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Fake Law Firms, Bogus DMCA Threats, and the “Dead Internet”. Why AI threatens to automate Copyright Trolling.
Hey All! While working on my final paper, I stumbled over an interesting article published by ArsTechnica that has raised my eyebrows, and I am sure it may raise yours as well. Eric Smith, a writer based in the United States recently “received a ‘DMCA Copyright Infringement Notice’ in late March from “Commonwealth Legal,” representing…
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Bonus Lecture: “All Media is Social Media”
For the masochists among you, here is the theoretical piece promised. Contents and timelines for the video are:
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Week 11 Spring 2024
Slides & video below. Additional video of Jonathan Zittrain’s wonderful and humorous talk on memes which perhaps fits with the end of our course (albeit at a decidedly odd angle).
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Child Rights and Copyright Wrongs
We live in a world where children are increasingly engaging in creative expression, we must address therefore address the vulnerabilities they face in the realm of intellectual property. From original artwork to innovative storytelling, children are contributing immensely to our cultural landscape, and this is being done increasingly through social media platforms. Yet, amidst their…
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Imagining a World Without Copyright
“Copyright is usually presented as a balance between promoting the public interest in the encouragement and dissemination of work of the arts and intellect and obtaining just reward for the creator” -“Binnie J Theberge As set out in Theberge, Copyright in Canada (and internationally) is built upon the fundamental assumption that the user and creator are two distinct…
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‘Free’ cash from social media: but at what cost?
The recent emergence of Temu, a rapidly growing online marketplace originating from China, has stirred controversy and raised concerns over data privacy and user consent. Promising ‘free’ cash incentives for new sign-ups and referrals, Temu has garnered significant attention on social media platforms, with users sharing screenshots of payments ranging from £50-£100. The site spends…
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Human Expression in EDM
Following the insightful presentations of last Friday, and inspired by a previous class debate on the intersection of AI and EDM, I wanted to share my take on EDM and how it is a genre driven by culture, human emotion, and social movements. Despite how it can be perceived as a genre, EDM isn’t merely…
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Big Fat Copyright Infringer
If you have not seen the 2002 film “Big Fat Liar,” you are surely missing out! It revolves around a young boy who tells an elaborate lie to cover up his tardiness for school, only to find himself caught up in a web of deception. The plot revolves around 14-year-old Jason Shepherd, an incorrigible liar living…
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The Ethical Ambiguity of Online File Sharing
Introduction Throughout this course, as the name ‘Copyright and Social Media’ suggests, we have focused on the internet, technology, and various legal and ethical issues that arise from their use. At the crux of modern technology we see today, is the desire to share information and ideas. Peer-to-peer online file-sharing platforms, like Torrentz, UTorrent, and…
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News of the Week(s)
This is the more or less definitive version of News of the Week since our last in-class session. Will highlight a few trends in class this week or next, time permitting…
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Copyright Conflicts in AI Generated Music
by Brittney, Jack, Jake and Rob. In our presentation this week we will be discussing the tension between AI and human creators in copyright, with a specific focus on music. We will examine how some early experiments with novel approaches to music are a precursor to current AI approaches to music creation. As part of…
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Week 9 Spring 2024
Slides & video below. Unfortunately, the lecture capture system glitched somehow and did not record the first ten or so minutes of the class…
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Can Social Media Trends Qualify for Copyright Protection?
Hi everyone, I am looking to explore if social media trends can qualify for copyright protection under Canadian Copyright law and the role that contractual licensing agreement plays in this. I have attached the introductory portion of my paper but I will appreciate your thoughts and comments. INTRODUCTION: There is little doubt that while our…
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Trump’s Truth… (Social)
Hi everyone, Saw this news article today and thought that it might be interesting for people in this class! If anyone remembers, former president Donald Trump launched a social media called “Truth Social” back in 2021. It has been called a “twitter clone” that is a alt-tech social media platform. As of today, it has…