VidAn infamous and long-running copyright lawsuit over a dancing baby has finally come to a close, albeit with a critical legal question unresolved. Lenz v Universal Music was a case brought back in 2007 by Stephanie Lenz after the music industry giant accused her of infringing its copyright in a home video of her toddler dancing …

AnalysisThe holes and flaws in America's copyright law are under serious review thanks to two decisions by the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals – both of which come with significant implications for media companies. But, if the Trump Administration has anything to do with it, one of those flaws will not be tackled by the Supreme …

The concept of "fair use" of copyrighted images and music has been given a big boost in a decision this week by the California Appeals Court (Ninth Circuit). The court ruled that music and film companies need to take into account whether their material is being used legally before issuing DMCA takedown notices. In doing so, …

Universal Music Group (UMG) is developing an online service that offers unlimited music downloads for a monthly subscription. That news comes from The LA Times, which was treated to a PowerPoint presentation by the record giant's execs. The end result of that briefing was this profile of Universal Music's British boss Lucian …

Jaws is back, and the old shark’s gnashers are looking sharper than ever thanks to a painstaking remastering job by Universal’s backroom boffins. The title is being released as part of the studio’s centenary classics program for Blu-ray, which also includes E.T The Extra Terrestrial, The Birds and Frankenstein. The timing couldn …

The European Commission has finally allowed Universal's acquisition of EMI Music to proceed. Universal Music, the world's largest record company, must shed some acquisitions as part of the deal. And so, Universal has agreed to jettison Parlophone, which is home to a list of stars including David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Duran Duran …

Lovefilm has reached an agreement with NBC Universal to stream the studio's movies to its subscribers. The Amazon-owned video streaming service will be able to offer folk signed up for its IPTV packages the likes of Kick-Ass, Senna, Green Zone and Paul. Unfortunately, they'll also be able to stream the likes of Battleship and …

The joint venture music video service devised by Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group, Vevo, has entered the Australian market in partnership with local player MCM Media. Vevo, which was launched in late 2009 as a dying gasp for financial resurrection from the major music labels, also features backing from Abu …

As expected, Eurocrats are anxious to probe the mega-merger of Universal EMI, fearing the effect on digital music markets. The merger sees the world's largest record label (and the largest music publisher) Vivendi-owned Universal Music, take over the fourth-largest label EMI – with the EMI publishing business spun out to Sony …

The European Commission is "all but certain" to investigate the mega-merger of Universal Music and EMI, according to sources cited (paywall) in the Financial Times. The merger reduces the four major record labels to three: UMG, Sony and Warner, with the newly enlarged Universal taking 40 per cent of the market. The Commission …

Outgoing media mogul Edgar Bronfman Jr has warned against the Universal-EMI merger – and taken a potshot at Google. Bronfman is stepping down as chairman of Warner Music, which was acquired by Russian entrepreneur Len Blavatnik last year. Bronfman has a long history of antipathy with Universal, the world's largest record …

UpdatedThe world's largest record company, Universal Music, is set to swallow Britain's biggest - EMI – according to reports in the financial press. The most recent rumour sees EMI going two ways: with the profitable music publishing division heading to Sony for $2.2bn, while UMG picks up the recordings for $1.9bn. Either way, it may …

A class-action lawsuit by artists against the world’s largest record company has been given the green light by a judge. The dispute, which pits Universal Music against a number of its featured artists, sounds arcane – but an estimated $2bn (£1.25bn) in royalties is at stake. Universal treats a digital download or ringtone as a …

Accessory of the WeekI’ve looked at a number of devices, including the Gear4 Unity and the ThinkFlood RedEye, that allow you to use an iOS device as a remote control for your TV, DVD player and other AV kit. The Surc is another. However, it takes a slightly different approach. Surc universal remote case for iPhone Instead of using a plug-in …

Hulu, the popular US online TV service, is launching in Japan - its first venture outside home territory. Japanese viewers can watch stuff across connected TVs, gaming and entertainment consoles, Blu-ray players, smartphones, tablets and PCs – without advertising – for JPY1,480 per month (about £11.90 / $19.26). The service is …

The world's biggest record company, Vivendi-owned Universal Music, is looking at EMI – but is non-committal about an acquisition. "We have the strongest music business in the world, but we have a duty to look at their assets and see if any make sense," Vivendi boss Jean-Bernard Levy said yesterday. Music is but a small part …

Chinese search giant Baidu has done a deal with three of the biggest Western music labels. It has signed an agreement with One-Stop China, a company owned by Sony Music, Warner Music and Universal Music. The deal covers MP3 downloads and streaming of Chinese and international tracks. Baidu will pay per track played or …

Universal Music websites suffered a breach that exposed the usernames and passwords of fans of bands who had signed up for updates on their favourite musicians. Infamous hacktivist group Anonymous claimed responsibility for the hack as part of its AntiSec campaign, which aims to expose the weak spots in the internet security …