Contracts need not be complicated things, and unless you unleash a rather old-fashioned lawyer onto the job most contracts can be written in fairly standard, clear English. Many seasoned executives know their way around the standard contracts in their industries pretty well, so is a solicitor necessary in the contracting process? Often the answer will [...]
Digital Publishing in the news
Scribd – just how legal is it?
Publishers have previously complained that Scribd handles infringing copies of their published works. Does the Newzbin decision call into question the legality of Scribd’s activities under English law?
The Stig – can Auntie make him keep quiet?
An attempt by publishing house HarperCollins to produce an autobiography of the Stig, the near mythical driver dressed head to toe in white featured in the BBC’s Top Gear programme, is currently being challenged by the BBC in the High Court.
Database or compilation – the digital publisher’s dilemma
Publishers may put in considerable effort to create “compilations”, but once they are in the digital world the rules can change quite dramatically, and what were thought to be valuable rights may in fact not exist at all.
Apple, its iPad, the iBookStore and the Agency Model – is it all legal?
Some concerns have been raised in the publishing press recently about the legality of Apple’s so-called “agency model” when applied to the UK with the launch of the iPad on 28 May.
Are social networks and European data privacy laws incompatible?
Facebook is in trouble over privacy again, and seems only to have itself to blame.
LBF and the Icelandic ash… disrupted, but not disrupted enough?
LBF has been a bit mixed this year, with so many international colleagues “ash affected” and unable to attend. One of the highlights for me was to be the session on “Disrupting Content: Lessons and perspectives from outside the publishing industry” which had a good audience turn up on Monday – a shame then that [...]
What if your licensor goes bust?
There are few businesses around that do not rely to some extent on rights which are licensed to them by others. These may be rights to use software, to publish or republish literary or artistic works or to use someone else’s trademark in order to help sell goods and services. What happens if the person who has licensed you these rights goes into insolvency?
Less heat, more light on the copyright provisions in #debill
Considerable, and often heated, debate continues over the provisions relating to copyright infringement in the Digital Economy Act 2010 (known amongst twitter users as #debill) rushed through the UK Parliament this week amid claims that this new law will undermine fundamental freedoms of users of Internet services. Now that the Act is in final form, we take a look at the relevant (extremely complex) provisions to see what they actually do. Is this actually the end of freedom as we know it, will the Act help copyright owners effectively protect what belongs to them, or is it just an administrative and legal nightmare for all concerned of the kind previously seen with other legislation rushed through Parliament with insufficient scrutiny such as the Dangerous Dogs Act?
European Court gives Google adwords a bloody nose
In a much anticipated judgement the European Court of Justice has today ruled in a series of linked cases involving objections by trademark holders including Louis Vuitton (LV) against the use of adwords on Google by competitors and alleged counterfeiters. The decision will have major impact on how the adwords system can be used in particular, and on wider Internet advertising practices in general.