New York, UNITED STATES | AFP | A Jamaican artist has filed a $300 million lawsuit against pop star Miley Cyrus over her 2013 hit “We Can’t Stop,” saying a key lyric was snatched from him. On the track about exploring sexual and other personal freedom, Cyrus sings, “And we can’t …
Read More »Net giants ‘must pay for news’ from which they make billions
Paris, France | AFP | Nine European press agencies, including AFP, called Wednesday on internet giants to be forced to pay copyright for using news content on which they make vast profits. The call comes as the EU is debating a directive to make Facebook, Google, Twitter and other major …
Read More »Cardinal unhappy over copyright of Mother Teresa’s sari
Rome, Italy | AFP | The famous white sari with three blue borders worn by saint Mother Teresa has been copyrighted by nuns, and one of the Vatican’s top cardinals is not pleased. “Holy Mother Teresa of Calcutta is a universal symbol, beloved by believers (and) unbelievers,” said Cardinal Jose Saraiva …
Read More »URRO: Operation on Ugandan book pirates starts
All dealers in pirated and photocopied books are to face arrest and prosecution in line with the copyright and neighboring rights act as the Uganda Reproduction Rights Organization (URRO) teams up with the police to carry out an operation Under the copyright and neighboring rights act of 2006 and the …
Read More »German YouTube alive with sound of music after copyright deal
Frankfurt, Germany | AFP | One of the world’s most restrictive countries on access to music videos opened up on Tuesday as YouTube announced a deal with musicians’ body GEMA to pay when people stream music in Germany. YouTube users in the country had for years been confronted with a …
Read More »You can now sing ‘Happy Birthday’ free of charge
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | A US federal judge on Monday signed off on a settlement that puts the song “Happy Birthday” — considered one of the most recognizable tunes in the English language — in the public domain. The settlement approved by Los Angeles judge George King …
Read More »