Friday’s Endnotes – 09/20/24

Site Blocking Is Effective Worldwide Says New Report by IP House and DCA — “Three separate studies—focused on the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Australia—found that when sites were blocked, traffic decreased to those sites. The decrease was substantial; traffic decreased by 89 percent in the United Kingdom, 70 percent in Portugal, and 69 percent in Australia.”

AI Art Copyright Stays Doubtful After Appeals Court Argument — “The first federal appeals court battle over the boundaries of copyright law’s application to AI-generated works carries huge implications for creative industries given the rapid proliferation of the technology. The circumstances upon which copyright vests in work wholly or partly created by AI and who gets to control and enforce that right will hinge on interpretations of cases like Thaler’s.”

Operation 404.7 Targets 675 Pirate Sites, Brazil’s ISPs Now Block 6,700+ Domains — “Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security today announced fresh action and the latest achievements in the ongoing ‘Operation 404’ anti-piracy campaign. International partners including City of London Police, MPA, ACE, IFPI, ESA, ALIANZA, and the EU’s Intellectual Property Office, assisted local agencies as they reportedly took down 675 pirate sites, 14 apps, and executed search and seizure warrants. Data seen by TF reveals that ISP’s in Brazil now block 6,700+ domains.”

Austrian Supreme Court tackles right of reproduction, three-step test, and parody defence in Robber Hotzenplotz copyright case — “Further to the dismissal of the copyright and trade mark claims but not the entirety of the action on appeal, the defendant filed an extraordinary appeal. The Austrian Supreme Court dismissed it by means of a decision issued a few days ago. In so doing, the Supreme Court tackled 3 key issues under EU copyright law – specifically: the InfoSoc Directive. They are the: (1) Scope of the right of reproduction; (2) Role and addressees of the three-step test; and (3) Notion of ‘parody’.”

How High School Debate Led to My Career in Copyright Policy — “High school debate programs enable students to hone so many important skills—including analysis, organization of ideas, writing, public speaking, and researching all that they can about the national topic—especially if it’s one that they can sink their teeth into. So, when I first learned about the 2024 National High School Debate topic, I was very excited. To have a topic of this caliber will really resonate with students because the issues are multi-faceted and, ultimately, through their research, it will teach them about the importance of protecting creative works through strong and effective IP laws.”