Mediagazer: Warner Music Aims to Keep ‘Happy Birthday’ Away From Public Domain (Exclusive) (Eriq Gardner/Hollywood Reporter)

4:40 PM ET, September 4, 2013

Top News:

Bezos courts Washington Post editors, reporters — The Washington Post's new owner Jeffrey P. Bezos, long wary of journalists, held a series of meetings with the paper's editors and reporters Wednesday, saying that he is optimistic about the future of journalism and wants to create a …

Washington Post:

Jeffrey P. Bezos visits The Post to meet with editors and others — The Jeffrey P. Bezos era at The Washington Post had its symbolic beginning at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, when the high-tech magnate indulged in a decidedly low-tech ritual: striking a triangle to summon editors for their afternoon meeting.

Discussion: Poynter, Guardian, New York Times, bizjournals, The Huffington Post, Mashable, FishbowlNY, @washingtonpost, Dead Tree Edition, @mathewi, @nickwingfield, @dabeard, paidContent, FishbowlDC, Fast Company, Forbes, The Independent, Slate and GeekWire

Eric Nicholson / Unfair Park:

Barrett Brown Agrees to Stop Talking to the Media — When federal agents raided local hacktivist Barrett Brown's apartment last fall, throwing him in prison for what could wind up being the rest of his life, they succeeded in shutting him up for about a day.

Discussion: GigaOM, Crime Blog, RT, @apblake, @youranonnews, @dellcam, @dellcam, @douglaslucas, @douglaslucas, @douglaslucas and Committee to Protect …

Kevin Krause / Crime Blog:

Federal judge issues gag order on attorneys in criminal case of man tied to hackers — A federal judge on Wednesday issued a gag order on government and defense lawyers involved in criminal cases against a Dallas man who has claimed to be the spokesman for the hacking group Anonymous.

Vindu Goel / NYT Bits:

If Google Could Search Twitter, It Would Find Topsy — There is no question that real-time social networks like Twitter have become an important forum for public conversation, whether the discussion is about chemical weapons in the Middle East or the dance moves of Miley Cyrus at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Discussion: Poynter, Fast Company, BuzzFeed, Adweek, Digital Trends, Fortune, The Verge, @niemanlab, @digiphile, @socialmia, Search Engine Land, @katz, The Next Web, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, GigaOM, CNET, WebProNews and bizjournals

Om Malik / GigaOM:

New version of Apple TV likely on its way for a September 10 launch — Apple is planning a big event on September 10, 2013, and there has been a lot of speculation on what could be on the menu. While the exact lineup of products is subject of debate, almost everyone agrees that newer models …

Discussion: Panjiva, VentureBeat, Benzinga, Digital Trends, Variety, Fast Company, 9to5Mac, App Advice, Mashable, Electronista, Business Insider, MacRumors, The Next Web, Softpedia News, AppleInsider and TechCrunch

Tom Cheredar / VentureBeat:
Vidora's second screen Apple TV app now helps content producers fatten their wallets

Discussion: GigaOM

Josh Sternberg / Digiday:

Bloomberg's Online Video Success Story — Eighteen months ago, Bloomberg TV made a fundamental change in its approach toward online video. Instead of just taking clips from Bloomberg TV and automatically posting them online, producers in the field were made to consider two questions …

Discussion: @jeffjohnroberts, @davidlongobardi, @katyfinneran and eMedia Vitals

Stuart Dredge / Guardian:

Ministry of Sound sues Spotify over copyright — Lawsuit focuses on playlists created on streaming music service that mirror dance brand's compilation albums — Dance music brand Ministry of Sound is suing Spotify for copyright infringement, claiming the streaming music company has refused …

Discussion: Fast Company, Side-Line, Guardian, Techdirt, paidContent, The Verge, Digital Spy, NME, Digital Trends, @ftrain, WebProNews, Music Ally, @neilinglis, The Next Web, Softpedia News, @guycollierphoto, Gizmodo and @mark_mulligan

Josh Halliday / Guardian:

Rupert Murdoch's co-operation with police ‘extraordinary’, says Sun reporter — Chris Pollard, who spent almost a year on bail for allegedly handling stolen phone, also condemns arrests of colleagues — A Sun journalist who spent nearly a year on police bail before being told he faces …

Lisa O'Carroll / Guardian:
Phone hacking: ex-Sunday Mirror and NoW journalist in court over charges

Discussion: BBC, BBC, The Independent, The Independent and Guardian

John Ingold / Denver Post:

Fox News reporter wins delay in crucial theater shooting hearing — A Fox News reporter facing possible jail time in a dispute over a story she wrote about the Aurora theater shooting has been granted a delay in a crucial hearing. — Jana Winter, who is based in New York, had been scheduled to return to court Sept. 30 for a hearing.

Discussion: TVNewser and Big News Network.com

Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:

Warner Music Aims to Keep ‘Happy Birthday’ Away From Public Domain (Exclusive) — The music publisher points out some key flaws in a lawsuit that looks to establish that “Happy Birthday” belongs to all. — With the English language's most recognized song at stake, Warner/Chappell Music is not backing down from a bold challenge.

Discussion: Plagiarism Today and Techdirt

Alan D. Mutter / Reflections of a Newsosaur:

How can they fire the photographers? Easy. — Like many others, I was distressed to learn that the Chicago Sun-Times fired all 28 members of its photo staff, as the casualties include such cherished former colleagues as the Pulitzer-winning John H. White.

Helen Davidson / Guardian:

GetUp takes on TV networks over refusal to show anti-Murdoch advert — Activist group to seek ‘clarification’ from ACCC on whether the rejection was appropriate or an abuse of market power — Australian commercial television networks have refused to air an advertisement …

Discussion: AdAge, The Age, The Conversation, @kimmaree_tweet, B&T and ABC

Neilchenoweth / Trust the Toffs!:
What's next for Australia? Rupert Murdoch's people have a few thoughts

Discussion: Hollywood Reporter and @neilchenoweth

Al Jazeera English:

Egypt jamming Al Jazeera's satellite signals — Qatar-based network forced to change frequencies so viewers can tune in as authorities deliberately jam signals. — Al Jazeera says it can categorically state that Egyptian authorities are deliberately jamming its satellite signals and forcing …

Discussion: TVNewser

Peta Krost Maunder / The Media Online:

The future of investigative journalism — Newspapers in the developed world are having a tough time and South Africa may not be that far behind. Those at the helm have to be innovative to find new workable business models for newspapers. — Former managing editor of the Wall Street Journal Paul Steiger is an innovative media man.

Discussion: @editorsnet and FishbowlNY

Carol Ross Joynt / Washingtonian:

James Carville Becomes a Columnist for the “Hill” Newspaper — The Democrat will share his take on politics and current affairs. — James Carville, the colorful, quotable, irascible political consultant and commentator has accepted a new gig as a columnist for the Hill newspaper. The timing is good.

Discussion: FishbowlDC

Chris Ariens / TVNewser:

Fox News Strikes Deal with SiriusXM. Fox Business Network Added — A few weeks ago, Roger Ailes teased that a deal was imminent, and now it's done. — Fox News Channel has come to a new 6-year agreement with SiriusXM radio. As part of the new deal, and for the first time …

Discussion: The Wrap, Radio & Television … and Mediaite

Marc Graser / Variety:

Nokia Deal Can't Keep Microsoft From Embracing Its Entertainment Future — The next CEO of Microsoft will have one tough question to answer: What is Microsoft these days? — Under Steve Ballmer's leadership over the past 13 years, the company has evolved into a confusing collection …

Discussion: AllThingsD, Nokia Conversations, Forbes, Fast Company, stratechery and ZDNet

Jeff John Roberts / GigaOM:

In fight with broadcasters, Aereo has time on its side: Supreme Court ruling unlikely before 2015 — The legal saga of Aereo, a start-up that offers an $8-per-month TV streaming service, entered a new chapter last week as a California court heard arguments over whether to lift …

Discussion: PublishersWeekly.com

Ryan Lawler / TechCrunch:

Technicolor And Dreamworks Animation Joint Venture M-Go Brings Its Digital Movie Storefront To LG Smart TVs — Online movie storefront M-Go wants to be all the devices and screens where viewers plan to watch movies. To that end, it just struck a deal to get its video app embedded on connected TVs from LG …

Discussion: GigaOM and multichannel.com/rss

Jon Lafayette / Broadcasting & Cable:

Moonves: Digital Rights Worth Fighting For — CBS CEO says Time Warner Cable was living in the past — An important aspect of its month-long battle with Time Warner Cable was securing the digital future of content, CBS CEO Les Moonves said. — “It was important we take a stand.

Discussion: Rolling Stone

Erik Wemple:

Report: MSNBC's liberal leanings helped force NBC News to spend more on Romney campaign — How terribly conscious is NBC News of its connection to insistently progressive cable channel MSNBC? Totally terribly. — In a report for the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy …

Discussion: @jrubinblogger

Diane Bartz / Reuters:

U.S. court gives mixed ruling on FCC program carriage rules — (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday threw out part of a federal rule against cable television companies discriminating against independent networks by putting their stations behind high pay barriers, but invited a U.S. regulator to re-issue the regulation.

Discussion: multichannel.com/rss, Hollywood Reporter and cablefax.com