September Update: Standing Up To Content Bullies

 

 

New Media Rights


New Media Rights has made a name for itself standing up to content bullies, and we've done it once again this month.  After you check out the latest below, help us take our fight against content bullying to SXSW by voting for our panel "Stand Up To Content Bullies, Know Your Copy Rights!" on the SXSW panel picker. Voting ends September 6 so vote now!

New Media Rights fights content bullies yet again!
Media Literacy Project is an Albuquerque, New Mexico based nonprofit.  Through education and grassroots campaigns, Media Literacy Project works to help people become “critical media consumers and engaged media justice advocates who deconstruct media, inform media policy, and create media that reflect their lived experience.”

Sometimes government or corporate interests don’t appreciate their criticism.  Recently, New Media Rights stepped in and helped ensure they were not unfairly silenced.

This summer, Media Literacy Project shared their criticisms of a number of health related advertisement campaigns by city governments in the Midwest publicly on their website.  The criticism included a written article analyzing the original images, as well as a counter-advertisement critical of the ad campaigns.  Unfortunately, rather than respect MLP’s right to share their criticisms, a representative of the Chicago Department of Health contacted MLP and requested that they remove their criticisms and related images.  The story is an important lesson in excessive enforcement, because of the three legal reasons given, none were legitimate.  

New Media Rights intervened, and helped MLP let the Department of Health know a) the department wasn’t even the owners of the work they were trying to enforce, b) this was a textbook example of fair use, and c) their claims regarding an obscure section of copyright law known as VARA were baseless. 

The result?  A win for free speech and your right to criticize the media around you!  Read the whole story in MLP's own words here!

New Media Rights leads Broadband Working Group at the FCC!
Art Neill, New Media Rights Executive Director, has been appointed co-chair of the FCC Consumer Advisory Committee's Broadband Working Group.  The Working Group develops recommendations to the FCC surrounding broadband policy.  Right now, the Broadband Working Group is focused on improving oversight on the implementation of the National Broadband Plan, encouraging access and affordability of broadband, improving complaint reporting on broadband issues, and commenting on proposed revisions to the E-rate / ConnectEd programs that ensures our schools and libraries can provide citizens with high quality broadband access.

Help send NMR to SXSW!
Please vote for NMR's panel "Stand Up To Content Bullies, Know Your Copy Rights!" on the SXSW panel picker. Not only will we provide SXSW audiences with a great overview of copyright law but remix artist Jonathan McIntosh will join us as our special guest creator. Who better to talk about standing up to content bullies than someone who's actually done it! Voting ends September 6th so please vote soon!

City of San Diego Awards NMR a Citywide Small Business Enhancement Program Grant!
New Media Rights is proud to announce that for the second year in a row, the City of San Diego Office of Small Business has awarded New Media Rights a Citywide Small Business Enhancement Program grant. The grant will support our free and low cost legal services for local tech and media startups. According to the members of the panel who reviewed New Media Rights’ application, New Media Rights is an “[i]mportant, unique, cutting-edge, and much-needed program and services to be offered to technology and media-related small business in the city of San Diego.” New Media Rights received a perfect score on the grant application, and will receive $23,800.00 in funding!  You can join the City of San Diego in supporting legal services for creators by donating now!

New "Services We Offer" Pages!
New Media Rights often get asked who we help and what services we provide. So we've created a page with links for all the different types of creators that explain in detail the kind of services we provide for each type of creator. By no means is it an all inclusive list. We work with so many creators and innovators it’s entirely possible that some of the types of projects we could help with don't even exist yet!

New Media Rights meets with Ukrainian journalists delegation about government transparency and access to information!

New Media Rights recently met with journalists and media entrepreneurs from the Ukraine as part of an annual exchange program through the San Diego Diplomacy Council and the U.S. State Department. The program is focused on helping journalists from other countries learn about government transparency and access to information in the United States.   New Media Rights shared some of the work we do with journalists in the US, and the journalists were kind enough to share some of their amazing stories about dealing with legal issues associated with journalism in the Ukraine.

Upcoming events
We've been presenting workshops and attending events like FilmCon, GamerCon, and others all summer long.  Here's some more events coming up this Fall!

Free Legal consultations for 3D Printing
New Media Rights in partnership with FAB LAB SD and Ansir Innovation center present an evening of one-on-one short legal advice sessions for 3D printer entrepreneurs and enthusiasts. Join us at Ansir Innovation Center on 9/19/13 from 4-8PM. While your waiting for your session mix an mingle with other entrepreneurs and enthusiasts. All spots are currently full but a wait list is available here.

Digitial Design Showdown
Digital Design Showdown from 7-10pm on 9/20 is a fast paced design competition where participants go head to head with other San Diego designers. Each person gets 20 minutes to create a piece of art work around a theme or image in 2D, 3D, and Animation competition categories. Sign up to compete for bragging rights or come to watch the competition.

Copyrights And Copywrongs For Internet Content
San Diego Python Users, Sandiegojs and SD Game Art and Design Meetup Groups will be hosting New Media Rights Staff Attorney Teri Karobonik and California Western School of Law 3L Lauren Brady to talk about copyright for video game development. Join us at Ansir Innovation Center on 9/26/13 at 7PM. For more information check out the Meetup page here!

How can you support independent creators and artists?

Please remember New Media Rights is an independently funded nonprofit program and relies on the support of individuals like you to provide free and low cost legal services to internet users and creators.

We accomplish a great deal on a modest budget, so any donation makes a huge impact for us.

Donate now to support legal services and advocacy for internet users and creators by clicking here.

Please also make sure to connect with New Media Rights on
 Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
 
Thanks again for being part of the New Media Rights community. Keep an eye out as our future battles and work on behalf of internet users and independent creators continues.

All the best,

The New Media Rights team

 

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