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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Winnie-the-Pooh and Penguin take the stage in ebook trial

Apple enlisted the services of Winnie-the-Pooh in trying to show a court that it did not tinker with ebook prices when it opened its electronic bookstore in 2010, according to the Associated Press.Apple enlisted the services of Winnie-the-Pooh on Tuesday in trying to show a court that it did not... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Steve Swartz Takes Helm at Hearst

Steve Swartz is a veteran of Hearst’s print business, but as he takes over as CEO this week, he underscored ways the leading magazine company is adapting its products to digital formats. Swartz, the former head of Hearst’s newspaper business and for the past two years, its chief operating... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2013-06-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #digital studio #business information #global expansion #publishing partners


Judge rules gifts cards from belly-up Borders bookstores worthless

Those clinging hopefully to the old Borders books gift cards stashed in their drawers or wallets are out of luck, a Manhattan federal judge ruled Wednesday.Those clinging hopefully to the old Borders books gift cards stashed in their drawers or wallets are out of luck, a Manhattan federal judge... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-05-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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German online copyright law to take effect in August

A German online copyright law that will give publishers the exclusive right to the commercial use of their publications on the Internet will come into effect on Aug. 1. The law was published in Germany’s Federal Law Gazette (Bundesgesetzblatt) on Tuesday. After a law is published in the... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2013-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Innovation Taking the Publishing Business Beyond Borders

Smart publishers are thinking of their business as global instead of local. This may come as a surprise to some who see it as a novelty instead of the norm. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If Microsoft Takes Over Nook, What Next?

Microsoft is said to have offered Barnes & Noble $1 billion to buyout the Nook Media business. Where would that leave the retailer going forward? Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Federal judge rules that used ebooks cannot be sold by consumers

Start-up company ReDigi had planned to allow users to sell used ebooks but were told by a judge that doing so would be illegal. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Would Someone Take Advantage of America’s Most Beloved Author?

Author Harper Lee, now 87-years-old, is suing the son-in-law of her former literary agent after he "duped" her into signing over rights to her beloved classic "To Kill a Mockingbird." Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reagan Arthur Takes Over at Little, Brown

Coming from the West Coast, Reagan Arthur was not always surrounded by people who thought much of a career in books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon to Open Ebookstore in Russia, Taking on LitRes, Ozon

Amazon is hiring for positions in Russia, suggesting its Kindle ebookstore will open there soon and where they will take on several established, but not yet dominant, competitors. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperFiction signs modern take on gothic novel

HarperFiction has signed a novel from author Miranda Beverly-Whittemore following an auction.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chat app takes on ebook retailers, Amazon with manga comics service

Line, the popular messaging platform based in Japan, is challenging ebook vendors like Amazon and Rakuten with a new service to download and view manga, or Japanese comic books. The company has launched "Line Manga," a mobile app for Android and iOS phones. Line's initial offering consists of... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2013-04-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #wide range #consumer groups #key part #third-party apps #growing suite


Pearson takes ownership of IndiaCan

Pearson has bought complete control of the vocational training company IndiaCan. Originally set... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Judge Deals ‘Used’ E-book Market a Setback

Publishers breathed a sigh of relief last week as federal judge Richard Sullivan dealt a setback to any potential resale market for digital books. In a forceful ruling in Capitol Records v. ReDigi, Sullivan held that the doctrine of “first sale,” which allows consumers to redistribute lawfully... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Slicebooks Aims to Take Re-mixable Ebooks Mainstream

Slicebooks offers tools for producing re-mixable ebooks. But the implications of this go far beyond generating more sales, explains co-founder Jill Tomich. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Arthur Frommer takes brand back from Google, will keep guidebooks going

The tale of Google and Frommer's famed travel guides has taken another twist this evening. Associated Press writer Beth Harpaz reports Arthur Frommer confirmed over the phone that he has retaken control of the brand from Google, and plans to continue publishing them in ebook and print formats,... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #continue publishing #print formats #full statement #image credit


Argentine Isol Takes Home World’s Largest Children’s Lit Prize

The Argentine illustrator known as “Isol” has won the world’s largest award for children’s literature, the SEK 5m (roughly $766,000) Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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With 50 Million Users, Flipboard Opens Magazine Creation To The Masses To Take On Tumblr, Pinterest

Flipboard latest update democratizes content curation on the service, introduces search, and provides integration with Etsy. With 50 million users, Flipboard, the social news magazine available on the iPhone and iPad, has become a dominant player in content curation. Now, with competition in... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2013-03-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Malaysia’s Tan Twan Eng Takes $30,000 Man Asian Literary Prize

Malaysia's Tan Twan Eng won Asia’s most prestigious literary prize with The Garden of Evening Mists. The prize, in its 6th year, is changing the perception of Asian literature say authors, publishers. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-03-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How Many Copies Does It Take To Be an Amazon Bestseller?

Amazon, the biggest bookseller in America, is also famously one of the most tight-lipped. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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