Copyright and Technology

Copyright and Technology 2012 London Conference

June 19, 2012

The King’s Fund, London, UK

Produced by…

Sponsors

Conference Sponsor

Partner Sponsors

Drinks Reception Sponsor

Media Sponsors

International Perspectives on Digital Copyright – Arthur Hoyle, University of Canberra

Program

0830 – 0900    Registration and Breakfast – Sponsored by castLabs

Plenary Session

1300 – 1400    Lunch – Sponsored by MarkMonitor

Technology Track

Law & Policy Track

1700 – 1900     Drinks Reception – sponsored by Icontact

Session Descriptions

Morning Session

• Opening Remarks by Bill Rosenblatt, Program Chair
  The interface between the copyright system and digital technology continues to be fraught with challenges as well as opportunities.  The ground is shifting from encryption-based DRM to technologies for identifying content and tracking its use rather than controlling it, while DRM is maintaining its presence in innovative business models.  Developments in the field come fast and furious; it’s hard to keep track.  This talk will provide an overview of the copyright and technology landscape and examine trends into the future.  Newcomers will gain a solid grounding in the field, while industry insiders will glean perspectives and insights from a consultant and author who has been on the front lines of the industry for the past 15 years.

• Keynote Address

• Policing Piracy
  Increasingly, copyright owners are looking to cut down on the unauthorised use of their works and products at network level. Progressive response legislation in a number of countries can lead to fines or disconnection of users’ Internet accounts. Other ways of limiting online access to repeat copyright offenders or to abusive sites are considered for deployment. Network operators and open internet activists have their own positions and responses to these moves. Is current practice beginning to deliver some of the answers to the questions that both sides of the debate have had to consider?  We put it to a panel of inside experts to find out.

• The Yin and Yang of Piracy
  Data Collection
  Comprehensive data is key to an effective antipiracy effort. This session discusses issues surrounding data collection such as technology, user privacy, and navigating a variety of legal frameworks as well as potential uses for antipiracy data including enforcement and intelligence or analytics. Experts will compare piracy trends across distribution channels as well as the factors involved in accurately sizing web piracy rates.

Technology Track

• Content Security Challenges in Multi-Platform Distribution
  Today’s digital consumers demand content on any device at any time.  Therefore content services have to support a growing multitude of platforms, including Android, iOS, and other mobile platforms in addition to PCs, Macs, and set-top boxes.  This leads to challenges in content protection strategy as well as the security of client software, as copyright owners need to be comfortable that their content is being secured sufficiently on all distribution channels.  We’ll hear from experts who can explain the challenges as well as the solutions that are appearing on the market.

• Content Identification: Progressive Response, Media Measurement and More
  Content identification is a set of technologies for analyzing content to determine its identity as intellectual property.  Two of the fastest-growing applications for content identification technologies such as fingerprinting and watermarking are progressive response, which is being implemented in France and elsewhere, and measuring usage of online media.  In this session, we will explore case studies and implications of content identification technologies in these areas.

Law and Policy Track

• Rights Registries: Bringing Precision and Efficiency to Rights Licensing
  Rights holders need to get paid when someone uses their works.  This requires finding out who owns a work, what rights are available, and on what terms.  Rights registries are online-accessible databases designed to make this task as easy and automated as possible.  If done well, rights registries can solve many problems with fair rights holder compensation, blanket license administration, cross-border licensing, and more.  But building rights registries that are practical to populate and use is as challenging as it is crucial.  On this panel, we’ll hear from people who are involved in different rights registry and related initiatives.  They’ll discuss the importance of rights registries and the pros and cons of different approaches.

• International Perspectives on Digital Copyright
  Different countries are responding in different ways to the technological innovations that are outpacing the ability of the law to keep up with them.  Each jurisdiction is forging ahead with its own legislative initiatives and case law, while also observing international developments more closely than ever before.  This session offers a unique opportunity to share and learn from leading authorities on legal developments in the digital copyright field in various geographies throughout the world.