The tides continue to turn against the copyright control freaks. At least in Europe. A brief recap of the RojaDirecta battle: First, RojaDirecta wins a Spanish legal court case. Second, the US government seizes the US domain of RojaDirecta. Third, RojaDirecta files a lawsuit to compel the US to return their domain.
Fourth, and hopefully lastly, the highest EU court issues a decision that undercuts the copyright holders. In a landmark decision, the Court upheld the right of a UK pub owner to broadcast a game from a cheaper foreign telecast. Basically, folks in the UK now unquestionably enjoy the legal right to watch free Digisport Romanian broadcasts of games on their Sopcast Player. Cool. Granted, some fear this will eventually lead to expensive pan-European rights. However, these critics overlook key arguments in the decision that may usher in a new era of “public rights.” Continue reading “Roja Directa – a Coming Post-Copyright Era of Game Streams & Clips?” »
