DCIA, the Distributed Computing Industry Association, is an international trade organization focused on commercial advancement of cloud computing and related technologies.  “Content in the Cloud” is part of the 2012 International CES trade show, being held in Las Vegas from January 10 through 13.  CES is the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow.  More information on the conference is available here.

The complete description of the panel is set forth below:

As the public’s demand for “any content anywhere” grows, entertainment, media and technology companies are turning to the “cloud” for innovative ways to distribute and monetize content. The movement to the cloud, however, presents stakeholders with a familiar challenge: how to formulate new business models without infringing the rights of content owners. While recent case law provides some guidance for cloud service innovators, many issues regarding the copyright implications of storing, reproducing and transmitting content from the cloud remain unsettled. Now, a host of emerging cloud-based business models — from MP3tunes, Dar.fm and Zediva to Amazon CloudDrive, Apple’s iCloud and GoogleMusic — are testing the parameters of copyright law. This panel will focus on the critical legal issues raised by the expansion of cloud computing and explore how stakeholders can balance the need to comply with evolving laws, standards and court decisions with the need to exploit new technological advancements that lead to improved services and enhanced user experiences.

For more information, and to register for COPYRIGHT AND CONTENT IN THE CLOUD, please follow this link: http://www.csusa.org/chapters_new_york.cfm, download the registration form and return it with your credit card information to The Copyright Society of New York by e-mail (amy@csusa.org) or fax (212-354-2847).

In dismissing the State’s arguments that the law was addressing a substantial need of parents which wish to restrict their children’s access to violent games but cannot do so, the Court stated that the ratings of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and video retailers’ efforts in not selling games rated “M” to minors helped ensure that children would not be able to purchase violent video games.   Thus, the “remaining modest gap” that the California law was intended to fill could not be deemed a “compelling state interest” that could overcome First Amendment protection for the games.

The full decision can be found here.  As noted previously, Hughes Hubbard & Reed represented the Entertainment Consumers Association in filing an amicus brief opposing the law.

Information on the conference is available here.

The explosive popularity of tablets, smartphones and other Internet-connected consumer devices has ushered in a new technology ecosystem driven by Apps. These self-contained software programs have not only provided the stakeholders involved with a compelling way to exploit everything from movies and games to magazines and newspapers, but have created a thriving new marketplace poised for ongoing, accelerated growth. While the stakeholders are many, the myriad of complex business and legal issues facing them are no less staggering in number. For publishers, content creators, App developers, content distributors, aggregators, storefront operators and service providers, the successful navigation of a rapidly evolving landscape of shifting terms and conditions, privacy regulations, content restrictions and corresponding business considerations across multiple devices and platforms has proven a daunting but essential exercise for leveraging the economic opportunities available.

In this CLE-accredited webinar, the DigitalHHR team will explore the critical business and legal challenges associated with the development, publication, distribution, sale and use of Apps. We will discuss the contours of in-App purchases, subscription-based offerings, and “freemium” models, as well as in-App advertising and App-based ad networks. We will analyze the evolving privacy terms and conditions associated with the use of Apps, and the corresponding laws, regulations and case law impacting end user data collection, disclosure and ownership. We will also address the terms and requirements promulgated by the various platform operators, including Apple, RIM (Blackberry) and Google (Android), and how they impact stakeholders’ participation across the different App environments.

The webinar will be held on Thursday, April 7, 2011 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. EDT.

To register, please click here.

As the public’s demand for “any content anywhere” grows, entertainment, media and technology companies are turning to the cloud for innovative ways to distribute and monetize content. Through initiatives like digital lockers, streaming to mobile apps, progressive downloading to tablet devices, and other forms of cloud-based storage and distribution, stakeholders are exploring new business models and ways to innovate without compromising the value of content or jeopardizing the rights of content owners to control how their content is consumed by the ultimate end user.

In this CLE-accredited Webinar, we will focus on the critical legal and business issues raised by the expansion of cloud computing and its impact on the distribution and consumption of entertainment content. We will analyze how cloud computing has led to new methods of distribution that give rise to an increased threat of copyright infringement and the recent case law impacting the cloud computing landscape. We will discuss new digital rights management tools, methods of end user, subscriber and purchase authentication. We will explore how stakeholders can balance complying with evolving standards, laws and regulations with the need to exploit new technological advancements that lead to improved services and enhanced end user experiences.

Our New Media, Entertainment and Technology Group at Hughes, Hubbard & Reed will be joined by our UK-based colleagues from the international Technology and Media focused law firm Taylor Wessing LLP. Taylor Wessing will address some key international and European issues that impact cloud models. These issues will include jurisdictional risks, different rights spanning different territories, advertising laws, collecting societies, the European laws on privacy, cookies and liability for cloud platform providers, as well as challenges related to format shifting/uploading consumers’ existing content into the cloud.

The webinar will be held on Thursday, December 9, 2010 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. EST.  To register, please click here.