On January 5, the News Media Alliance filed additional comments with the U.S. Copyright Office with regards to their Publishers’ Protections Study.
On December 22, the Alliance signed on to a letter by the Reporters Committee to the congressional committee investigating the January 6th attack on the Capitol. That congressional committee recently issued a subpoena to photojournalist Amy Harris.
On December 9, the U.S. Copyright Office held a roundtable regarding its Study on Ancillary Copyright Protections for Publishers.
On November 30, the Alliance and seven other national and local associations sent a letter to the DC Council opposing an Amendment to DC’s anti-SLAPP law under consideration. The Attorney General of DC Karl Racine requested an Amendment that the anti-SLAPP motion “shall not apply to any claim for relief brought by the District.”
On October 26, the Alliance joined a brief, filed in the Ninth Circuit, arguing that California’s anti-SLAPP law should be applied in whole, including the attorneys fees provision. In CoreCivic v. Candide Group, the defendant successfully filed an anti-SLAPP motion, and the district court awarded them attorneys fees. The plaintiff appealed that decision, saying the anti-slapp law is inapplicable.
On November 3, the Alliance joined a brief, filed in the Ninth Circuit, arguing for robust anti-SLAPP law applicability. In Planet Aid v. Reveal, the plaintiff argued on appeal that California’s anti-SLAPP law should not apply in federal court. The brief, filed by the RCFP, argues that Ninth Circuit precedent requires the statute be applied in federal court and a contrary ruling would seriously harm the ability of Californians to freely exercise their First Amendment rights.
On November 11, the Alliance signed onto a brief, filed in the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that law enforcement should not be permitted to conduct warrantless, long-term camera surveillance. In Tuggle v. United States, law enforcement officers used three cameras attached to utility poles to film Tuggle for over a year, in an attempt to gather evidence of drug trafficking—all without a warrant.
On November 22, the Alliance signed onto a brief, filed in the Supreme Court of New York, Westchester County, arguing that the court should not issue any prior restraints on a news publisher. In Project Veritas v. New York Times, the Times published a story that included excerpts of memoranda prepared by a Project Veritas attorney.
On November 10, the General Court of the European Union released its long-awaited decision in the Google shopping case, “largely dismissing” Google’s appeal and upholding the European Commission’s $2.8 billion fine against the online platform.
On November 8, the News Media Alliance filed comments with the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) regarding the agency’s proposed rulemaking under the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CRPA).
