U.S. ICE Seizes 70 More Websites For Alleged Copyright Infringement (PCWorld)
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has seized 70 websites accused of selling products that infringe copyright. The seized sites “closely mimicked legitimate websites selling authentic merchandise and duped consumers into unknowingly buying counterfeit goods,” ICE said in a press release.
File-Hosting Firms Responsible for Pirated Content, German Court Rules (ZDNet)
Germany’s federal court of law has ruled that online file-hosting services are at least partly responsible for the contents of the files on their servers.
Canada Supreme Court Ends Royalties for Music Downloads (Reuters)
As part of five copyright rulings last week, Canada’s Supreme Court scrapped some fees for music downloads, ruled that previews of songs in online digital stores are not an infringement and do not merit royalty payments, and also ruled in favor of teachers who photocopy excerpts from textbooks for classroom instruction.
FBI Expands Availability of Anti-Piracy Warning Seal (PC Magazine)
The FBI is expanding its anti-piracy seal program to allow the general public to access and use the seal on copyrighted works.
France: Google May Have to Censor for Piracy After All (GigaOM)
France’s Supreme Court has set aside a critical piracy ruling that they say actually violated a key clause of the country’s rules on intellectual property. The move may force Google to censor some of its search results.
Keith Kupferschmid is General Counsel and SVP, Intellectual Property Policy & Enforcement at SIIA.