Eight-year book-scanning project ends after US judge rules in favour of Google
In the US, Judge Denny Chin has ruled in favour of Google in the long-running litigation over Google’s book-scanning project, ending an eight-year-long legal battle. Chin dismissed the Authors Guild’s...
ASA writers’ congress covers digital publishing, copyright, remuneration
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) inaugural National Writers’ Congress, Authorship 20/20, which was held from 17-19 October at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney, attracted around 200 attendees and, according...
Parliamentary inquiry recommends removing PIRs, limiting geoblocking; industry responds
A federal parliamentary inquiry into the prices of electronic products paid by Australian consumers has recommended that Australia’s parallel importation restrictions (PIRs) be removed, and that actions be taken to...
International treaty to give improved access to books for blind people
International representatives meeting at a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) conference in Morocco have adopted the Marrakesh Treaty, which boosts access to books for people who are blind, visually impaired...
Law Reform Commission proposes broad ‘fair use’ copyright provision, voluntary licensing model
The introduction of a broad ‘fair use’ copyright provision and the replacement of statutory licenses with a voluntary licensing model are among the key changes to Australia’s copyright regime proposed...
ASA National Writers’ Congress details announced
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) has released details about its inaugural National Writers’ Congress, Authorship 20/20, which will celebrate the association’s 50th anniversary in Sydney from 17-19 October. Guest speakers for the congress include...
Harper Lee sues literary agent
In the US, author Harper Lee is suing her former literary agent, reports the Guardian. The 87-year-old author of Pulitzer prize-winning book To Kill a Mockingbird (various imprints), who normally avoids media...
German court rejects sale of secondhand ebooks
A German court has ruled that used ebooks cannot be resold by owners, reports Publishers Weekly. In its decision the German District Court of Bielefeld ruled that ‘unlike physical works,...
ASA celebrates 50 years; National Writers’ Congress to be held in October
The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year with a National Writers’ Congress in October. The ASA, which was founded in 1963, will also hold...
US court rejects sale of second-hand digital goods
In the US, a district court has rejected the expansion of the first sale doctrine to cover digital files in the case of Capitol Records vs ReDigi, reports Publishers Weekly. In the case, the...
International Library News
Penguin eases library ebook lending restrictions In the US, Penguin has announced that it will now make all of its frontlist ebook titles available for library lending at the same...
NLA to inform publishers about changes to legal deposit arrangements
The National Library of Australia (NLA) is currently preparing a package of information for publishers to explain how the recently announced changes to legal deposit arrangements will be applied to...
Government to extend legal deposit to electronic resources
The Federal Government has announced that it will make changes to the Copyright Act 1968 to extend the current legal deposit arrangements to cover ‘digitally published material’ as part of...
US Supreme Court rules that doctrine of first sale applies to works made overseas
In the US, the Supreme Court has ruled that the doctrine of first sale, which allows for ‘legally acquired copyrighted works to be resold by their owners’, does apply to...
NZ Copyright Tribunal to investigate licensing dispute over university course materials
Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) has referred its dispute over licensing fees for university course materials to the Copyright Tribunal. CLNZ said in a statement that ‘a refusal by the...
New UK research centre to examine copyright, inform policy
A new research centre at Glasgow University has been established to examine ‘the changing nature of copyright and the need for new business models in the digital age’, reports the...
Coyne resigns from BICC; expert reference groups established
Penguin Australia CEO Gabrielle Coyne has stepped down from her position on the Federal Government’s Book Industry Collaborative Council (BICC). A spokesperson for the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research...
HathiTrust case dismissed; Judge rules ‘fair use’
In the US, federal judge Harold Baer has dismissed the Authors Guild lawsuit against digital repository HathiTrust, ruling that HathiTrust’s book scanning project falls within ‘fair use’ exemptions of copyright...
Google, US publishers settle book scanning case
After almost seven years of litigation, Google and the Association of American Publishers (AAP), representing five US publisher plaintiffs, have reached a settlement in the litigation over Google’s book scanning...
Copyright in Australia: Where to from here?
Two reports relating to the Australian copyright industries were released in August. One looks at the recent past: the economic contributions of our country’s copyright industries between 1996 and 2011....