AWE, MAN! DON’T TAKE AWAY THE COOL STUFF!
Those cool new car features that allow integrated on board car cameras and multi-purpose navigation devices might be short lived. The music industry groups are suing Ford, GM and other car manufacturers for copyright infringement and failing to pay music royalties when users play music on these multipurpose navigation devices. There are also pending patent infringement actions over these technologies. Specifically, the Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies sued the auto giants and their suppliers Denso International America Inc. and Clarion Corp of America for violation of the Audio Home Recording Act for distributing music copying devices that did not have serial copy management systems and failure to pay royalties on these infringement systems marketed as “digital jukeboxes.” It is a hard balance to achieve – free or low-cost consumer access to content against the musical artist’s right to earn a living from their creative talent and efforts. Hopefully these pending cases won’t interfere with consumer access to these truly amazing technologies.
About Tracy Jong
Tracy Jong has been an attorney for more than 20 years, representing restaurants, bars, and craft beverage manufacturers in a wide array of legal matters. She is also a licensed patent attorney.
Her book Everything You Need To Know About Obtaining and Maintaining a New York Retail Liquor License: The Definitive Guide to Navigating the State Liquor Authority will be available next month on Amazon.com as a softcover and Kindle e-book.
Her legal column is available in The Equipped Brewer, a publication giving business advice, trends, and vendor reviews to help craft breweries, cideries, distilleries and wineries build brands and succeed financially.
She also maintains a website and blog with practical information on legal and business issues affecting the industry. Follow her, sign up for her free firm app or monthly newsletter.
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Tracy Jong Law Firm