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Misa Watanabe to receive the 2018 ICMP Ralph Peer II Award for Outstanding Contribution to Global Music Publishing
ICMP has today revealed that Misa Watanabe (pictured above) will be the honouree of the 2018 ICMP Ralph Peer II Award for Outstanding Contribution to Global Music Publishing.
Misa was selected from nominees submitted by ICMP member organisations in over 70 countries. She is being honoured for her enormous impact on music publishing in Japan, France and indeed, across the world.
The award, initiated by ICMP in 2013, recognises visionaries in the field of music publishing, whose roles have helped develop, protect and value the music of composers and authors around the world.
See more in our press release here.
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WIPO releases data on mediation and arbitration
According to the World Intellectual Property’s (WIPO) recently released 2017 arbitration and mediation data, 9% of all arbitration cases were copyright related - usually in the context of collective management.
The data also shows that since 2009, there has been a steady rise in using arbitration and mediation as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism for Intellectual Property Rights issues.
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35th Session on Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore
From 19 - 23 March, WIPO held its 35th Session on Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore.
At the meeting, the Committee agreed to “continue to expedite its work, with the objective of reaching an agreement on an international legal instrument(s), without prejudging the nature of outcome(s), relating to intellectual property which will ensure the balanced and effective protection of genetic resources (GRs), traditional knowledge (TK) and traditional cultural expressions (TCEs)”.
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New acting director role for Müller
Benoît Müller is to be the new acting director of the Copyright Infrastructure Division, Copyright and Creative Industries Sector, reporting to WIPO Deputy Director Sylvie Forbin.
This WIPO division is responsible for supporting and providing technical assistance to collective management organisations (CMOs) and national copyright offices around the world.
NAFTA negotiations spark debate on fair use and safe harbours
The 7th round of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations were recently held in Mexico. At the meeting, fair use and safe harbour provisions under the IP chapter were discussed.
The US ultimately wants to have safe harbours included in the agreement, which would protect Internet platforms from liabilities of copyright infringement. However, Mexico and Canada are against these proposals. Canada wants a system like the one it already has, which does not require the platform to take the content down but to have a system in place, which notifies the infringer that a complaint has been lodged.
Pressure is mounting to close the deal as Mexico’s election is impending, and the US has been consistently threatening to withdraw from the deal.
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Australia: Government seeks feedback on fair use
As part of its ongoing copyright modernisation process, the Australian government is seeking feedback on the principal of ‘fair use’ as a result of technological advancements. In particular, the consultation paper, launched by the Department of Communications and the Arts, includes questions on flexible exceptions, the contracting out of exceptions, and access to orphan works. Submissions can be made until 4 June.
Malaysia: New licensing body established
Music Rights Malaysia (MRM) has recently launched and is now the sole licensing body for music royalty collection in the country. MRM will collect on behalf of the Music Authors’ Copyright Protection (MACP), Public Performance Malaysia (PPM), Recording Performers Malaysia (RPM) and Performers’ Rights and Interest Society of Malaysia (Prism).
South Korea: Music subscriptions on the rise
According to reports, approximately 7.5 million people are now paying for subscription music in South Korea. The rise is due to a number of new streaming services driving growth in the market coupled with the popularity of K-Pop across the globe.
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Brazil: Streaming pay-outs increase in Latin America
Indie licensing agency Merlin, has reported that its earnings from Latin America have increased five-fold over the past three years and that Brazil is now the sixth biggest territory for its members.
The company also says it expects to generate more than $60 million in audio-streaming revenues from Latin America for its member labels in 2018.
United States: Powerful lobby groups want net neutrality rules back
Internet companies and State General Attorney offices have filed lawsuits against the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) recent decision to end net neutrality. The decision, made in December 2017, means ISPs will soon be free to throttle, block or accelerate any site — based on who’s paying and who’s not.
The powerful lobbying groups as well as many state governments ultimately want the court to reinstate the Obama-era net neutrality rules. In response, lobby groups representing telecommunication companies have filed suits of their own saying these state measures violate the US Constitution.
United States: Tech industries urge Trump to rethink China IP Fine
US President Donald Trump has recently announced a $60 billion fine against China for its breach of IP practices. However, advisors for Trump as well as EU and US tech industries have stated that punishing China would only harm the American consumer and jeopardise American competitiveness, triggering a chain of negative consequences.
Thus far, there have already been several letters from high US officials and trade associations asking Trump to limit the proposed tariffs.
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Portability Regulation comes into force
From April, the EU Regulation on cross-border portability of online content services in the internal market will enter into force. In practical terms, this will allow Europeans to travel within the EU and have access to all of their digital subscriptions, which they purchased within their home country.
This Regulation is part of a broader package of proposals aimed at modernising EU copyright legislation.
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