German Rights Society GEMA Squeezes YouTube
The fight between YouTube and the German collection society GEMA is heading into the next round. GEMA announced today (Sept. 30) that they will file a case for principal proceedings in the next few weeks against YouTube. GEMA’s legal challenge aims to prevent YouTube from making 75 compositions available online. The video site’s license with GEMA expired March 2009. Negotiations for a new agreement have stalled.
- GEMA and YouTube to return to court
It’s interesting to note that YouTube was able, on the other hand, to reach a deal with French collection society SACEM. That deal applies retroactively to all works since YouTube’s launch in France in 2007.
Now Is Your Chance to Remix Phoenix
The French popsters of Phoenix have invited fans to remix songs from their 2009 breakout album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.
After the band wraps up its tour at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 20, Phoenix will shift gears to work on a new album and the soundtrack for Sofia Coppola’s film Somewhere.