Judge Takes Dim View of Righthaven

A newspaper publisher’s copyright attack dog got a swat on the nose last week. Righthaven LLC has filed over 250 infringement lawsuits in Nevada, Colorado, and California on behalf of Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Denver Post, and other newspapers. But a federal judge has declined to indulge its latest episode of copyright trolling, ruling that 100 percent reproduction of an article for a website falls under fair use. Righthaven charged the Center for Intercultural Organization, a not-for-profit group, with stealing its intellectual property when it blogged a story about cops targeting minorities, reposting it in full. Nevada Judge James C. Mahan was unsympathetic. Mahan ruled that because the website posted the article for informational purposes, and it was too complicated to synthesize into a shorter format, there was no infringement. Taking things a step further, the judge also took issue with Righthaven’s business model, which he characterized as having more to do with lawsuits than publishing. “Although the former owner, the LVRJ, used the article for news reporting, the court focuses on the current copyright owner’s use, which, at this juncture, has been shown to be nothing more than litigation driven,” he wrote. Righthaven, established just last year, buys up the copyright to articles and then sues for unauthorized use. The company, which was spun out of Stephens Media, the publisher of more than 30 newspapers beside the Review-Journal, so far has successfully sued... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2011-05-03 00:00:00 UTC ]

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‘Take my money’: fans react to news of Keanu Reeves book collaboration

Novel with author China Miéville thrills everyone from ardent followers to big publishersPenguin is cock-a-hoop, and Waterstones, tweeting the latest literary news, uncovered multiple gifs on a theme I’d never encountered before: “Take my money”. Please, begged the fan army, take my money and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-01-12 17:38:10 UTC ]
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In Key Win, Judge Says Escambia County Book Banning Lawsuit Can Proceed

After a January 10 hearing, judge T. Kent Wetherell denied a motion by the Escambia County School Board to dismiss the case, suggesting that school officials cannot simply pull books they find objectionable from library shelves. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge Blocks Key Provisions of Iowa Book Banning Law

A federal judge has blocked two key portions of an Iowa law that sought to ban books with sexual content from Iowa schools and to bar classroom discussion of gender identity and sexuality for students below the seventh grade. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-29 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Poetry sales boom as Instagram and Facebook take work to new audiences

Writing and reading poems is no longer a minority pastime as verse overlaps with self-help genre and classics are revisitedIt was only last year that the Scottish poet Donna Ashworth was given a publishing contract. Now the 48-year-old has ended 2023 with five of her books in the Top 20 poetry... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-12-24 12:00:53 UTC ]
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Inside Literary Prize Will Be Judged by Prison Inmates

Over the next six months, inmates in prisons around the country will be able to debate and vote on the winner of a new book award — the Inside Literary Prize. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-12-04 10:01:30 UTC ]
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Judge Will Toss Part of Authors’ AI Copyright Lawsuit

A federal judge said he will dismiss part of a lawsuit filed by a group of authors including comedian Sarah Silverman that claims Meta’s Llama AI application infringes their copyrights. However, a core claim of the suit—that Meta’s use of unauthorized copies to train its AI model is... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-13 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Take 60% off an Audible subscription in a killer early Black Friday deal

For a limited time, Amazon is offering an Audible deal on its audiobook subscription with a price of up to 60% off the normal subscription cost. You can cancel at any time during the discounted period and not be committed to a longer subscription. With the discounted Audible... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2023-11-02 15:59:38 UTC ]
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Stephanie Land's new memoir takes 'Maid' readers to school — not always in a good way

Stephanie Land's second memoir, 'Class,' a sequel to her blockbuster debut, 'Maid,' follows her journey to get an education — and holds readers at a distance. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-10-31 10:00:21 UTC ]
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LitAg Short Takes: Kalem Agency and Italian Literary Agency

Quick snapshots from two long-time Frankfurt veterans, Kalem Agency and Italian Literary Agency, on their latest projects. The post LitAg Short Takes: Kalem Agency and Italian Literary Agency appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-10-20 12:05:43 UTC ]
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Montana Judge Grants Preliminary Injunction Against Drag Ban

On Friday, a U.S. District Court judge deemed Montana House Bill 356 "vague and overbroad, chilling protected speech," and said that it exhibited "anti-LGBTQ+ animus." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Appeals Court Lets Texas Book Rating Law Take Effect, Orders Expedited Hearing

The Fifth Circuit ordered an administrative stay to remain in place while an "expedited" appeals process plays out, effectively allowing Texas to enforce HB 900, the state's controversial book rating law, despite a district court finding it to be “a web of unconstitutionally vague requirements." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge orders trial for copyright case between Thomson Reuters Westlaw, AI rival

Thomson Reuters has accused Ross Intelligence of improperly copying data from its Westlaw legal-research division to train an AI-powered competitor. A jury will decide the case, a judge ruled this week. Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2023-09-26 12:13:41 UTC ]
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The Guardian view on the Murdoch handover: Lachlan inherits a dark legacy | Editorial

Through his businesses, Rupert Murdoch pushed a world view with the pursuit of money at its heartThere are not many chairmanships of companies that would so fascinate writers, and television producers, that they would make four series about them. Rupert Murdoch’s long tenure at Fox and News Corp... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-09-22 17:40:41 UTC ]
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New S&S Program, Books Belong, Takes Aim at Book Bans

Simon & Schuster is introducing a new "multi-platform education and resources program" during this year's Banned Books Week, as part of an effort to expand the publisher's response to the book bans and challenges. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In a Blistering Opinion, Judge Officially Blocks Texas’ Book Rating Law

After nearly three weeks of waiting, federal judge Alan D. Albright delivered a 59-page written opinion holding that the controversial Texas law "misses the mark" by imposing a web of "unconstitutionally vague" requirements. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Métro Média to declare bankruptcy as local journalism takes another hit

Métro Média will declare bankruptcy this week, permanently ending its coverage of local government in parts of the province's two largest cities, the head of the Quebec newspaper publisher said Sunday. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-09-17 21:15:07 UTC ]
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Texas Judge Hears Arguments Over Scope of HB 900 Injunction

At a brief 20-minute hearing judge, Alan D. Albright appeared open to the state's bid to allow parts of the controversial law take effect. Attorneys for the plaintiffs, however, insisted the law is unconstitutional, and that the court should stick with its decision to block it in its entirety. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Knopf Doubleday Puts Anchor on the Back Shelf as Suzanne Herz Takes a Buyout

Vintage/Anchor publisher Suzanne Herz will leave Penguin Random House in December. Anchor Books will gradually be phased out, starting with its hardcover program next January, with its 16,000-strong paperback backlist slated to move over to Vintage over time. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Texas Argues Parts of New 'Book Rating' Law Should Be Allowed to Take Effect

In a filing late last week, attorneys for the state renewed their broader bid to stay the court's August 31 preliminary injunction blocking HB 900 from taking effect, but also argue that parts of the law are outside the scope of the plaintiffs' claims and should be allowed to take effect. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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