Moral Panics

As a number of other copyright blogs have noted, William Patry’s new book Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars has hit the shelves along with a new blog.  Mr. Patry’s role in shaping copyright is undeniable, from his work on the Visual Artists Rights Act and the Architectural Works Copyright Protection Act, to his treatise, Patry on Copyright, and his role as Chief Copyright Counsel at Google. My copy of Moral Panics shipped yesterday morning, and like many others, I am anxiously awaiting its arrival.

Costco v. Omega

A friend of the program was kind enough to pass along the most recent filings in Costco v. Omega, including Omega’s opposition brief and Costco’s reply. The cert petition was Distributed for the Conference on September 29, 2009, the Supreme Court’s long conference where it decides which cases to hear in the fall and early winter.

The full list of documents is here:

• Petition of Writ of Certiorari (Costco)
• Brief of Amicus Curiae Public Citizen in Support of Petitioner
• Brief of Amici Curiae Public Knowledge, Electronic Frontier Foundation in Support of the Petition
• Brief of Amici Curiae Entertainment Merchants Association and National Association of Recording Merchandisers in Support of Petitioner
• Brief for EBay Inc. as Amicus Curiae in Support of Petitioner
• Brief Amicus Curiae Retail Industry Leaders Association, National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Amazon.com, Gamestop Corp., Movie Gallery, Inc., Quality King Distributors, Inc., Target Corporation,in Support of Petitioners
• Brief for Respondent in Opposition (Omega)
• Reply Brief for Petitioner (Costco)

Salinger v. Colting

The New York Times Company, the Associated Press, the Gannett Company and the Tribune Company have filed an amicus brief arguing for reversal of the granting of a preliminary injunction in Salinger v. Colting.

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress has published a new rule, effective immediately through July 1, 2011, that eliminates the fee for an expedited filing when an applicant needs registration to file suit for copyright infringement. The previous fee was $760.   This appears to be one of a series of moves aimed at remedying or at least alleviating the problems caused by the backlog for obtaining copyright registration.  The most controversial of the measures may be the proposed amendment that would eliminate mandatory deposit for electronic works. (Are we allowed to call this the Facebook amendment?)