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Category: Competition

There is no copyright infringement in similarity caused by nature

GAME Duck

In 1988, Eric Schechter started GAME. At the time, GAME was focused on conducting fundraising activities. The fundraising concept was for individuals to “adopt” a small toy duck and then all the ducks would “race” on a waterway, such as the Salt River Canal or in New York Harbor. The person who had adopted the duck that finished first would win “a new car or prizes,” which had been donated. The sponsoring organization would then retain all the “adoption” fees.

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Impact assessment on the modernisation of EU copyright rules – rights in publications

Publishers are increasingly facing difficulties in relation to the digital exploitation of, and the enforcement of rights in, press publications such as newspapers and magazines. The changes to the way copyright-protected content is distributed and consumed in the digital environment have affected press publications in a specific way. The publishing industry is in the middle of a shift from print to digital.

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Russian deputies proposed to create monopoly for distribution of TV content in internet

Publicly available channels are to be distributed through so called “one window” in internet according to the new recently proposed draft law. Other web-sites, which don’t participate in “one window scheme”, are to be blocked. There is already the candidate to be such “one window” operator. The draft law aims to create the single system of legal distribution for 20 publicly available channels. This system should be launched from 2020.

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SWD Impact assessment on the modernisation of EU copyright rules – impacts of second option for the use of protected content by online services

An obligation on online services which store and give access to large amounts of protected content uploaded by their users to put in place appropriate and proportionate technologies and to increase transparency vis-a-vis rights holders

Against the backdrop of the role of user uploaded content services in the communication to the public of protected content, the establishment of an obligation to deploy technical means will have a positive impact on right holders.

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SWD Impact assessment on the modernisation of EU copyright rules – impacts of first option for the use of protected content by online services

Stakeholder dialogues between rightholders and services which store and give access to large amounts of content uploaded by their users

Due to its voluntary nature, it seems unlikely that stakeholder dialogues will result in sufficient improvements in the take up, efficiency and transparency of technologies in comparison to the possible evolution of the market.

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Auditors found risk of profiteering in ticket sales

Russian auditors’ chamber has executed inspection of Russian culture institutions – Russian Hermitage, Russian The Grand Theatre, and Russian State Film Fund (Gosfilmofond). Chamber inspected the execution of Russian state budget; in other words how state institution spend money allocated them within certain period of time. After the inspection auditors decried system of ticket sales.

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Russian Google Yandex can go the Telegram’s way in Russia

As almost everybody knows the access to Telegram messenger services is to be restricted in Russia under court order. Despite the blocking the Telegram is functioning in Russia and the administration of Russian president has even announced a tender to monitoring popular Telegram channels. But Yandex can’t be so brave and strong like Telegram because it could lose its business in Russia, in other words it could be destroyed and the Russian internal market could be absolutely free for Google.

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Ministry of economy dislikes draft on patent compulsory licensing

Russian Ministry of economy (MinEc) dislikes draft proposal on mandatory licensing of patent in the case of threat to life. The proposal drafted by Russian Federal Antitrust Service (FAS) has been not approved by MinEc. In order to proceed with proposal FAS must review it and amend in accordance with MinEc’s comments. But most likely the draft proposal would be thrown out and some provisions, which have been no so criticized, can be transposed to the new draft law.

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Uber, Gett and Bolt can be forced out of Russian internal market

The Russian legislators have decided to regulate the taxi market in Russia. They have drafted and proposed new law on taxi state regulation in Russia. The cruelest provision of this draft law is the restriction of market opportunities for foreign companies, i.e. for taxi aggregators like Uber, Gett and Bolt. Almost everybody knows that the absence of competition leads to market degradation, but the Russian legislators don’t care about it, they believe they can change the laws of economy.

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Commission sends Statements of Objections to Valve and five videogame publishers on “geo-blocking” of PC video games

The European Commission has informed Valve, owner of the “Steam” video game distribution platform, and five videogame publishers, of its preliminary view that the companies prevented consumers from purchasing videogames cross-border from other Member States, in breach of EU competition rules.

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