Author: David Newhoff

David is an author, communications professional, and copyright advocate. After more than 20 years providing creative services and consulting in corporate communications, he shifted his attention to law and policy, beginning with advocacy of copyright and the value of creative professionals to America’s economy, core principles, and culture.

Castle: Mass NOI Loophole Still Being Exploited

Attorney and blogger Chris Castle continues his reporting on major players like Amazon “innovating” the hell out of a loophole in Section 115 of the Copyright Act.  The filing of Notices of Intent (NOI) was designed for low-volume use but is not be exploited by Big Tech to avoid, or at least defer, paying royalties to songwriters. “Assuming the filing was made correctly, the user can then allege that the user is entitled to all of the benefits of the compulsory license without the obligation to pay royalties until the song owner catches them,” writes Castle.

See full article at Music Tech Policy here.

Disrupt the Citizen by Nikil Saval

In the wake of Travis Kalanick’s ouster at UBER, Nikil Saval writes about the incompatibility of democratic principles with Silicon Valley’s “disrupt culture.”

 

“The taxi system was and is an exploitative one, in which drivers were often classified as independent contractors. But ride-sharing is incalculably more exploitative. In regulated markets, taxi companies are at least required to maintain, acquire, and insure all the cars in a taxi fleet. Ride-sharing companies are not. This means for example, as Quartz reported recently, that Uber can force its drivers into “deep subprime” loans to acquire their vehicles, leaving them drowning in debt.”  Read full article here.