With Brexit rapidly approaching, the United Kingdom has decided it will not enforce the EU’s Copyright Directive. It’s now confirmed: the post-Brexit United Kingdom will not enforce the European Union’s controversial Directive on Copyright in the…
Category archives: Legislative
Sonos CEO to Congress – Tech Giants Like Google Have Too Much Power
Sonos CEO Patrick Spence is going to bat against Amazon and Google. He’s testifying against the tech giants at a congressional antitrust hearing in Boulder, CO today. The hearing comes just days after Sonos sued Google for patent infringement of …
New York State To Introduce Net Neutrality Bill
Following the lead of California, the state of New York is introducing measures to implement net neutrality in the state. The concept behind net neutrality is to prevent Internet service providers (ISPs) from treating some information as more important…
Sen. Amy Klobuchar Slams ‘Broken Ticket Industry’ as Justice Department Prepares Legal Action Against Live Nation
As the U.S. Justice Department prepares to take legal action against Live Nation, U.S. Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) attacked what she called a “broken ticketing industry.” In a Twitter post that referenced ou…
Bassnectar To Hold Free Show If Congress Impeaches Trump
Acclaimed DJ Bassnectar has announced on Twitter that he plans on following through on his 32-month-old promise to perform a free show if the U.S. Congress impeaches President Trump. On April 1, 2017, many people on Twitter apparently made April Fool&#…
TikTok’s CEO Cancels Capitol Hill Meetings, Prompting More Outrage
TikTok CEO Alex Zhu and its U.S. general manager Vanessa Pappas canceled a planned meeting this week with U.S. legislators, prompting more outrage from those who have been accusing the company of being unaccountable. The announcement comes only a few w…
Trump and Pelosi Agree to Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico — Reactions from Music Industry
U.S. President Donald Trump and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have agreed to ratify a new trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico, which will likely have direct consequences for the music industry. The proposed trade agreement …
Viagogo’s $4 Billion StubHub Acquisition Faces a Serious Regulatory Challenge
The FanFair Alliance has filed an official complaint with the British Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) relating to Viagogo’s $4 billion purchase of StubHub from eBay. In 2016, the FanFair Alliance was formed. Since then, they have fought l…
Mechanical Licensing Collective Hands a Juicy Contract to HFA — Critics Call the Deal Crooked
The newly-minted — and funded — Mechanical Licensing Collective has just awarded a plum contract to the Harry Fox Agency, owned by private equity firm the Blackstone Group. Critics are quickly pointing to a ‘no-bid contract’ based on polit…
There’s Hope for Radio Reform, After All — Congress Introduces the ‘AM-FM Act’ to Overhaul Terrestrial Copyright Laws
US-based terrestrial radio stations don’t pay royalties on the broadcast of recordings. The newly-introduced ‘AM-FM Act’ is aiming to change that. Once upon a time, terrestrial radio enjoyed a convenient relationship with major recor…