Twitter International it is alleged does not pay for music on its short message service X (formerly Twitter). The music collecting organization Suisa Digital is therefore suing the owner of the short message service for copyright infringement.
Guilty of IP theft? A Munich court looks set to decide.
In the lawsuit before the Regional Court of Munich I, Twitter International is accused of using music represented by Suisa Digital on Platform X without a license. This was announced by Suisa Digital, the representative of the online music rights, on Wednesday. The short text messages or tweets sent on X can contain videos that are accompanied by music.
No reaction from Twitter International
Suisa Digital has been trying unsuccessfully to negotiate corresponding license agreements with Twitter International for six months. Twitter International has neither responded to corresponding emails nor removed the offending videos from X, according to the press release. Therefore, “as a last resort, legal proceedings have now been initiated”. The plaintiff considers this necessary because “the copyrights of Suisa members are currently being infringed”. There is evidence that videos are being published on X accompanied by music from these members.
Suisa Digital has decided to bring an action before the Munich I Regional Court because the Vaduz-based company represents the copyrights for uses not only in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, but also for uses throughout Europe. The markets in Switzerland and Liechtenstein are too small for a lawsuit to be successful here. Moreover, in a small market such as Liechtenstein, there would be a risk that Twitter International would simply discontinue its service. This scenario is “extremely unlikely” in the case of a lawsuit in Germany, which is much larger, writes Suisa Digital.
Compensation still outstanding
It remains to be seen how much compensation is ultimately at stake in the lawsuit. Suisa Digital writes that it currently “unfortunately lacks the necessary information”. The company is demanding that Twitter International “fully and completely disclose” X’s turnover and streaming figures. Only with these figures can the compensation that Twitter International must pay for the use of the music to those that Suisa Digital represents be calculated.
The music exploitation organization Suisa Digital is a subsidiary of Suisa in Switzerland. It represents the online music rights of Suisa and other companies and music publishers worldwide. Its repertoire comprises over 80,000 music creators, publishers and around ten million works. The organization has concluded licensing agreements for the use of digital music with over 80 providers worldwide.
Suisa, on the other hand, is a non-profit cooperative of composers, lyricists and music publishers in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It represents over 40,000 members from all musical genres. In addition, the cooperative represents the music repertoire of two million music authors worldwide in Switzerland and Liechtenstein by granting licenses for the use of this world repertoire. Suisa has offices in Zurich, Lausanne and Lugano.
The national alpine wrestling festival ends, how a Swiss village became overrun with tourists and more in our roundup of Swiss news from August 26 – 31.
Three members of the Russian feminist group, Pussy Riot, were arrested in Bern.
Pussy Riot arrested in Switzerland
Members of the Russian punk music group Pussy Riot were arrested this week in Bern for writing anti-war messages in graffiti, according to Swiss police. The group is known for its provocative style of protesting Russian president Vladmir Putin and his policies. Members Masha Alekhina, Taso Pletner and Lucy Shtein were handcuffed and detained Monday night. Although Swiss police initially said the women may be fined or expelled from the country, they were released a few hours later saying that it is up to the owner of the graffitied wall to press charges. The group put a statement on their Facebook page after their release, reading “It turns out that two institutions located in Bern – the Russian Embassy and the Swiss police – seem to act together.” The group is currently on tour and set to perform in Bern Thursday night. No word yet on whether the concert will be canceled. Read more.
A new ‘Schwingen King’ is crowned
Switzerland this week held its national Alpine wrestling championship, or “Schwingfest,” drawing in hundreds of thousands of spectators. The festival, which has been held every three years since 1895, keeps alive the unique, national pastime. In Schwingen, wrestlers are dressed in traditional Swiss attire and use looped belts to throw their opponents over. The two-day festival outside of Basel pitted 274 wrestlers against each other. Joel Wicki, a 25-year-old from canton Luzern, was crowned the “Schwingen King.” Wicki said it was his “childhood dream to win.” Wicki got to take home the traditional prize of a bull. Read more.
Are Swiss elections vulnerable to Russian hackers?
Russians may be trying to use Swiss servers to influence Swiss parliamentary elections and destabilize Western democracies, according to an internal report from the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) shared with the SonntagsBlick newspaper. According to the report, Moscow uses a “tailored mix of disinformation, cyber-attacks, the instrumentalization of individuals, groups and institutions.” Some politicians – particularly those in the Green Party – say that allowing Russian diplomats to stay in the country during the Russo-Ukrainian war further weakens Switzerland’s defenses against such attacks. Read more.
This article may be freely shared and re-printed, provided that it prominently links back to the original article.
Hay season is often associated with teary eyes and a sniffy nose. But for some farmers in Switzerland, this is a precious time to harvest alpine hay.
Wild haymaking is a curious remnant of past centuries. In the past, farmers in alpine regions would venture to the highest and steepest meadows in order to harvest hay. Needless to say, this was a time when all cows were grass-fed during summers, and hay-fed during winter months. This organic food is very nutritious and is ideal for cows that have to live in a barn during winter.
A 1940’s photograph of a farmer practicing wild haymaking.
Wild haymaking is 100% SwissWhen you thought that wild haymaking is just cutting grass on a hillside, think again. This practice is a discipline of its own, and the organic hay is a critical ingredient for the healthy life of the Swiss throughout the year. Organic hay is the first step to producing grass-fed milk, which in turn is the basis for real organic food. In fact, hay harvested from alpine meadows is the root of traditional Swiss foods such as cheese and dry meat.
The process of wild haymaking takes place over the course of several months. Farmers would initiate the first preparations as soon as the winter’s snow has melted. They would go up to higher altitudes where they would set up the access paths.
Since some surfaces might have been altered during winter, farmers would level out any eroded patches. Further, they would collect rocks, branches, or other debris which snow and avalanches have brought down the mountainside. As it turns out, spring cleaning is also taking place in the mountains.
Fast forward to the month of July when the farmers would return to the high alpine meadows. At this point, they would cut the tall grass in every nook and cranny of their pastures. Their tool of choice is the old-fashioned scythe. Often portrayed as the tool of death in cartoons, scythes are actually a legitimate tool for the Swiss culture of wild haymaking.
As it turns out, a scythe is rather complex to manipulate. Some say it takes a lifetime to learn how to use this tool efficiently. Compared to mechanical cutting tools which tend to be bulky and limited by the size of their fuel tank, scythes are lightweight and durable. It comes as no surprise that this tool has been the preference for cutting grasses, herbs, and shrubs on hard-to-reach meadows…
Due to the steep elevations, the safety of farmers is always an issue. But instead of installing high-tech gear, Swiss farmers still use traditional methods: mountaineering shoes, climbing irons, and ropes. (The mountaineering shoes are an upgrade to the more traditional wooden shoes with makeshift spikes.)
In late summer, it is time to harvest the hay. By now, the organically grown grass has dried in the sun and is ready to get picked. Again, farmers prefer a hand-held tool that is tried and true over modern tools. By using big wooden rakes, they would now gather the hay on large nets.
Each hay net is then tied up and weighs about 60 kilograms. In the local Swiss-German dialect, such a net is called Pinggel. For comparison, 60 kilograms is the weight of no less than nine bowling balls or fifteen alphorns.The point is: a Pinggel is pretty heavy and has the potential of seriously injuring someone.
No wonder that transportation poses the highest risk of all the steps involved in wild haymaking. Now, rolling this ball of hay down the mountain would obviously be very dangerous. Instead, farmers would transport them to the valley using a system of zip lines. Alternatively, some farmers will airlift the hay using helicopters. The latter is the most efficient mode of transport, allowing them to move up to 1000 kilos of hay per minute.
Haymaking requires real Swiss food as fuelHandling the heavy hay at great heights requires a lot of energy and physical strength. This is why, a century ago, Swiss farmers identified the perfect diet based on organic food. A farmer’s meal traditionally consists of dried meat such as beef jerky, as well as sausages, bacon, cheese, and bread.
The traditional drink is a heavily sweetened black coffee spiked with a shot of liquor. This diet is emblematic of Swiss traditional food. It closes the cycle as the Swiss farmers eat products derived from the animals they are working to feed.
Harvested hay does not only feed the animals that in turn produce real food. This Swiss tradition also helps with avalanche prevention. If the pastures were left uncut, they would turn increasingly slippery with the autumn rain and might cause erosion in the spring.
The hay is ideal for nurturing biodiversity. While drying in the summer’s sun, it is a haven for bees, butterflies, or even critters. This is why this Swiss tradition is so important to maintain. A while ago, wild haymaking was nearly lost to new farming technologies, and to the lack of financial incentives. This is the reason why in 2013, the Canton of Uri launched a heritage initiative to save and maintain this century-old tradition.
If you find this Swiss tradition as interesting as we do, why not witnessing wild haymaking with your own eyes? It is a rewarding experience to gain an appreciation for the quality of hay that ultimately produces organic milk and healthy foods. Several regions in Switzerland above 1500 meters of altitude continue to practice the age-old tradition of wild haymaking:
And while you are visiting, why not explore some of the most amazing mountain peaks? We have the perfect suggestions for Swiss cable cars for peak hunters. If you prefer not to lift off, here is our listing of mountain railways in Switzerland.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy
