Copyright Report, Vol. 5

Googacle (Oracle America, Inc. v. Google, Inc.)
This long-running case has previously touched on issues of copyrightability of APIs, on 5/25, a jury found that Google’s use of them was fair use.

• Google Wins Trial Against Oracle, Saves $9 Billion | Motherboard
  Sarah Jeong piece on the verdict
• Why the Very Silly Oracle v. Google Trial Actually Matters | Motherboard
  Sarah Jeong background piece on the importance of the case.
• EFF applauds jury verdict
  RT @EFF: Google’s win against Oracle is an important fair use victory, making the best out of a bad Federal Circuit opinion.
• In Oracle v. Google, a Nerd Subculture Is on Trial | Motherboard
  Sarah Jeong comment: it’s really interesting to see who’s mad about my oracle v. google / foss piece, and who finds the humor in it
• Google beats Oracle at trial: Jury finds Android is “fair use” | Ars Technica UK
  Google beats Oracle at trial: Jury finds Android is “fair use” – lots of details and background (via @glynmoody)

Star Trek fan film (Axanar)

• Court Allows Copyright Lawsuit Against Star Trek Fan Film To Move Forward
  NS comments: detailed consideration of the case against the fan film from Consumerist. (5/10/16)
•  US court dismisses amicus brief in Star Trek Klingon copyright dispute
  NS comments: legal analysis of court declining to consider issue of whether Klingon language is copyrightable; case proceeding. (05/11/16)
•  Paramount’s Lawsuit Against Axanar Productions Star Trek Fan Film is ‘Going Away’
  JJ Abrams announced at a fan event that the lawsuit was being dropped… (05/21/16)
• Star Trek Fan Film Axanar Lawyers Tell Court About JJ Abrams Claims Of Paramount Dropping Suit, Express Confusion
  But as far as the defendants have heard, the case is proceeding… (05/27/16)

Academic/Higher-ed news/info

• Elsevier acquired SSRN
  • Elsevier Acquires SSRN | The Scholarly Kitchen
    via @JenHoward: Ithaka’s @rschon has a lot of good detail and context on the Elsevier-SSRN deal here
  • Tightening their grip | IO: In The Open
    @klsmith4906 on how comm’l publishers are tightening their grip on scholarship, & data abt scholars; in response to Elsevier purchase of SSRN.
  • Twitter commentary from @ekansa and @ictlogist:
    
    (Elsevier acquires Mendeley; Elsevier acquires SSRN; Universities outsource personnel evaluation to Elsevier; Elsevier acquires Univerisities. Elsevier then eats itself.)
• Communiqué – Cancellation of subscriptions to 2,116 Springer journals – Bibliothèques – Université de Montréal
  RT @JenHoward: Université de Montréal cancels subs to 2,116 Springer journals, decries “the greediness of commercial publishers.”
• Colleges Shouldn’t Have to Deal With Copyright Monitoring
  Pam Samuelson responds to the publisher-plaintiffs’ requested injunction in the Georgia State e-reserves case.
• Publisher/University collaboration expands access to research articles
  Via @lorcanD: And in other news … U Florida works with Elsevier to populate its Inst Repository.
  NS comments: this doesn’t appear to populate the repository, it appears to perhaps share metadata to the repository, but the content is not copied off the publishers site.
• Uffizi Gallery visitor photography policy via twitter
  Photographer comment: Well, here’s a thorough #visitorphoto policy. I particularly like the last line! #respect

General copyright news/info

• Give Me A ‘C’ (In A Circle): Cheerleader Uniforms At High Court
  Great overview of the cheerleader uniform copyrightability case that the Supreme Court recently decided to hear.
• Native Americans implore France to halt artifact sale: ‘It harkens to slave auctions’ | US news | The Guardian
  Raises important issues of indigenous group rights and obligations of cultural institutions to populations who do not wish us to have their cultural objects (especially when acquired through colonization or other forms of violence or exploitation.) via @FarbThink
• Heirs Go Crazy: Prince’s Estate and Copyright’s Termination of Transfer
  Deep in the details of contracts & inheritance law. (This stuff is why archival © can be so confusing, too.)
• German Publishers Whine Because They Must Pay To Authors Misappropriated Copyright Levies | Techdirt
  NS comment: part of why “extended collective licensing” usually doesn’t look like a useful approach to most copyright issues, to me.
• Court filing PDF: @nyuniversity sues *YouTube* to stop it from restoring video per 512(g) counternotice
  RT @ericgoldman: .@nyuniversity sues *YouTube* to stop it from restoring video per 512(g) counternotice That’s not how 512g2c works!

Techlaw news/info

• When Is a Person Harmed by a Privacy Violation? Thoughts on Spokeo v. Robins
  NS comments: detailed analysis of Supreme Court opinion in the Spokeo “public data” case. Lots of confusion about when a harm is “concrete” versus “tangible” versus…
• 97% of Research Library Searches Leak Privacy… and Other Disappointing Statistics.
  RT @LibSkrat: Go To Hellman: 97% of Research Library Searches Leak Privacy… and Other Disappointing Statistics.
• The Great Norwegian User Agreement Readathon
  RT @nomadiclucie: This is just getting better. The great Norwegian user agreement readathon! #privacy #appfail
• Machine Bias: There’s Software Us
  RT @MayaSchenwar: “Risk assessment” software (hyped in sentencing reforms, to predict “future crime”) makes racist determinations.
  • Twitter
    RT @mshelton: In response to @propublica’s analysis Northpointe says, “nuh uh.” The company doesn’t share how its algorithm works.
• WHY IS THE LAW A JPEG
  @SwiftOnSecurity finds a public-access law rendered as an image file.
• This state is about to become the first where targeting police is a hate crime – The Washington Post
  NS comment: this is why, SJW as I am, hate-crimes laws make me a little queasy.
• How expiring patents are ushering in the next generation of 3D printing | TechCrunch
  RT @JamesBessen: Patents delayed innovation in 3D printing; now that they’re expiring, next generation emerges via @techcrunch

Just Awesome

• 
  RT @Lin_Manuel: “…and no one shall make them afraid.
  They’ll be safe in this nation we’ve made.”
  An honor to sing for you tonight.
  (Gabrielle Giffords & astronaut husband Scott Kelly at Hamilton
• PLos crow video
  
  Open science research video: a crow that understands fluid volume. (Gets good after 1:02) Yay @PLOS!