The UK has extended its derogation from the EU artists' resale right regulations for a further two years. I.e. resale right will become payable on the resale of works by deceased artists, including deceased Russian artists, only in 2012, not 2010 (Intellectual Property Office) (via artmarketblog).
"The famous Russian cat trainer Yuri Kuklachyov sues a certain Vladimir Krasnolozhkin and his two producers for performing in the United States under his cat theatre brand" (Russia-InfoCentre).
Apparently there are 500,000 iPhone users in Russia, even though the device is not on sale there (Washington Post).
I am wondering whether the news yesterday of the introduction of an artists' resale royalty in Russia is connected to the announcement on 17 April by Minister of Culture Alexander Sokolov, apparently in circumstances of high secrecy and top security, of the creation of an All-Russian Society of Authors' and Related Rights (Всероссийское общество авторских и смежных прав - I'm not quite sure of the correct translation of смежных here). Such an organisation, if it had a monopoly of the market, which it does not at present, would be a cash-cow bringing in an estimated $400 million per year (Compromat.ru, in Russian). Do you fancy wading in and getting a bit of that action, Oh Entrepreneurial One? Be aware that in Russia businessmen mean business, i.e. in recent months the head of one artists' rights society - Vadim Botnaryuk of the Russian Phonographic Association (Российская фонографическая ассоциация) - has been murdered and another collecting society, the Russian Society for the Administration of Performers' Rights (Российское общество по управлению правами исполнителей) has been forced to close by a succession of lawsuits.
Dutch architect Erick van Egeraat has won a copyright-infringement case against a Russian developer (Moscow Times).
The United Russia party has failed in its claim for exclusive rights to the electioneering phrase "Plan of Putin" (as in "Plan of Putin is victory of Russia") (Gazeta.ru, in Russian).
