Red Flag Knowledge, Copyright FAQs, And Can STMs Save Copyright?

The DMCA was intended by Congress to be a cutting edge tool to combat piracy. It has turned out to be a blunt tool indeed, given that ISPs have used it as a shield to avoid liability for copyright infringement, even to turn a blind eye to rampant (but highly profitable) piracy.

Activist judges on the Ninth and Second Circuits have also weighed heavily on the scales of justice and tipped what should have been a "balance" in favor of the piratically inclined, and of stiffing the photographers, musicians, authors and artists of the world.

Terrica Carrington explains the highs and lows of Red Flag Knowledge.
https://copyrightalliance.org/ca_post/twenty-years-dmca-notice-and-takedown/

She also suggests that STMs, if only "we" could agree on them, could save copyright. (Standard Technical Measures. How much more exotic and dangerous-sounding is the acronym!)

For anyone who has purchased an ISBN from the MyIdentifiers site of Bowker, there are apparently confirmed suspicions that that site has been hacked relatively recently (in 2018), and credit card information has been compromised.

Nate Hoffelder reveals:
https://the-digital-reader.com/2018/11/02/bowkers-isbn-site-has-been-hacked-and-credit-card-numbers-have-been-stolen/

For the time being, it is a little more complicated to purchase ISBNs.
https://www.isbn-us.com/shop/publisher-programs/bowker-single-isbn-package/

Does one need an ISBN? They are certainly not inexpensive, costing up to $125 for an ISBN plus barcode.
A bar code is needed for paperbacks and hardbacks, as is explained here:
https://www.isbn-us.com/importance-isbn-barcode-2/

The last word is that an ebook does not need a bar code, because it will never be scanned, but it ought to have an ISBN... for every format, according to those selling ISBNs.

For all sorts of FAQs and the answers about all aspects of copyright registration, the copyrightalliance.org has a wonderful resource:
https://copyrightalliance.org/education/faqs/copyright-registration/

For anyone thoroughly spooked by all the credit card hacks and other lawlessness on the wild west web, at least three major credit card services --Bank of America, Citi, and Capital One-- offer virtual numbers that one might use, for instance, only on the Bowker or MyIdentifiers site for buying ISBNs.

The process is a little slower and more complicated, so author Beth Braverman suggests that  it might also be a good idea to use a virtual number at one's favorite impulse-buy online site.

https://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/credit-card-virtual-account-numbers.php

PS For anyone who pays a subscription to a music site, and who is not exhausted by surveys already, Editor Baker of Music Tech Policy would very much like music fan feedback. There's probably a good reason for it. Thank you for helping out with their research.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LQDMD5J

All the best,
Rowena Cherry