RIAA Under Fire, Beaming Up Bonnaroo, World Copyright Summit

Minnesota lawyer Kiwi Camara and Harvard Law professor Charles Nesson have signaled their intention to file a class action lawsuit against the recording industry demanding the return over $100 million that the RIAA supposedly has collected as penalties from file-sharing cases with consumers. Camara is also in a high-profile Minnesota RIAA case later this month. According to Arstechnica.com, Camara will seek to disallow evidence from MediaSentry which tracks IP addresses of file-sharers on the basis that it is not licensed as a private investigator in Minnesota. There is also an issue regarding certified copyright registrations which the RIAA admits, “will be difficult and expensive to obtain in time for the trial.” Arstechnica says that the “Nesson/Camara tag team have a couple more eyepoppers to make: P2P file-sharing of copyrighted material is fair use and huge statutory damage awards against noncommercial users are unconstitutional.”

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Verizon Wireless technicians have deployed two COLTS (Cell On Light Trucks) for Bonnaroo Music Festival to ensure that the 80,000+ music fans can make and receive calls, send messages and stay connected during the festivities from June 11-14. COLTS have the same call capacity as a freestanding cell site and can handle both voice and wireless data service, allowing music fans and residents to rely on their phones before, during, and after the festival.
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CISAC (International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers) today continues the World Copyright Summit: New Frontiers for Creators in the Marketplace. The second day of the program focuses on finding common ground and new revenue streams on which to build the future of creative industries. Today’s activities opened with Senator Patrick Leahy, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, with other segments featuring legendary singer and songwriter from the Bee Gees and President of CISAC, Robin Gibb; National Music Publishers Association President and CEO David Israelite; and chairman and CEO of EMI Music Publishing, Roger Faxon.