Showbiz Sandbox 187: Does The Justice System Finally Understand Copyright?
March 25, 2013
Last week the Supreme Court of the United States dealt another blow to copyright owners in a landmark ruling that confirmed what most consumer advocates had been saying for years; the first sale doctrine does not have geographic boundaries. The court smacked down publisher J. Wiley & Sons’ copyright infringement lawsuit against Supap Kirtsaeng for reselling textbooks he had purchased at a discount in his native Thailand.
While major entertainment companies and trade groups like the MPAA and RIAA may have been on the losing end with the Supreme Court, an appeals court handed them a major victory by ruling in favor of movie studios who claimed that the operator of isoHunt, a large BitTorrent site, was inducing copyright infringement. The court agreed isoHunt was not eligible for safe harbor.
Meanwhile the Library of Congress announced 25 new recordings that will be added to its official preservation registry. We’ll fill you in on the grab bag of popular music, radio shows, news reports, opera and other recordings that made the cut.
Of course, we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including NBC’s silly decision to oust Jay Leno from The Tonight Show (again), the booming Chinese box office and “Downtown Abbey’s” record ratings.
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Daily Variety Ends Boffo Run
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-variety-last-edition-20130319,0,863270.story
Library of Congress Adds 25 Recordings To Registry
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/03/21/national-recording-registry-library-of-congress/2002287/
Simon & Garfunkel Song Among 25 Recordings Preserved By Library Of Congress
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_RECORDING_REGISTRY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-03-21-05-51-36
NBC Debates Timing Of Jimmy Fallon Starting Tonight
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nbcu-debates-timing-jimmy-fallons-430079
‘Tonight,’ With New Host, Set to Reclaim Its New York Roots
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/business/media/tonight-show-expected-to-return-to-new-york-with-fallon.html
Girls Finale Hits Average For Total Viewers
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-girls-finale-averages-429410
HBO’s ‘Girls’: There’s More Than One Way To Look At Its Ratings
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-hbo-girls-ratings-20130318,0,4710473.story
‘Downton’ Season 3 Sets PBS Record
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/20/downton-season-3-sets-pbs-record/
Best Selling E-Books of 2012
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/56408-the-e-book-explosion-facts-figures-201
HBO CEO Mulls Teaming With Broadband Partners for HBO GO
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/21/net-us-hbo-streaming-idUSBRE92K14D20130321
YouTube Joins Facebook Billion User Club
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/youtube-joins-facebook-billion-user-club-148065
China Box Office Hits New High in 2012
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-box-office-revenues-hit-430267
New Ratings Record For Germany’s “Tatort”
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/new-ratings-record-germanys-tatort-430644
Amazon Adds New Feature To Kindles
http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/amazon-adds-send-to-kindle-button-to-bring-more-content-to-kindle-devices
Amazon Talking To Major Labels About Streaming Music Subscription Service
http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2013/03/amazon-talking-to-major-labels-about-streaming-music-service.html
Amazon Greenlights TV Series Version of Zombieland
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/amazon-orders-zombieland-pilot-430648
The Academy Announces Dates For Next Two Academy Awards
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/academy-announces-oscars-dates-2014-430725
Justin Timberlake Headed to 900K Opening Week Sales
http://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/chart-alert/1554370/justin-timberlakes-2020-heading-to-950000-plus
Supreme Court Rules Against Entertainment Industry
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/supreme-court-rules-entertainment-industry-429695
Supreme Court Upholds First Sale In Landmark Ruling
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/copyright/article/56435-supreme-court-upholds-first-sale-in-landmark-kirtsaeng-ruling.html
Hollywood Studios Win IsoHunt Appeal
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/hollywood-studios-win-isohunt-appeal-430244
VFX Crossroads: Causes & Effects Of An Industry Crisis
http://magazine.creativecow.net/article/vfx-at-a-crossroads
I love Simon & Garfunkel but their second album “Sounds Of Silence” should not be on the Library of Congress list for preserved recordings. The song “Sounds Of Silence?” Absolutely. But the album? it’s not even good and the three that follow are great, topped by “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.” That or their massive “Greatest Hits” album would make sense. Simon’s “Graceland” album is already on the list. That makes sense too. But to pick one of S&G’s only two weak albums out for preservation is knuckle-headed.