Copyright and Fair Use: Transnational Troubles

Leonhard DobuschFreie Universität Berlin – School of Business & Economics

ESRC Workshop Series‚Digital Policy: Connectivity, Creativity and Rights’

November 22, 2012, Vienna

Using content online: legal or illegal?

Fair Use on YouTube and in Wikipedia

Private resolution of public problems?

Using content online: legal or illegal?

1970s: Violate copyrights!

2000s: Don‘t violate copyrights!

Forty-four per cent of all internet users aged 12+ claimed to be either ‘not particularly confident’ or ‘not at all’ confident in terms of what is legal and what isn’t online.

“”Online copyright infringement tracker

benchmark study, commissioned by the Office of Communications (Ofcom) UK, 2012

Do copyright experts know?

Online usage End-user Intermediarywatching/listening/reading

Is the source legal? Is watching/listening/reading from an illegal source legal?

Is providing tools for watching/listening/reading legal?

linking Is linking to (illegal) content legal?

Is providing the tools for linking to content legal?

storing/offering Is storing/offering the content legal?

Is providing tools for storing/offering (illegal) content legal?

interacting/creating online

Is interacting/creating with the content online legal?

Is providing tools for interacting/creating with online content legal?

Regulatory Uncertainty: Questions

Source: Dobusch, L./Quack, S. (2012): Transnational Copyright: Misalignments between Regulation, Business Models and User Practice. Osgoode CLPE Research Paper Series, 8 (4), Research Paper No. 13, http://ssrn.com/abstract=2116334

Regime Forums Regulatory OutcomeInternational treaties

WTO, UN/WIPO TRIPS treaty, WCT, WPPT, ACTA, TPP

(Supra-)national law

EU, national legislative bodies

EU copyright directives, national laws

Private regulation via standards

Industry networks, standard setters

Digital Rights Management, Open Content Licensing

Regime Complexity in Copyright

Source: Dobusch, L./Quack, S. (2012): Transnational Copyright: Misalignments between Regulation, Business Models and User Practice. Osgoode CLPE Research Paper Series, 8 (4), Research Paper No. 13, http://ssrn.com/abstract=2116334

Online usage End-user Intermediarywatching/listening/reading

- RIAA v. Diamond (“Rio case”, 1998)

linking Intellectual Reserve v. Utah Lighthouse Ministry (1999)Universal City Studios v. Corley (2001)

A&M Records v. Napster (2001)Arista v. Lime Wire (2010)

storing/offering e.g. Warner v. DeWitt (2007) or Interscope v. Rodriguez (2007)

Viacom v. YouTube (2007)GEMA v. RapidShare (2010)

interacting/creating online

Lenz v. Universal Music Corp. (2008)Sapient v. Geller (2008)

Warner Bros. Entertainment et al. v. RDR Books et al. (2008)

Regulatory Uncertainty: Case Law

Source: Dobusch, L./Quack, S. (2012): Transnational Copyright: Misalignments between Regulation, Business Models and User Practice. Osgoode CLPE Research Paper Series, 8 (4), Research Paper No. 13, http://ssrn.com/abstract=2116334

Illegal in spite of substantial proportion of non-infringing practices?

Arista v. Limewire (2010)A&M Records v. Napster (2001)

Legal in spite of substantial proportion of infringing practices?

Viacom v. YouTube (2007)

Fair Use on YouTube and in Wikipedia

Members shall confine limitations and exceptions to exclusive rights to certain special cases which do not conflict with a normal exploitation of the work and do not unreasonably prejudice the legitimate interests of the rights holder.

“

”Article 13, TRIPS Agreement

„Fair Use“

General Clause

Exceptions and Limitations to Copyright

Closed List

Example: Transformative Consumption

Im Hintergrund: Prince - Let‘s Go Crazy

Transformative Werknutzung

Video: Holden Lenz Dancing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1KfJHFWlhQ

Example: Amateur Art

Video: O Fortuna Misheard Lyrics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIwrgAnx6Q8

?

Video: YouTube Copyright School

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InzDjH1-9Ns

Example: Thumbnails in Wikipedia

Private resolution of public problems?

Platforms decide what to consider as (il)legal

Regime Forums Regulatory OutcomeInternational treaties

WTO, UN/WIPO TRIPS treaty, WCT, WPPT

(Supra-)national law

EU, national legislative bodies

EU copyright directives, national laws

Private regulation via standards

Industry networks, standard setters

Digital Rights Management, Open Content Licensing

Growing importance of private regulatory layer

Uncertainty in copyright is going to last

Enabling uncertainty of fair use preferrable to prohibiting certainty

Scope of fair use is re-negotiated by regulatory practices of non-state actors

Conclusions

Contact details

E-Mail: Leonhard.Dobusch@fu-berlin.de

Twitter:@leonidobusch

Homepages:http://bit.ly/FU_Dobusch (Freie Universität Berlin)http://www.dobusch.net

Blog:http://www.governancexborders.com