From Betamax to YouTube: How Sony Corporation of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. Could Still Be a Standard for New Technology

Internet technological innovations, particularly the development of Peer-to-Peer ( P2P ) networks and the proliferation of user-generated content sites, have introduced considerable challenges for the application of copyright law and infringement liability. The response from the courts and Congress has been mixed, with severe legal curtails being applied to P2P technology while usergenerated content sites have been afforded a level of protection against infringement claims as part of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act\u27s section 512 safe harbor provisions. However, these provisions have raised concerns about the issue of secondary copyright liability, a matter that has still been left undefined. This Note will argue that the substantial noninfringing use standard enumerated in the case of Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. could provide a guide for developing a standard for secondary liability of user generated content sites

From Betamax to YouTube: How Sony Corporation of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. Could Still Be a Standard for New Technology

Internet technological innovations, particularly the development of Peer-to-Peer ( P2P ) networks and the proliferation of user-generated content sites, have introduced considerable challenges for the application of copyright law and infringement liability. The response from the courts and Congress has been mixed, with severe legal curtails being applied to P2P technology while usergenerated content sites have been afforded a level of protection against infringement claims as part of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act\u27s section 512 safe harbor provisions. However, these provisions have raised concerns about the issue of secondary copyright liability, a matter that has still been left undefined. This Note will argue that the substantial noninfringing use standard enumerated in the case of Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. could provide a guide for developing a standard for secondary liability of user generated content sites

Use of copyrighted works in the information networks

(ENGLISH) FRÖHLICH, Jakub: USE OF COPYRIGHTED WORKS IN THE INFORMATION NETWORKS The work concentrates on use of copyrighted works in the information networks such as Internet and peer-to-peer networks. Attention is devoted especially to sources of law, types of use of copyrighted works, downloading, hyperlinks, technical copies and use for personal needs. Special attention is paid to case law on linking to illegally disclosed material and in this context also secondary liability of ISPs and providers of file-hosting services. Separate chapters deal with the legal means of copyright protection in terms of private and public law and the non-judicial means of protection against unauthorized use of copyrighted works, such as content filtering and Digital Rights Management (DRM).(ČESKY) FRÖHLICH, Jakub: AUTORSKOPRÁVNÍ UŽITÍ V INFORMAČNÍCH SÍTÍCH Tato rigorózní práce se věnuje zabývá užitím autorských děl v informačních sítích, jako jsou například Internet a sítě typu peer-to-peer. Pozornost je věnována zejména právním pramenům, způsobům užití chráněných děl, stahování autorských děl a odkazování na ně, technickým kopiím a užití díla pro osobní potřebu. Zvláštní pozornost je věnována judikatuře v oblasti odkazů na neoprávněně zveřejněná díla a v této souvislosti též druhotné odpovědnosti poskytovatelů internetových služeb a poskytovatelů file-hostingových služeb (úložišť). Zvláštní kapitoly pak pojednávají o soukromoprávních a veřejnoprávních prostředcích ochrany a mimosoudních prostředcích ochrany proti neoprávněnému užití autorských děl, jako jsou filtrování obsahu a technickým prostředkům ochrany (DRM).Ústav práva autorského, práv průmyslových a práva soutěžníhoInstitute of Copyright, Industrial Property and Competition LawFaculty of LawPrávnická fakult

Framework for privacy-aware content distribution in peer-to- peer networks with copyright protection

The use of peer-to-peer (P2P) networks for multimedia distribution has spread out globally in recent years. This mass popularity is primarily driven by the efficient distribution of content, also giving rise to piracy and copyright infringement as well as privacy concerns. An end user (buyer) of a P2P content distribution system does not want to reveal his/her identity during a transaction with a content owner (merchant), whereas the merchant does not want the buyer to further redistribute the content illegally. Therefore, there is a strong need for content distribution mechanisms over P2P networks that do not pose security and privacy threats to copyright holders and end users, respectively. However, the current systems being developed to provide copyright and privacy protection to merchants and end users employ cryptographic mechanisms, which incur high computational and communication costs, making these systems impractical for the distribution of big files, such as music albums or movies.El uso de soluciones de igual a igual (peer-to-peer, P2P) para la distribución multimedia se ha extendido mundialmente en los últimos años. La amplia popularidad de este paradigma se debe, principalmente, a la distribución eficiente de los contenidos, pero también da lugar a la piratería, a la violación del copyright y a problemas de privacidad. Un usuario final (comprador) de un sistema de distribución de contenidos P2P no quiere revelar su identidad durante una transacción con un propietario de contenidos (comerciante), mientras que el comerciante no quiere que el comprador pueda redistribuir ilegalmente el contenido más adelante. Por lo tanto, existe una fuerte necesidad de mecanismos de distribución de contenidos por medio de redes P2P que no supongan un riesgo de seguridad y privacidad a los titulares de derechos y los usuarios finales, respectivamente. Sin embargo, los sistemas actuales que se desarrollan con el propósito de proteger el copyright y la privacidad de los comerciantes y los usuarios finales emplean mecanismos de cifrado que implican unas cargas computacionales y de comunicaciones muy elevadas que convierten a estos sistemas en poco prácticos para distribuir archivos de gran tamaño, tales como álbumes de música o películas.L'ús de solucions d'igual a igual (peer-to-peer, P2P) per a la distribució multimèdia s'ha estès mundialment els darrers anys. L'àmplia popularitat d'aquest paradigma es deu, principalment, a la distribució eficient dels continguts, però també dóna lloc a la pirateria, a la violació del copyright i a problemes de privadesa. Un usuari final (comprador) d'un sistema de distribució de continguts P2P no vol revelar la seva identitat durant una transacció amb un propietari de continguts (comerciant), mentre que el comerciant no vol que el comprador pugui redistribuir il·legalment el contingut més endavant. Per tant, hi ha una gran necessitat de mecanismes de distribució de continguts per mitjà de xarxes P2P que no comportin un risc de seguretat i privadesa als titulars de drets i els usuaris finals, respectivament. Tanmateix, els sistemes actuals que es desenvolupen amb el propòsit de protegir el copyright i la privadesa dels comerciants i els usuaris finals fan servir mecanismes d'encriptació que impliquen unes càrregues computacionals i de comunicacions molt elevades que fan aquests sistemes poc pràctics per a distribuir arxius de grans dimensions, com ara àlbums de música o pel·lícules

Enforceability of digital copyright on the darknet?

This dissertation seeks to comparatively analyse different emerging jurisprudence of pioneering jurisdictions on the operability of enforcing digital copyright in light of the growing use of the Darknet. It addresses the legal lacuna in the existing copyright laws with regards to enforcement against the illegal distribution of infringing copies of online digital content. It also seeks to illustrate how the concept of digital copyright protection has been compromised by the inoperability of enforcement laws on illegal distribution via the Darknet. It thereby advocates for a 'digital use' exemption and or free access as a recommendation. Although the advancement of technology created new and advanced forms of distribution or availing copyrighted works to the public, these new advanced channels of distribution have been compromised by rogue online clandestine file sharing networks. Digital copyright protection laws have been advanced so as to respond to illegal online file sharing, however, they have had limited impact due to the vast, flexible and unregulated nature of the internet which transcends the territorial nature of any single state's copyright laws. Currently, online file sharing is effected through peer to peer networks due to their operational convenience. This dissertation suggests that the need to control distribution, legally or technological, is driven by the urge to enable digital copyright owners to benefit financially from their works and get a return on their investment. Technologically, this has been effected through the adoption of Digital Rights Management (DRMs) measures that control access to these works through the use of paywalls on commercial websites that require online consumers to pay/ subscribe first before they gain access to the copyrighted works. (eg Netflix, Showmax, itunes e.t.c) However, since absolute control over one's digital works, online, is impossible, the success of these access-control mechanisms remains debatable and remain vulnerable to technologically sophisticated users who could easily circumvent them and make the protected works available to millions of other users in Darknets. This, in effect, creates a parallel and free market for digital content. Darknets have grown as the new preferred channel of distribution due to their unique features which have rendered any judicial or legislative threat of sanctions, merely academic and detached from practical application. The Darknet essentially provides for user privacy, in anonymity, and security from monitoring and detection. These two primary features have exacerbated online piracy as various Darknets ISPs have now developed more user-friendly Darknet versions for the average mainstream user. This dissertation will highlight how the digital creative industry faces an existential threat with the growing use of Darknets. Darknets have created a virtual environment where illegal digital content distribution continues with impunity, since the burden of the enforceability of copyright rests squarely on the individual copyright holder and the pursuit of liability only begins upon detection of any such infringement of copyright. In effect, copyright owners, most often than not, lack the technological expertise to monitor and detect and thereby cannot enforce their copyright. As such, this dissertation postulates that the legal/ technological effort to maintain any form of monopoly over digital content online is an unattainable objective. As a solution, to end both online piracy and safeguarding the financial interests of copyright owners, a change in the approach to digital copyright is needed. This will be achieved through creating a 'digital use' exemption and or free access. Rather than copyright owners trying to control access, they should provide free access and profit on alternative revenue business models. Free access to digital content will do away with the need of online users to pirate and also save copyright owners the effort and resource to keep monitoring the virtual world for infringement. It will also counter-react to the Darknet's parallel market since users will have free access to digital content from the official distribution websites. This dissertation will interrogate the viability of this option

Television: Peer-To-Peer’s Next Challenger

The entertainment industry has obsessed over the threat of peer-to-peer file sharing since the introduction of Napster in 1999. The sharing of television content may present a compelling case for fair use under the long-standing Betamax decision. Some argue that television sharing is fundamentally different than the distribution of music or movies since television is often distributed for free over public airwaves. However, a determination of fair use is unlikely because of the fundamental differences between recording a program and downloading it, recent regulation to suppress unauthorized content distribution and shifts in the television market brought on by new technology

Hail to the thief: a tribute to Kazaa

THIS PAPER CONSIDERS THE ONGOING LITIGATION against the peer-to-peer network KaZaA. Record companies and Hollywood studios have faced jurisdictional and legal problems in suing this network for copyright infringement. As Wired Magazine observes: “The servers are in Denmark. The software is in Estonia. The domain is registered Down Under, the corporation on a tiny island in the South Pacific. The users—60 million of them—are everywhere around the world.” In frustration, copyright owners have launched copyright actions against intermediaries—like against Internet Service Providers such as Verizon. They have also embarked on filing suits against individual users of file-sharing programs. In addition, copyright owners have called for domestic- and international-law reform with respect to digital copyright. The Senate Committee on Government Affairs of the United States Congress has reviewed the controversial use of subpoenas in suits against users of file-sharing peer-to-peer networks. The United States has encouraged other countries to adopt provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act 1998 in bilateral and regional free-trade agreements