Staff-written magazine archives can be repackaged and re-sold as "collections"

A new revenue opportunity may be open to magazines which can repackage their archival material into iPad-only collections, according to a story about The New Yorker, published by Reuters. At the Ballpark, a collection of staff-written baseball writing from 1929 to 2011, features John Updike, David Grann and the inimitable Roger Angell. The revenue came from sponsorship by United Airlines. There

The copyright bill watcher's field guide

With the retabling of federal copyright legislation, poet and writer John Degen has posted a fact sheet and list of Do's and Dont's for people thinking about this legislation. Most of the attention seems to be being paid to digital locking provisions, but there is so much more that should concern and alarm writers and publishers. A few of each of Degen's observations:Don’t assume that if some

Freelancers start receiving settlement cheques from Robertson copyright class action suit

Cheques have gone out to, and some have already been received by, Canadian freelancers as part of the settlement in one part of the long-running class action suit Robertson v. Thomson Corp. et al. The total paid out will be about $5.5 million, following deductions for professional fees and other court authorized distributions, with freelance writers receiving varying amounts depending on the

Writers' Union video pushes back against proposed copyright changes

The Writers' Union of Canada (TWUC) with the assistance of ACCESS Copyright (of which TWUC is a member) is distributing a video featuring five prominent Canadian writers talking about the perils of bill C-32, which is intended to amend the Copyright Act. Specifically, TWUC and others are alarmed that educational institutions, including colleges and universities, will be exempted from having to

We took the clips, and so what? say Conservatives, citing "fair dealing"

The Conservative Party, whose minority government is doggedly pressing along on  reform of copyright law in this country, has shown its true colours in defence of recent television attack ads including clips lifted from the CBC. Its views should give pause even to those who think they're on the right track with proposed changes to copyright law. It probably sends a shudder through those who fear

Creators coalition takes out full-page ad demanding changes to C-32 copyright bill

In a last ditch attempt to influence the outcome of current discussions about C-32, amending Canada's copyright legislation, a coalition of organizations representing creators' groups have paid for a full-page ad in the first section of today's Globe and Mail.The open letter addressed to Tony Clement and Heritage Minister James Moore is signed by dozens of Canadian writers and artists. The ad is

Quebec Assembly sides with writers and demands major changes to proposed copyright bill

The National Assembly in Quebec has unanimously adopted a motion opposing key aspects of the federal proposal, Bill C-32, for the amendment of copyright, according to a release from the National Association of Book Publishers  of Quebec (ANEL). The text of the motion roughly reads (apologies for my translation):"That the National Assembly recognizes the crucial role of content creators and the

Quote, unquote: Keeping copyright law simple and understandable

A serious flaw with Bill C-61 was its undue complexity. Parliament should avoid over-drafting technical rules with labyrinth exceptions and complex conditions and counter-exceptions. The law should be broadly understandable. As the roles of users and creators converge, Canadians will want to consistently engage in fair copyright practices. But respect for the law is eroded by the long

Creative industries band together with statement on copyright opposing "fair use"

Some 45 organizations in Canada representing the creative industries have submitted a joint statement to the current federal consultation process on copyright reform, asking the government not to implement the concept of "fair use". The stance, not surprisingly, runs counter to the position taken by many of the advocates of fair use.The signatories include such magazine-related organizations as

Newspaper publishers band together to control use of, payment for content

Newspaper publishers in the U.S. are hoping that a consortium approach will allow them to control -- and be compensated for -- the use of their content. According to a story in Editor & Publisher magazine, more than 1,000 publishers, representing more than 50% of the top U.S. papers, has signed on to the Fair Syndication Consortium. AdBrite, an online advertising marketplace, has agreed to work

Hurried public copyright consultations prepare for new bill in fall

A series of public consultations -- the first since 2001 -- on the shape of updated copyright legislation are being held this week and next across the country. The first round-table discussion was today (Monday) in Vancouver included academics and museum staff as well as representatives from the video game, software, television, music, movie and magazine industries, according to a story on CBC.ca

International publishers ask European Union for copyright help

Straws in the copyright winds...A letter written to the European Union by a group of leading European newspaper and magazine publishers on Thursday asked for enhanced copyright protection to help them generate revenue online, according to a story in the New York Times. The publishers said widespread use of their work by online news aggregators and other Web sites was undermining their efforts to

We're BAACCKK! This time mygazines.com promises to get it right

Those who have followed the tortuous, occasionally hilarious, path of mygazines.com, the pirate magazine file-sharing site that was effectively stomped on by the full force of the magazine industry on several continents, will be interested to read an interview with the new team that is promoting an above-board version.Ontario-based founder and CEO Darren Budd acknowledges his errors:Bottom line

Access Copyright urging content creators to register

Access Copyright is urging writers, publishers, photographers and visual artists to register with them so that they can receive payment for secondary use of their work. While registration is free, Access says, reproduction of your content shouldn't be. For more information call 1-800-893-5777 or go online to register as an affiliate.

New web-based tool helps sniff out people using magazine content without permission

Magazine publishers who want to detect if someone is using their content without permission may be attracted to a new tool from iCopyright called Discovery. It works by "fingerprinting" a publisher's content and searching the web for sites using all or part of the material, according to a story in Folio:. The service identifies Web sites that have obtained a valid license and verifies that they