Data, Oil and Eight Mile Style vs. Spotify
When you look at the ask on damages in the lawsuits against services like Spotify, it’s typical to see certain types of damages listed. One I have never seen is what we’ve long discussed on MTP: non-display uses of recordings, lyrics and artist names. After all, as The Economist tells us “The world’s most […]
“I don’t need another email whining about COVID”: Austin Landlords Lead the Way into the New Venue-Free Future
When former real estate lawyer and current Austin Mayor Steve Adler cancelled SXSW in February there was one upside. Given his deep experience as a real estate lawyer he would appreciate the vast economic complexities of the sudden contraction of the cash flow to the Live Music Capitol of the World. In fact, Mayor Adler […]
Taking the Worry Out of Moral Panic: @SenThomTillis, @SenMikeLee and Others Launch a Bipartisan Call for Investigation into Google Favoring YouTube in Search
Senators Thom Tillis and Mike Lee want to know if Google is cooking the search results to favor YouTube.
Why No One Should Be Surprised About Tencent
MTP readers will not be surprised at the Executive Order relating to Tencent and one of its apps called “WeChat.” The WeChat app has long been considered a tool of censorship associated with China’s Ministry of State Security and the Chinese Communist Party. Most prominently, WeChat was linked to action taken by the ruling Chinese […]
The TikTok Blame Game Starts
The walls appear to be closing in on TikTok (or as it’s becoming known, TikSoft). This is probably particularly galling to the founder of Bytedance (TikTok’s parent company). Zhang Yiming worked at Microsoft but left in 2008. Mr. Zhang is launching a Google-style reaction and deflection campaign against the U.S. Government’s standard Committee on Foreign […]
When Pigs Fly: The TikTok Fire Sale Belly Flop
You may have heard that the massive copyright infringer TikTok is going to be sold. I seriously doubt that’s what’s going on at all. It’s not a “sale” in any normal sense. It’s a fire sale at best. You’ve heard the (sexist) expression in mergers and acquisitions circles, put some lipstick and stockings on that […]
Congress Should Investigate The Monopoly Power of Weaponized Fair Use
The U.S. Congress has finally gotten around to examining the monopoly power of Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple. We will no doubt hear many stories of how these companies promote or restrict competition, exploit slave labor in China, run sweatshops in the U.S. and of course control the media message for political candidates. We will […]
Pandemic: NIVA and NITO Join Forces with Senators Cornyn and Klobuchar for the Save Our Stages Act
In their first at bat in Washington, the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and the National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) have hit a home run. Way to go, sluggers! The two newly-created organizations have gotten two senior Senators to come together to co-sponsor the Save Our Stages Act. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and Senator Amy […]
What’s the Over/Under on How the US Could Shut Down TikTok the Massive Infringer?
TikTok seems more likely to be shut down in the US with every passing day. How could this actually happen and what would “shut down” actually look like?
