Lads’ Mags Under Attack! MP to the Rescue?
Lads’ Mags find unlikely solution to circulation problems
Sales of publications such as ZOO and NUTS are decreasing due to readers’ dissatisfaction with the standard of content. But these Lads’ Mags have little to worry about as they’ve found unintentional aid in the guise of a Labour MP.
At the same time as the readership are revolting, MP Claire Curtis-Thomas is collecting signatures for an age classification system for this type of magazine. Afeard of the moral corruption they bring on the youth of Britain, she wants these publications to carry age restrictions.
Given the deterrent provided by current age-restrictions on drinking and smoking, we imagine sales of the magazine should soon reach recession-busting levels.
Irish Government Caps Writers’ Tax Allowance
Shouldn’t writers pay tax like everyone else?
The Irish Government has finally capped the amount that writers in the Irish Republic can earn before they pay tax. Until recently, writers didn’t pay tax on royalties, as they were considered to be making a valuable contribution to society.
The Government has capped their tax-free threshold at 250,000 Euro. However, as this figure is roughly twenty five times the average Irish writer’s income, it will only affect those already financially buoyant. The capping will also affect artists and other creative freelancers.
But perhaps the real question is whether Irish writers really contribute much more to society than nurses, teachers and fire fighters.
Madge Sues the Mail over Wedding Photos
Whose copyright has really been breached?
Multi-millionaire Pop Queen Madonna is claiming damages from The Mail on Sunday for printing her formerly unseen wedding photos without permission.
The court already found the Mail on Sunday to be in breach of copyright and now the singer is seeking £5 million in damages, which she says is the value of her wedding snaps. The judge David Eady has found in favour of the Material Girl, but has deferred his ruling on compensation until the New Year.
The paper disputes the value of the photos saying they only paid the going rate of £5,000 for pictures of the singer. They also claimed that the photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino made a wedding gift of the prints, and is the true owner of the copyright.
Under US law, if Madonna paid Mondino to take the photographs, then he was an employee and the copyright belongs to her. If he took them freely and gifted her the prints, copyright belongs to him. Either way, it looks like Madonna and not Mondino will benefit from the outcome.
Cashing in on Obama
Edinburgh Publisher Makes a Mint by Backing Obama Early in the Race
Back in 2007, Canongate, the Edinburgh-based publishing house made the prescient decision to sign a book deal for UK and Commonwealth rights with a relatively unknown senator from Illinois. That senator was Barack Obama, the current President-elect of the United States. Canongate reportedly paid a ‘five-figure sum’ in the deal and at present Obama’s two current books The Audacity of Hope and Dreams from my Father are selling at a combined rate of 40,000 copies per week.
The Mouse That Bites Back
Using a Mouse costs Britain £300 million per year
It seems the unassuming PC Mouse is causing Britain £300 million a year in sick pay and lost productivity. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) frequent use of the Mouse can lead to Repetitive Strain Injury, or its most recent label, the laughable Non-Specific Arm Pain, affecting the wrist, the arm, the shoulders and the neck. This may be news to the HSE, whereas we’ve always known that work was a pain in the neck.
Mark Westbrook
Dec 12, 2008
Email this article
Printer friendly page
Previous Page
