Latest news with #KMCA
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Madisonville City Clerk named Kentucky Municipal Clerk of the Year
HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) – Madisonville City Clerk Kim Blue was announced as the Kentucky Municipal Clerks Association's Clerk of the Year for 2025. Clerk of the Year Chair Ashley Jackson presented her with the award at the KMCA annual Spring Conference in Louisville on Thursday. According to a release, Blue was nominated by Mayor Kevin Cotton. City Administrator Rob Saint said in his letter of support, 'She brings energy, enthusiasm, and a willingness to assist me, the city council members, and serves as a vital liaison to all city departments. Her level of knowledge and commitment to continuing education is a testament to her being a dedicated City Clerk. She brings a level of professionalism that is a true reflection of core values and standards set forth by the City of Madisonville.' 'Kim's dedication to the office of City Clerk is second to none,' said Mayor Cotton. 'Kim is an ideal team member who goes above and beyond in her duties, rejoices in the accomplishments of her colleagues, and understands the intricacies of working as a team.' Blue has been City Clerk of Madisonville since 2016. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Korea Herald
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Music copyright group mandates 'no AI use' for new songs
The Korea Music Copyright Association recently implemented a procedure for registering a new song, requiring songwriters to verify that they did not use artificial intelligence, reaffirming its stance that AI-generated music cannot be copyrighted. The new measure, which went into effect on March 24, mandates songwriters to confirm they have 100 percent contributed to writing the song without using AI. The KMCA confirmed that the criteria for not using AI does refer to "0 percent contribution." "(Songwriters) are consenting to taking legal liability for any civic or criminal legal proceedings that may accompany false registration," the group said, saying those who do not consent will have their registration put on hold. If a song that was registered as not having used AI later is found to have used it, the group said it can implement measures such as postponing royalty payments or cancelling the registration. The KMCA is the largest copyrights group in the country, entrusted with handling the commercial use of the music registered by over 50,000 members. The group said the new measure is in response to the possible legal issues related to AI-generated songs. Its stance has been that songs used completely by AI cannot be copyrighted, demonstrated by the group in 2022 canceling royalty payments for six songs written by AI songwriter EvoM. The new limitations cover all songs with AI input, but it could change. The KMCA is still mulling how to deal with AI-assisted songs, referring to cases in which songwriters used AI tools for assistance in songwriting such as coming up with a topic, title, or composing a part of the melody or riff. The group said such cases have been recognized as creative content outside of Korea, and said will hold hearings and research to devise a system for the AI-assisted songs. Songs and other creative content written with AI technology has been a topic of fierce discussion across the world, with increasing number of content using AI to a varying degree being released and performed by popular artists. "Copyright and Artificial Intelligence Part 2: Copyrightability" by the US Copyrights Office, published in January, said that some forms of AI-generated content can receive copyright protection as long as a human substantially contributed to the content. It clarified that human creativity should remain central to copyright law and intellectual property rights, simple use of AI does not disqualify a creative work from being copyrighted. For AI-assisted work to be copyrighted, a human's contribution should be sufficiently expressive and creative, significantly modify or arrange the AI-generated material, or be in a form in which a human-created content is incorporated into AI output. Editing images or music, generating rough drafts, or assisting the human-led production of the content are acceptable input of the AI in the copyrightable works, according to the US office.
Rudaw Net
27-03-2025
- Health
- Rudaw Net
Erbil pharmacy chain under investigation for medicine substitution scandal
Also in Kurdistan Four Kurdish pilgrims died in Saudi Arabia during Ramadan: Ministry PM Barzani discusses cooperation, energy relations with Qatari officials Crude oil contamination halts water distribution in Koya impacting over 100,000 KRG employees' March salaries to be paid on Wednesday A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Medical Control Agency (KMCA) announced on Wednesday that it has formed a joint investigation committee with the Kurdistan Region's health ministry to probe reports that the owner of a well-known pharmacy chain instructed his staff to provide patients with generic substitutes of their prescribed medications without their knowledge. In a leaked audio recording that has gone viral in the last two days, the chain owner is heard telling employees, 'If the medication requested by the patients is not in stock, give them a substitution and stay quiet about it unless they ask. If they [patients] ask, tell them the packaging has changed, but the medication is the same.' The KMCA on Wednesday stated that the Kurdistan Region's health ministry 'has decided to establish a joint investigative committee to look into the case, assess the potential impact on patients' safety, and take legal and judicial measures against any violations.' Of note, the same pharmacy chain had previously been shut down for eight months due to violations involving the sale of banned, illegal, and smuggled medications, according to the KMCA. Speaking to Rudaw, Erbil resident Harem Faris shared his experience stating, 'sometimes, when you ask the [pharmacy staff] for a [specific] brand, they offer you a substitute instead, saying it's the same formula.' Medical doctor Mohammed Omer told Rudaw however that 'swapping medication or selling substitution medications is generally a big mistake and there are many instances when it has backfired.' He shared a case where a patient experienced dangerous side effects, including 'internal bleeding in their stomach and duodenum,' after taking a substituted medication. The KMCA asserted on Thursday that it is committed to 'ensuring the availability of high-quality, safe, and affordable medications through regulatory reforms and strict enforcement.' The agency noted successes in reducing price medications 'from 17 percent to 20 percent in 2024 alone, resulting in an estimated 239 billion Iraqi dinars [around $163 million] in cost savings.' The KMCA urged people to ensure that the medications they purchase carry the official stamp of the Kurdistan Region's health ministry. This is not the first time pharmacies have faced violations in Erbil this year. Earlier this month, authorities shut down over 25 pharmacies in the northeastern district of Soran as part of a campaign targeting expired or unauthorized medications, according to health authorities.
