back to article Judge rebukes copyright enforcer in ringtone case

A federal judge has handed cellular carriers a decisive victory, ruling that they don't have to pay public performance licensing fees for the ringtones they sell to customers. If upheld, the decision by US District Judge Denise Cote of the Southern District of New York means Verizon Wireless won't have to pay millions of …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. raving angry loony

    sane?

    Sanity? Finally? A small island of sane decisions against an ocean of crap?

  2. Lyle Dietz

    @sane?

    Great, now you've jinxed it. It'll be overturned.

  3. James O'Brien
    Happy

    A judge?

    That isnt a complete dip? THAT WORLD IS ENDING THE WORLD IS ENDING!!!!

    /end spaz mode

    On a side though Im glad they lost this. All it is, is just another instance of the music industry panicing to reverse the tred as of late. Continuing to make as much money as possible just because they feel they deserve it. There is no way a ringtone (crap quality, usually only a few seconds of a song and not the whole thing, is already paid for [USUALLY] unless you make your own out of a song you already have [that which you already paid for. . .SOMETIMES] constitutes a public preformance (unless of course its a preformance of how fast you go from sane to muderous rampage because it absolutely sucks and keeps going off, therefore making a beat down a preformance).

    Chances are they will appeal this ruling and keep the case going on for another 20 years.

    Also, am I the only one who wants to read ASCAP as ASSCAP?

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    Nice idea....

    Wow! That actually made sense, I think I need a lie down.

    Of course ASCAP, with the weight of the **AA will no doubt appeal and in the next round, so enjoy it while you can!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Grenade

    strike 1...

    against the money-grabbing leeches.

    They get 24 cents on sale-point, why want more? Oh yes, that's the new business plan.

    Good for the judge to call a halt to these practices.

  6. frank ly
    Stop

    Special ringtones, who needs 'em?

    1) Get Audacity (or similar free audio editing application).

    2) Get your favourite music and cut out the bit you want for a ringtone. Save as .mp3 file

    3) Load onto your phone and enjoy your free ringtone.

    4) Get bored with it, realise people are laughing at you, go back to a standard ringtone.

  7. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    Nice one !

    Good on the judge for having strung up those money-grubbing pigs by their own copyright clauses.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    RE: sane?

    Perhaps, but I wonder how Mr Orlowski took this news:

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/03/eff_ringtones/

  9. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Well dione...

    ...as much as I hate musical ringtones, this was a victory of common sense. Yet another desperate money grabbing ploy by organisation desperate to alienate as many of it's customers as it can.

  10. dunncha
    Unhappy

    Humming singing and having that damn song running round and round in my head

    I would like to be honest and admit to singing in the shower this morning and consequently huming the song before I got into my car and now having arrived at work and am unable to sing so i just have the song rolling round and round in my head.

    Who can I send my cheque to for this...

    i was singing 'Oliver! Oliver! Never before has a boy asked for more. Oliver!, Oliver'!.

    I believe its is owned by SongBMG. Should I send the money for my momertary lapse directly to BMG, directly to the artist (Harry Secombe) or directly to PRS.

  11. alain williams Silver badge

    Limits on the exclusion of copyright please

    ''that's also good news if your car radio is on with the windows down''

    Please, please - I hope that exclusion doesn't apply to those who you can hear what they are playing with the car windows up and you are in the next street!

  12. Chris Hills
    Coat

    Public performance?

    More like public nuisance.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    one solution

    Seems they dont want you to play their music in public so dont play their music in public... or in private or in the car.... in fact just dont play their music atall....

  14. Tom Kelsall

    Does this....

    have any implications on UK Law? Does it mean that the Performing Rights Society suddenly have less teeth?

    I'm really pleased about this ruling either way; the whole licensing area is nonsense.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Terminator

    Mind you

    If we could get the little scrotes who play music from their phones out loud on buses and trains for performance right infringement, maybe the law's not so insane after all.

    Can we have a "Yes, I am an old fart" icon please?

  16. jake Silver badge

    I still can't belive this is an issue ...

    Seriously ... phone makes noise, eyeball phone, decide to answer or not.

    Making an issue out of the exact noise a phone makes is ... what, exactly?

    Y,y,y, I know, I actually own an original MaBell ringtone generator ... and I grok the 1970s "dial tone" issues, but in todays world? Grow the fuck up, already.

    Either you offer "computers as phones" (which allow customization, by definition), or you offer "a phone is an appliance", with no customization. There is no gray area.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    huh !

    i haz harmonica as ma ringtone :D

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Good news?

    "That's not only good news if your cell phone rings in a restaurant,"

    Any twats' phone ringing in a restaurant is not good news, and never can be.

    And I sincerely hope that they soon invent microphones so that any inconsiderate sod that uses a phone in a restaurant doesn't have to shout.

  19. Don S.
    Happy

    I wonder

    Any chance we can get this judge to move to east Texas and start hearing some patent cases?

    They could use some common sense judiciary.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    ASCAP?

    Asshat.

    There, I fixed it for ya.

  21. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    You've missed the important part

    as described by copyright statutes

    You see, now the wankers know what to ask for when they buy congress to get the law changed.

  22. bluest.one
    Grenade

    Greed

    If ever ASCAP and their (copyright-weilding) ilk wanted to prove that they are primarily greed merchants, above and beyond what is reasonable, prepared to attack our everyday lives and culture - our exchange and use of culture - and squeeze cash out of any and all of us, then this case clearly demonstrates it.

    A toll on all of us for our whistles, our hums and our commonplace recital of our SHARED culture - this is what they want.

    They are the enemy of freedom and a friend only to their pockets - at whatever cost to us.

    F*** 'em.

  23. Seán

    Sooo

    If my phone can play mp3 ringtones and my 250GB collection of mp3's can used as ringtones does that not equal a giant loophole for the well known ringtone site thepiratebay.com

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like