Music industry legal news

TikTok sues the US government over sell-or-be-banned law

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TikTok • 4 min read

TikTok sues the US government over sell-or-be-banned law

TikTok has filed its lawsuit to try to block the sell-or-be-banned law that was recently passed by US Congress. It insists that it is not practical for China-based owner ByteDance to sell TikTok, even just within the US, meaning the new law is a ban. And that ban, it argues, is unconstitutional…

Chris Cooke • 08 May 2024

OfCom should use Online Safety Act powers to force Facebook to act on ticket scams, says Which?

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Facebook • 2 min read

OfCom should use Online Safety Act powers to force Facebook to act on ticket scams, says Which?

Which? says that OfCom should take action against social media platforms that fail to deal with ticketing scam posts as it implements the new UK Online Safety Act. The consumer rights group was responding to a BBC report about the sale of fake Taylor Swift tickets via hacked Facebook accounts…

Chris Cooke • 08 May 2024

Viagogo ruling in New Zealand demonstrates the need for tighter touting regulation, say campaigners

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Viagogo • 3 min read

Viagogo ruling in New Zealand demonstrates the need for tighter touting regulation, say campaigners

Last week it was confirmed that the high court in New Zealand has ruled against Viagogo following an eight year investigation by the country’s Commerce Commission. Anti-touting campaigners in Europe have welcomed the ruling, but say it demonstrates why better regulation of ticket resale is required…

Chris Cooke • 08 May 2024

Quarter of French VPN users use the tool to access illegal content, says new study

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Arcom • 2 min read

Quarter of French VPN users use the tool to access illegal content, says new study

French government agency Arcom has published a study looking at the use of VPNs to circumvent anti-piracy web-blocks. They are definitely used for accessing blocked sites, although circumventing web-blocks is not a key motivating factor for employing a VPN…

Chris Cooke • 07 May 2024

Judge declines to order new trial in Miles Davis tattoo copyright case

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Kat Von D • 2 min read

Judge declines to order new trial in Miles Davis tattoo copyright case

Earlier this year, a jury ruled that celebrity tattooist Kat Von D had not infringed the copyright in a Miles Davis photo that she had used as a guide when creating a tattoo of the musician. The photographer hoped to overturn that ruling, but a judge has knocked back his request for a new trial…

Chris Cooke • 07 May 2024

Astroworld trial delayed as Apple insists it's a news organisation

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Astroworld • 2 min read

Astroworld trial delayed as Apple insists it's a news organisation

Apple is very keen to get itself removed as a defendant in the Astroworld litigation. Its attempts to do that through an appeals court means that the first trial relating to the crowd surge tragedy that occurred at the 2021 edition of the festival, due to start next week, has been stayed…

Chris Cooke • 03 May 2024

TikTok returns to court in ongoing bid to block Montana ban

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TikTok • 2 min read

TikTok returns to court in ongoing bid to block Montana ban

TikTok has filed new legal papers with the Ninth Circuit Appeals Court as part of ongoing efforts to block a TikTok ban that was introduced in the US state of Montana. It sets out some of the arguments TikTok will use in court when trying to block the new US-wide sell-or-be-banned law…

Chris Cooke • 03 May 2024

FKA Twigs and Warner boss tell Senators about the urgent need for a US-wide law to regulate deepfakes

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AI • 3 min read

FKA Twigs and Warner boss tell Senators about the urgent need for a US-wide law to regulate deepfakes

Proposals to introduce a new US-wide law to allow people to stop the unofficial use of AI to replicate their voice and likeness were discussed in Congress yesterday, with FKA Twigs and Warner Music boss Robert Kyncl among those providing their perspectives…

Chris Cooke • 01 May 2024

MPs call on UK government to create “a pro-creative industries AI bill”

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AI • 3 min read

MPs call on UK government to create “a pro-creative industries AI bill”

The All-Party Parliamentary Group On Music has published a report on music and AI making a number of recommendations to government. That includes a “a pro-creative industries AI bill” the clarifies the copyright obligations of AI companies and introduces a new personality right for artists…

Chris Cooke • 01 May 2024

EU TikTok ban “is not excluded” says European Commission President, as FCC Commissioner says US ban won’t be scuppered in the courts

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TikTok • 3 min read

EU TikTok ban “is not excluded” says European Commission President, as FCC Commissioner says US ban won’t be scuppered in the courts

TikTok is embarking on a court battle in the US to try to block the recently passed sell-or-be-banned law. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr predicts those efforts will fail. Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says a possible future EU TikTok ban can’t be entirely ruled out…

Chris Cooke • 30 Apr 2024

Astroworld victims want first trial to be livestreamed

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Astroworld • 3 min read

Astroworld victims want first trial to be livestreamed

The first Astroworld trial will begin next month. As that court hearing gets closer, lawyers working for the victims have asked for the proceedings to be livestreamed. They are also seeking more of the evidence gathered as part of the criminal investigation into the Astroworld crowd surge tragedy…

Chris Cooke • 29 Apr 2024

Second discrimination lawsuit for Kanye West and Donda Academy

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Kanye • 2 min read

Second discrimination lawsuit for Kanye West and Donda Academy

A former security guard at Kanye West’s Donda Academy has sued for discrimination, saying that he was fired for refusing to cut off his dreadlocks. This, he claims, was just one of numerous acts of discrimination against him and other black staff at the school…

Andy Malt • 29 Apr 2024

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