In a world that technology is changing faster than the seasons, there are items that are overlooked. Lines are blurred and things become unclear. Some of those items boundaries are tested include intellectual property. There are different types of IP: copyright, trademarks, trade secrets and patents. All of these legal forms have specific laws and the music industry has many cases that deal with them.
One case that is current is between Viacom and YouTube. Viacom is suing YouTube over copyright policies. It comes down to what type of system is put in place to prevent the violations. Viacom states that YouTube should have prevented this and taken measures to protect the copyright by installing software filters. If these precautions were taken then the lawsuit would not be in dispute. There should have been filter software put in place since copyright infringement started to have negative affect on companies. Emailing the user who uploaded the content is another way that Viacom wants to put an end to the infringement. But that only goes so far and who will check to see if people actually take down the content? While uploading videos of my own, even for some classes, I can’t use the music that I would like to use. No audio will play from the video because it has been disabled. YouTube is taking into consideration the copyright laws. Viacom brings up good points but YouTube may win this argument because they are already in the process of putting in filters for music content, they must be working on video filters as well.
Another case involves the music artist Ke$ha. She is suing a watchstrap company called “TikTok” because the name is too similar to her popular 2009 single, “TiK ToK.” Ke$ha’s lawyers want the company to hand over its entire stock. The artist was not financially stable until the song hit No. 1. If she can prove that consumers associate her and the product then she will most likely win the case. I can see where Ke$ha is coming from when suing the company. The song made her career and defines who she is. I associate “TiKToK” with her. I hope that she wins this case. She deserves a little bit more financial stability.
The last case talks about the future of the music industry. Rethink Music Conference was held a few days ago. Leaders in the music industry from record labels, copyright offices, recording studios, venture capital firms were some of the areas that were represented at the conference. At the event different issues were discussed about the future of the music industry. One of the issues was about the way fans received the music. Some artists are not focusing on how fans receive the music but the music itself. When you work on making good music then the fans will follow. Another issue was the talk about empowered artists and if a record label was necessary. Record labels provide a lot of help to the artists. They have many connections, so they will not be completely going away. However more artists are using social media spread their music and connect with fans. They are turning down label deals to become more authentic and close with fans. Facebook and other media sites are becoming a hubb for fans to share their musical interests with friends. What better way to find out about a band than the recommendation of someone you know?
This is just the beginning of conferences and discussions about the future of music. As the music world turns digital, there different rights and laws that are emerging from the advances in technology. They will all have a great impact on the entertainment business in a way.
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