An Unfamiliar Feeling for Apple as Sales, Profits Decline

The company reported an 8% sales decrease over the year ending September 24, which led to a 14% decrease in profits — the first year-on-year decline in profits reported by Apple in 15 years. The drop in sales was attributed mainly to sales of the iPhone, which were down 5% compared to the previous year. Apple is expected to announce new MacBook Pros tomorrow that include a touch bar to display context-sensitive buttons running along the top of the keyboard. [The Guardian]

Sony Movie Exec Tom Rothman to Receive PGA's Milestone Award

The Producers Guild of America is presenting Tom Rothman, chairman of the Sony Motion Picture Group, with its Milestone Award at a ceremony set for January 28 in Beverly Hills. Among the upcoming releases shepherded to theaters by Rothman is Ang Lee's daring 120fps cinematic experiment, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. [The Wrap]

Douglas Trumbull Says He's Helping Fix Billy Lynn Exhibition Problems

In a radio interview, Douglas Trumbull says Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk could have looked better when it premiered earlier this month at the New York Film Festival. The image was "much too bright," he said, and also noted that the projector didn't have an opening and closing shutter to provide the flicker effect audiences expect with their movies. "I'm workin with Ang [Lee] and Sony Pictures at this moment, and Christie, who are providing the projection systems, to try to make sure that the next wave of screenings of Billy Lynn are going to be much better than what I think we saw in New York." [Southern California Public Radio]

Copyright Change May Be Afoot at the Library of Congress

Legal eagles are wondering what's going on at the Library of Congress after U.S. Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante, the nation's top copyright official, was removed from her position. Carla Hayden, who became Librarian of Congress in September, is a former American Library Association president who is said to favor increased public access to creative works, perhaps at the expense of the kind of strong copyright protections favored by media companies — who often square off against the technology industry on issues like fair use and DMCA "safe harbors." [The Hollywood Reporter/THQ, Esq.]