3 Count: Rainbows and Sunshine

Got any suggestions for the 3 Count. Let me know via Twitter @plagiarismtoday.

1: YouTube lifts music video block

First off today, if you’re from the UK and have tried to watch music videos on YouTube, you’ve probably gotten very familiar with YouTube’s message that the video is not viewable in your country.

Well, you shouldn’t see that message any more, at least not for music videos. YouTube has struck a deal with the Performing Rights Society (PRS) in the UK and now the block has been lifted, or is being lifted over the next few days. You are free to watch music videos on YouTube from within the UK.

Music videos in the UK were blocked back in March. However, YouTube has recently agreed to pay a lump sum that goes back to January of this year and pays off everything until 2012. This means that the UK should be able to enjoy music videos for a very long time to come.

2: Matt Drudge Kills Then Resurrects iDrudge App

Next up today, Matt Drudge of the Drudge Report fame, narrowly avoided a copyright scrape of his own. After a 99 cent iPhone App entitled “iDrudge Drudge Reader” appeared in the app store, he requested that the app be removed for copyright reasons. However, after it was explained to him that the app does not copy any actual Drudge Report content, just reformat it for viewing, he revoked the notice, paving the way for it to be reuploaded in the coming days.

Granted there are other potential issues with the app, namely trademark issues (both with Apple and Drudge) but Drudge doesn’t seem to be too concerned with those, at least not at this time.

3: isoHunt Launches ‘Social’ BitTorrent Site

Finally today, despite ongoing legal action by both Canadian and U.S. rights agencies, bittorrent tracker isoHunt has launched a new bittorrent search engine named Hexagon that it hopes will be more social in nature.

The new site centers around groups rather than categories and at least some music and game publishers have said that they are interested in starting their own groups to distribute their music and software.

The site right now is a closed beta but invites for it are circulating widely.

Suggestions

That’s it for the three count today. We will be back tomorrow with three more copyright links. If you have a link that you want to suggest a link for the column or have any proposals to make it better. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email. I hope to hear from you.

Want the Full Story?

Tune in every Saturday morning for the live recording of the Copyright 2.0 Show or wait and get the edited version Monday morning right here on Plagiarism Today.