Valve has failed to convince a court that it didn't infringe EU law by geo-blocking activation keys, according to a new ruling. The company argued that, based on copyright law, publishers had the right to charge different prices for games in different countries. However, the EU General Court confirmed that its geo-blocking actions "infringed EU competition law"and that copyright law didn't apply."Copyright is intended only to ensure for the right holders concerned protection of the right to exploit commercially the marketing or the making available of the protected subject matter, by the grant of licences in return for payment of remuneration," it wrote in a statement. "However, it does not guarantee them the opportunity to demand the highest possible remuneration or to engage in conduct such as to lead to artificial price differences between the partitioned national markets."The original charges centered around activation keys. The commission said Valve and five publishers (Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax) agreed to use geo-blocking so that activation keys sold in some countries — like Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary and Latvia — would not work in other member states. That would prevent someone in, say, Germany buying a cheaper key in Latvia, where prices are lower. However, doing so violates the EU's Digital Single Market rules, which enforces an open market across the EU. The five developers were given a reduced fine of €7.8 million (over $9.4... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2023-09-27 12:20:53 UTC ]
The decision of Amazon-owned website AbeBooks.com to withdraw from Hungary, the Czech Republic, South Korea and Russia has reportedly sparked an international protest of antiquarian booksellers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Week in Libraries, June 15, 2018: The scholarly publishing community mourns Elsevier's Karen Hunter; The EU will vote next week on a controversial change to copyright law; Net neutrality sunsets, but the fight goes on. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Already estimated to hold some 17 percent of the Czech wholesale book market, Albatros Media this spring continues broadening its acquisitions portfolio by buying the country's oldest publisher, gaining access to the adult nonfiction market in the process. The post Czech Republic’s Children’s... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-04-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The country has emerged as a surprising literary force as a novel by the ‘Korean Henning Mankell’ bags a six-figure deal and sparks a global bidding warLast December, Korean novelist Un-su Kim set out on an eight-month deep-sea fishing trip as part of research for his next book. Unreachable by... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-03-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Demand for Canadian educational content remains high, however the ongoing supply of Canadian learning resources remains uncertain after a 2012 change to copyright law. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ten days after it unexpectedly announced it would close at the end of October, the hybrid publisher said it has reached an agreement in principle to sell the company. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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If a court rules that photographer Carol Highsmith must pay to publish her own work, it sets a scary precedent for public-domain art. If a court rules that photographer Carol Highsmith must pay to publish her own work, it sets a scary precedent for public-domain art.Could... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2016-10-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A proposed reform of European Union copyright law grants online news publishers additional rights that could lead to the closure of services such as Google News if strictly enforced.Copyright law already provides reporters with protection for the news stories they publish, but in a draft... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2016-09-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Czech Republic's largest media conglomerate, Empresa Media, has just launched a book publishing division, adding to its television, radio and magazine businesses. The post A Familiar Newcomer to Czech Books: Empresa Media appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2016-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Australian Booksellers Association has joined with other Australian book industry organisations to protest changes proposed by the government to turn the country into an “open market” and allow booksellers to import both UK and US titles without restrictions. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) is pushing back against Hachette CEO Arnaud Nourry's suggestion that proposed "vast exceptions to copyright law for libraries," would devastate European publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Diary of Anne Frank has been removed from book repository Wikisource after the site became aware it had fallen foul of copyright law. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2016-02-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Google's book scanning project constitutes fair use under U.S. copyright law, an appeals court confirmed Friday, ending a ten-year legal fight by the Authors Guild and other writers' groups to have it stopped. Google began working with libraries in 2004 to digitize their book collections,... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2015-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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According to a new report, changes to Canada’s copyright law have had devastating effects on educational publishers and will ultimately contribute to a decline in the quality and quantity of content available to students. Trade publishers say they, too, are feeling the impact. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Citing a major uptick in Internet piracy, the Authors Guild has urged Congress to require ISPs to monitor and filter the Internet for pirated works. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-07-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The European Commission has a grand plan to create a single market for digital content across all the member states of the EU, so it can be bought and sold without barriers such as the administrative burden of different VAT rates. The creation of that market will help entrepreneurial start-up... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-05-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As Google and Facebook control an increasing amount of ad spend, publishers realize that the only way they can stay competitive is to join forces. Enter the programmatic co-op, which Europe's publishers see as a way to combine both their audiences and data. It's all about scale. Buyers,... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2015-03-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Robert Levine, author of Free Ride, explores how copyright law is and is not serving authors and consumers in today's Internet-dominated marketplace. The post Why Copyright Needs to Be Defended appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Education publishers rely “heavily on the protections provided by copyright law in the US... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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