. The company is demanding defendants stop violating its intellectual property rights and pay 8,000 yuan (US$987) in compensation for each of the pirated products.

According to The Register an Xtn Data study suggests that iTunes, at 54%, has the biggest digital music market share in the UK, while Napster has 10%, Wippit 8%, MyCokeMusic 6%, MSN 5%, Virgin Digital 3%, Tesco 2%, Woolworths 2% and HMV Digital 1%. However, the figures are not based on sales or subscription figures, but on a poll of 1,000 consumers about awareness of the brands themselves. The study contrasts with iTunes’ recent claim that it has an 80% sales share of the a la carte market.

Really? You don#039t say. Copy-protected CDs are turning music fans off record buying say retailers in the US.

Thus retailers themselves are starting to consider throwing out DRM#039d CDs. Great news for fans – bad news for firms like Sony, who are still reeling from the Rootkit debacle. Today they are trying to exchange Rootkit CDs and provides free MP3 downloads. But the horse has long bolted on this scandal, especially now the bloggers are wading in. Meanwhile, Garnter wades in with the news any DRM_breaker illl know which is that a piece of tape defeats any CD DRM. Tell us something we didn’t know…

Guess what? 50 individuals and companies who illegally uploaded music tracks from the web will be hit with legal action. For more news see:

Fresh crackdown on illegal music filesharers – Ireland Online:

addict3d.orgFresh crackdown on illegal music filesharers

IRMA announces further crackdown on illegal downloads

Irish file-swappers face more legal action

New legal action planned for filesharers

Gina Harkell speaks about her experience being sued by the BPI after her son downloaded music illegally.

[Copyright conference coverage]: Alexander Ross Partner, Wiggin: Thanks to EU copyright directive there has to be a levy system. Fair compensation is all it allows for – which might be zero. If we introduced a private copy exemption into the Uk we’d have to create a levy system. Any private copy must take account for DRM, which is odd. One way of getting money back from iPods? Supporters say the ‘blanket license’ it the future.

Pete Jenner (former manager of Pink Floyd) on why Podcasting is cool: “Podcasting feels like FM radio did in the 60s.” (Jenner is the second speaker).

[Copyright conference coverage] Steve Greenfield, Snr Lecturer in Law, Univ. Westminster (pictured, standing), said: “Consumers will NOT comply when you try to restrict what they do to consumer content. Eleven years olds now interact with the music industry in a completely different way. The Arctic Monkeys are a great example of how this is working.�