In the midst of our national pandemic, the Acting Register of Copyrights has issued a notice related to the timing of registration of copyrights. Here’s an explanation of what you need to know and why this may be an important...more
This week, a California jury found that Katy Perry, Capitol Records and a few other players were liable for copyright infringement to the tune of approximately $2,800,000. The offending song is Katy Perry’s runaway smash hit...more
As it turns out, all that glitters is not gold. Or at least that’s probably how Led Zeppelin feels after the 9th Circuit overturned a shiny jury verdict in favor of the iconic British rock band....more
Last Friday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals finally put to bed a copyright dispute that many viewed as nothing short of bananas. Naruto v. Slater—dubbed the “Monkey Selfie” case—raised the novel (if not bizarre) question of...more
As we entered the first full day of the equinox yesterday, a split panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals handed the heirs of Marvin Gaye a decisive victory that will no doubt leave them with a spring in their steps. The...more
You know of this lawsuit, we’ve blogged on it twice, It’s time for a check-in, to see who’s naughty and nice.
The Plaintiff as you know is the heir of Dr. Seuss, And fussing and fuming about an alleged unfair use....more
It isn’t all that often that copyright decisions get handed down by the federal district court in the great state of Idaho, so the recent decision in James Castle Collection v. Scholastic, Inc. caught our attention. The...more
And just like that, it was over. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in TC Heartland v. Kraft Foods Group sun-setted the reign of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas as the country’s busiest (and arguably,...more
In Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands, the U.S. Supreme Court clarified the proper test for determining when a useful article is subject to copyright protection. That new standard was recently brought to bear in JetMax Limited...more
You may remember, you may recall,
A certain infringement suit filed last fall.
It was filed by the heirs of the great Dr. Seuss,
And now they’ve run smack dab into the doctrine of fair use....more
Does a demand letter from a music rights holder that alleges “millions of instances of infringement” create a case in controversy with the recipient? You may be inclined to answer with an emphatic “of course!”...more
You know Green Eggs and Ham, and the Cat in The Hat, Horton, the Lorax, and others like that. But a new book is coming, although now a bit slow, It’s called “Oh, The Places You’ll Boldly Go!”...more
On the opening night of the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump’s wife, Melania, delivered a speech from the convention floor in support of Trump’s nomination. The speech was infused with rhetoric about such things...more
This morning in a Los Angeles federal court, a unanimous jury exonerated British rockers Jimmy Page and Robert Plant—two members of the storied Led Zeppelin rock band—from claims of copyright infringement over the iconic...more
The Visual Artists Rights Act (“VARA”) protects a “work of visual art” from “intentional distortion, mutilation, or other modification.” VARA defines what a work of visual art is, and also what it isn’t. A painting, drawing...more
With Super Bowl 50 quickly approaching, it’s a perfect excuse to check in on one of the IP issues that made big waves at last year’s “Big Game.” You may recall that the Super Bowl halftime show last year featured Katy Perry...more
The popular music app company Pandora Media Inc. has opened quite a musical box. It has been in litigation over what are known and loved as the “oldies.” Various record labels such as Capitol Records and Sony Music sued...more