Addressing copyright fair use in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent guidance in Warhol, the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit partially reversed the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the...more
According to their website they are an IP enforcement law firm that helps artists protect their content. We know them from pursuing many copyright infringement cases dealing with all kinds of photograpy. They list offices...more
Whether it is a smartphone, a fraud alert received from a financial institution, a vehicle modifying its settings based on current driving conditions, or political ads that will soon infiltrate our airwaves, artificial...more
The US District Court for the District of Columbia agreed with the US Copyright Office’s denial of a copyright application that sought to register visual art generated by artificial intelligence (AI) because US copyright law...more
On Friday, August 21, 2023, Stephen Thaler lost his appeal of the Copyright Office’s refusal to register a piece of art generated by his “Creativity Intelligence” AI computer system. U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell agreed...more
WORK-FOR-HIRE DOCTRINE - Under copyright law, artists generally own the rights to the work they create. However, an exception exists when an artist’s work qualifies as a “work made for hire” under Section 101 of the...more
On September 30, 2021, the United State Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit decided a much-anticipated copyright reversion case involving the slasher franchise, Friday the 13th. This case concerns the claim for copyright...more
Admittedly, the second word in that title is a mouthful—but Paraskavedekatriaphobia is a real word, with an etymology and definition. It even has a synonym, friggatriskaidekaphobia. Each means “fear of Friday the...more
Second Circuit Holds that Movie Screenplay Author was Entitled to Termination Rights - The Second Circuit held recently that the screenwriter of the pop culture classic “Friday the 13th” did not write the Screenplay as a...more
This post will provide an overview of key IP issues encountered when dealing with employees and independent contractors. We will cover the default ownership rules and rights for different types of IP and some tips on how to...more
Addressing an issue of whether a letter exchange qualifies as a work for hire agreement under US copyright laws, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed and remanded the district court grant of summary...more
Judge Alison Nathan of the Southern District federal court in New York recently dismissed copyright infringement claims against comedian Jerry Seinfeld over the show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee because the statute of...more
Back to Basics: A Primer on Intellectual Property Rights in Video Games - In this series, we discuss some of the fundamental concepts of intellectual property law as they relate specifically to video game companies and...more
Addressing for the first time the issue of whether a presumption of irreparable harm should apply in copyright infringement cases, the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit held that it did not, aligning the rule for...more
When a judicial opinion refers to a “bitter feud”, a plaintiff “beset by acrimony”, and a “rock star” banker who “faced his peripeteia” (we looked it up for you - it’s Greek for “reversal of fortune”), you know there’s gotta...more
What a month and a half it has been for the former King of the North. He led the Toronto Raptors on an improbable run to the 2019 NBA Championship and captured the heart of a nation. He led a Toronto news helicopter on a...more
Over a decade ago, a lawyer snapped a photograph of the Indianapolis skyline, thus opening the gates to perhaps the most prolific flood of copyright litigation in the history of Indiana. Over the last five years or so, this...more
Federal Circuit After Stryker/Halo - Why it matters: On June 13, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the consolidated cases of Stryker Corp. v. Zimmer, Inc. and Halo Electronics, Inc. v. Pulse Electronics, Inc. and, as...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled in favor of the composer of the 1960s Iron Man theme song, finding material facts in dispute as to whether the song was commissioned as a work for hire. Jack Urbont v. Sony...more
In a digital society dominated by the saying, “there’s an app for that,” copyright protection is essential. Paying to have a work created does not automatically vest ownership of the copyright in the paying party. When making...more
In Urbont v. Sony Music Entertainment Inc., 15-1778, the Second Circuit recently revived claims against Sony and Ghostface Killah, holding that although third parties may raise a work for hire defense, here there were factual...more
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently filed a copyright infringement lawsuit on behalf of a crested macaque monkey, who famously snapped a smiling selfie of himself using wildlife photographer David...more
As a business owner or manager, you have probably experienced or at least heard about costly and disruptive intellectual property infringement lawsuits. You may also be very concerned about protecting your company’s customer...more
As a leader of a start-up company, you are probably aware of the importance of protecting your company’s innovative products, services and technologies through patent filings. If you are savvy, you are also aware of the...more
Ask any startup veteran: intellectual property can make or break a successful exit. Here are seven things every startup should know about intellectual property law....more