Don't Let Disney Monopolize A.I.-Generated Art
The indie artists suing Stable Diffusion may not realize it, but they're doing the Mouse's dirty work.
Copyright
Why the Tabletop Role-Playing World Is Furious About Changes to Dungeons & Dragons' Open Game License
For 20 years, D&D has offered third-party publishers an open, royalty-free license to create new works using its game. A leaked revision would end all of that.
Now Anybody Can Write a Sherlock Holmes Story
Nearly a century after author Arthur Conan Doyle's death, the character is finally free.
Netflix Files Copyright Lawsuit Against Creators of Unofficial Bridgerton Musical
The company alleges the composers ignored multiple warnings to cease commercial production of the musical.
Why Ryan Reynolds Can Use Winnie-the-Pooh To Sell You a Phone Plan
As pop culture icons enter the public domain, a strange new era of copyright begins.
"May Be The Most Helpful Brief I've Ever Read,"
said Judge Vince Chhabria (N.D. Cal.) about this amicus brief from Paul Alan Levy (Public Citizen).and Phillip R. Malone of the Juelsgaard I/P and Innovation Clinic (at Stanford).
Josh Hawley Targets Disney With Copyright Legislation
Despite the senator's clear culture war animus, there are things to like about his bill.
Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Musk? And Yes, Taxation Is Still Theft.
Plus: A short debate on intellectual property
Police Play Disney Songs To Keep Citizen Recordings Off YouTube
A Santa Ana police officer is the latest official to use YouTube's copyright infringement algorithm as a means to evade accountability.
In Threatening Disney Over Copyrights, House Republicans Are Right for the Wrong Reasons
By blaming their reasoning on culture war grievances rather than the best interests of the law, the GOP risks undermining a completely defensible position.
Motivational Speaker Loses Copyright Lawsuit Against High School
And has to pay $10K in attorney fees to the high school as well.
"The Law Has Already Sawed That Claim in Half"
The latest from Paul Alan Levy (Public Citizen), pushing back against threats of trademark litigation over parody.
Abolish Intellectual Property Rights?
Patent lawyer Stephan Kinsella debates Law Professor Richard Epstein
Abolish Copyrights and Patents? A Soho Forum Debate
Patent lawyer Stephan Kinsella debates law professor Richard Epstein
Some Thoughts on Google v. Oracle, from Prof. Rebecca Tushnet (Harvard)
"Categories, microworks, and market circularity."
University Trying to Block Distribution of Faculty Senate Meeting Video Excerpts Using Copyright Law
An interesting controversy involving Portland State University.
Publishing Another Newspaper's Spiked Story: Copyright Infringement or Fair Use?
Likely fair use, at least under the Second Circuit's precedents.
Fair Use to Republish, in Annotated Form, Drone-Taken Photograph Used in a Political Argument
As with all fair use claims, the analysis turns on the particular facts.
Creating a Version of a Work Solely for "Artistic Experimentation and to Seek License Approval from the Copyright Holder" = Fair Use
So holds Judge Virginia A. Phillips (C.D. Cal.) in Tracy Chapman's lawsuit against Nicki Minaj.
Sargon of Akkad Wins Attorney Fees in We Thought She Would Win/SJW Levels of Awareness Copyright Lawsuit
"[T]he Court has little difficulty concluding that Hughes's dual goals in bringing her baseless suit were to inflict financial harm on Benjamin and to raise her own profile in the process."
More in the Richard Liebowitz Saga
"The Movants are undoubtedly correct in asserting that 'nationwide sanctions' are rare, but that is only because they are rarely warranted."
More Massive Sanctions on Richard Liebowitz, "Copyright Troll" and "Legal Lamprey"
"One of the most frequently sanctioned lawyers, if not the most frequently sanctioned lawyer," in the Southern District of New York.
Supreme Court Rules That Georgia Can't Copyright Its Annotated Code
A long-running legal battle ends with a victory for open government.
Hospital Technicians Ignore Copyright Law to Fight COVID-19
They trade tips and manuals through a decentralized information-sharing network. Biomedical technicians say it's the fastest and easiest way to get life-saving information.
Last Monday: Second Circuit Fair Use Day (Drake + Sargon of Akkad)
Four Second Circuit judges gave fair use victories (separately) to rapper Drake and blogger Sargon of Akkad, concluding that defendants' uses of plaintiffs' work to comment on it and criticize it were fair use and thus not copyright infringement.
Google v. Oracle
The Supreme Court now has before it a case in which some very important copyright principles are at stake.
A German Museum Tried To Hide This Stunning 3D Scan of an Iconic Egyptian Artifact. Today You Can See It for the First Time
After a three-year freedom of information campaign, everyone can finally see the Egyptian Museum of Berlin’s official scan of the Bust of Nefertiti.
More in the "Copyright Troll" Saga
"This judge joins the chorus of those telling this attorney [Richard P. Liebowitz] to clean up his act."
Stairway to Heaven and the Scope of Musical Copyright
Led Zeppelin may have borrowed from the band "Spirit" in creating the well-known intro to their classic hit, but did they infringe anyone's copyright in doing so?
Sanctions Imposed on Alleged "Copyright Troll"
for what the judge concludes are discovery violations, in a copyright case involving photos of model Emily Ratajkowski.
Che Guevara, Donald Trump, Public Citizen (Founded by Ralph Nader), and Copyright Law
A fun copyright controversy.
Lawyer Loses Bid To Redact Opinion Labeling Him a "Copyright Troll"
But at least he wasn't labeled a "copyright orc" ....
Costume Manufacturer Alleges Competitor's Banana Suit Costume Looks a Little Too Much Like a Banana, Is Copyright Violation
Rasta Imposta has a history of defending its "unique" banana costume design with copyright litigation.
Hide Those Memes, Folks! Europe Passes Massive Online Copyright Changes That Will Lead to Censorship
Do you have a license to link to that story? Will your sexy Tinder photo get confused with a celebrity's?
Maybe Now We Can Finally Read This Star Trek/Dr. Seuss Mash-Up
Federal judge's ruling in a fair-use lawsuit "is a big win for the First Amendment."