Social Media And “Flash-Infringement”: Live Music Culture And Dying IP Protection

Authors

Michael M. Epstein, Southwestern Law School

Abstract

This article interrogates issues of music intellectual property rights infringement at live performances. I am especially interested in music infringement at live concerts and DJ-driven mash-up parties, and the use of technologies to transfer protected content by smartphone — or remote storage device — at or near the performance site. The covalent forces of social media, including the use of smartphone apps such as Meerkat and Periscope, and flash mob culture have created a perhaps unstoppable threat to copyright and other intellectual property rights — a phenomenon that I define in this article as “flash infringement.” In a flash infringement setting, it may be impossible to stop the infringement among thousands of partygoers or fans and their online followers.

Recommended Citation

Epstein, Michael M. (2016) "Social Media And “Flash-Infringement”: Live Music Culture And Dying IP Protection," Belmont Law Review: Vol. 3: Iss. 1, Article 1.
Available at: https://repository.belmont.edu/lawreview/vol3/iss1/1