Top News:
Alexandra Alter / New York Times:
E-book sales fell 10% in first five months of 2015, while print books and bookstores are showing resilience — The Plot Twist: E-Book Sales Slip, and Print Is Far From Dead — Five years ago, the book world was seized by collective panic over the uncertain future of print.
Bridie Jabour / Guardian:
Peter Greste, six other journalists convicted in absentia continue lobbying to have convinctions quashed in Egypt — Peter Greste says fight not yet over despite al-Jazeera colleagues' freedom — Pardon granted to Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed by Egyptian president 'great news …
Discussion:
Al Jazeera PR
RELATED:
Al Jazeera English:
Al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed released from prison following Egyptian pardon — Al Jazeera journalists freed from Egypt prison — Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed have been released from prison following Eid al-Adha pardon. — Jailed Al Jazeera journalists Mohamed Fahmy …
Discussion:
BBC, @ajenews, @benjaminnorton, Canadian Press, Fusion, Al Jazeera America and Poynter
Parker Higgins / Electronic Frontier Foundation:
Copyright case for Happy Birthday song illustrates problems with US copyright law: long terms, unclear records, high legal costs — Happy Birthday To Everybody: Victory For The Public Domain (With An Asterisk) — It's now (probably) legal to publicly sing the world's most popular song …
Discussion:
Fortune, BBC, Guardian and TorrentFreak
RELATED:
Ravi Somaiya / New York Times:
ThinkProgress to Unionize With Writers Guild of America — The news website ThinkProgress said on Wednesday that it would unionize with the Writers Guild of America, East, becoming the latest digital media outlet to organize in recent months seeking better pay and working conditions.
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, @andbrei and @patrick_speaks
Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:
DC Comics Is Entitled to Copyright on Batmobile, Appeals Court Rules — The 9th Circuit rules that the automotive character is sufficiently distinctive to be protected as a work of authorship. — DC Comics drove out of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday with a big win that affirms …
Discussion:
Variety, Comicbook.com, @harrymccracken, Reuters, @staceylantagne, EW.com, Blastr News, The Wrap, Deadline and Plagiarism Today
Mark Sweney / Guardian:
BuzzFeed to cover more local news as it expands UK editorial team — Fourteen new staff to include regional reporters increasing competition with local newspapers — BuzzFeed will make its first foray into more localised news coverage by beefing up its UK editorial team …
Discussion:
Nieman Lab, Politico, @jayrosen_nyu, Press Gazette and Digiday
Lara O'Reilly / Business Insider:
UBS research note says iOS 9 ad blocking concerns “overblown”, could cost $1B, or .5% of global digital ad spend — iPhone ad blocking apps will ‘only’ cost $1 billion in lost advertising revenues — The impact of the introduction of ad blocking on iPhones and iPads …
Chad Bray / New York Times:
UBM in ‘Highly Preliminary’ Talks to Sell PR Newswire — LONDON — UBM, the British owner of PR Newswire, said on Wednesday that it was in “highly preliminary discussions” with several parties to possibly sell the news release distribution service. — PR Newswire distributes news releases …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Reuters, O'Dwyer's Blog, Conference News and Media Wire Daily
Steven Millward / Tech in Asia:
Inspired by China, Thailand setting up its own Great Firewall — Thailand's unelected junta has moved a major step closer to setting up a China-style Great Firewall that could block and censor websites or apps. A proposal to set up sophisticated and streamlined web censorship …
Discussion:
Telecom Asia, VentureBeat, New York Times, Guardian and The Independent
Jason Abbruzzese / Mashable:
Symphony Advance Media launches VideoPulse, which uses passive listening to track video consumption; pays users $5-$11 per month — A new app will pay you $11 a month to let it track every video you watch — Would you download an app that is solely designed to track and report everything you watch?
Discussion:
ClickZ, ITBusinessNet.com and AdExchanger
Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Nine journalists subpoenaed to testify in privacy case by Jill Kelley against US government, linked to ex-CIA Chief David Petraeus — Journalists subpoenaed in Kelley privacy lawsuit against government — Nine journalists have been subpoenaed to give testimony in a Florida's woman's lawsuit alleging …
Discussion:
Associated Press, Washington Post and @freedomofpress