ACS:Law, the controversial London-based solicitors' firm involved in making copyright claims, keeps about 40% of the payments made by alleged filesharers, while rights holders receive between 20% and 30%, research by the Guardian has revealed.

For a typical letter demanding £300 as settlement for the allegation of filesharing, the record company would get between £60 and £90, while ACS:Law would retain £120. The rest would go to pay the companies which find the alleged filesharers, and to pay internet service providers to hand over data.

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So there you have it. That's actually the real deal, the reason why this is an issue: someone stands to make money from it; more money than the original thing is actually worth. It's “magic money”, the best kind.

Or did you believe all that guff about protecting artists and thinkers and so on? I did, for a while. I seriously thought that senior law partners in big firms and various business heads were lying awake at night and fretting about hard-working bands and musicians who were having trouble paying their bills. And they thought to themselves, “It's just not fair. We're honest in all our dealings with people. Why shouldn't people in basements downloading stuff also be honest? We need to step in and help.” Something like that. But I was wrong.

Labels: Copyright

According to the story on RIA Novosti, some Chinese toys were detained at customs in Novosibirsk because upon inspection they were discovered to be capable of singing songs by Russian composers for which neither the manufacturer nor the importer had secured permission.

One of the songs at issue is “Antoshka, Antoshka, Let's Go Dig Potatoes”, by Vladimir Shainsky.

You can see a YouTube of the cartoon and song here.

Copyright is no joking matter, of course, but I'm just thinking about the customs officers winding the toys up (or whatever), hearing the familiar melodies, and then gradually realizing: this could be a very grave problem.

Labels: Copyright