Attorney-General Brandis addresses Directors' Guild

Australia's Attorney-General and Minister for the Arts, Senator Brandis, has told the Australian Directors Guild Conference that the new Government in Canberra will bring a renewed commitment to, appreciation of, and enthusiasm for, Australian creativity in all its forms. A transcript of Senator Brandis' speech can be found here: http://www.attorneygeneral.gov.au/Speeches/Pages/7November2013-AddresstotheAustralianDirectorsGuildConference.aspx

US Publishers take action against unlicensed lyric sites

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The US music publishers organisation, NMPA has sent takedown notices to the top 50 unlicensed lyric sites in the USA.. NMPA is working with songwriter and University of Georgia researcher David Lowery who published an academic study listing top unlicensed lyric websites. These lyric sites profit from advertisement-generated revenue, yet songwriters whose lyrics are available on these unlicensed sites receive no compensation.  More information can be found here: http://www.nmpa.org/media/showwhatsnew.asp?id=94

The New York times also has a report on the NMPA action: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/business/media/in-music-piracy-battles-lyrics-demand-respect-too.html