Since platforms like Midjourney and DALL-E became popular, using text-to-image models to generate “AI art” has surged, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between AI-generated art and human-created works. This...more
1/22/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Authorship ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Applications ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Office ,
Copyright Registration ,
Innovation Patent ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inventors ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Machine Learning ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Technology Sector
The Guidance states that the Copyright Office’s long-standing position is that human authorship is required for a work to be copyrightable and eligible for registration. Nevertheless, the Guidance provides that works created...more
Since the release and popularization of platforms such as Midjourney and DALL-E, the past few years have seen a staggering proliferation of art made using text-to-image models—familiarly known as “AI art.” Tens of millions of...more
7/25/2024
/ Appeals ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Artistic Works ,
Authorship ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Office ,
Copyright Registration ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
New Guidance ,
Patent Cancellation ,
Regulatory Requirements
Copyright owners now have another venue for enforcing copyrights: the Copyright Claims Board (CCB). Established by the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2020 (CASE Act), the CCB aims to provide...more
6/23/2022
/ Actual Damages ,
Attorney's Fees ,
CASE Act ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Registration ,
Forum Selection ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Jurisdiction ,
Statutory Damages
[co-author: Ivy Attenborough, Summer Associate]
Thank you for reading the June 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss the differences between Copyright Claims Board and federal...more
6/22/2022
/ Actual Damages ,
Attorney's Fees ,
CASE Act ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Registration ,
Email ,
Forum Selection ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Jurisdiction ,
Scams ,
Statutory Damages ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
In 1884, the Supreme Court upended the view that reproductions made by a machine could not qualify for copyright protection. The Court held that a “machine-made” image, meaning a photograph, titled Oscar Wilde, No. 18....more
Thank you for reading the March 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss copyright registration eligibility in relation to non-human authorship and new legislation surrounding...more
3/30/2022
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Authorship ,
Biopharmaceutical ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Applications ,
Copyright Office ,
Copyright Registration ,
FDA Approval ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Medical Research ,
New Legislation ,
Patent Applications ,
Patent Registration ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Patents ,
Photographs ,
The Copyright Act
In a 6-3 decision, the US Supreme Court in Unicolors, Inc. v. H&M Hennes & Mauritz, L.P. held that a copyright registration is valid even though it contains inaccurate information—as long as the copyright holder lacked...more
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court granted Unicolors' request for review of the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Unicolors, Inc. v. H&M Hennes & Mauritz, L.P. (9th Circ. 2020). According to Unicolors, the Ninth Circuit’s...more
The June 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses recent litigation surrounding copyright registration invalidation and implications of the increase in trademark application filings at the USPTO....more
6/29/2021
/ Cannabis Products ,
Cannabis-Related Businesses (CRBs) ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Office ,
Copyright Registration ,
Evidence ,
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Intellectual Property Protection ,
Intent to Defraud ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Patents ,
The Copyright Act ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
Because copyright applications are not substantively examined, unlike patent and trademark applications, obtaining a copyright registration is typically viewed as relatively easy. Indeed, only a minority of copyright...more
The Switch by Nine. Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court clarified when a copyright owner can sue for infringement, settling the conflicting interpretations of the Copyright Act’s “registration” requirement, which we...more
4/5/2019
/ Appeals ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Applications ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Registration ,
Damages ,
Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp v Wall-Street.com LLC ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Remedies ,
SCOTUS ,
Statute of Limitations ,
The Copyright Act
The March 2019 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter addresses a Supreme Court ruling about suing for copyright infringement, the 2018 Farm Bill and CBD products, and lists the new gTLD Sunrise Period.
In...more
4/3/2019
/ Cannabidiol (CBD) oil ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Registration ,
Domain Names ,
Farm Bill ,
Federal Trademark Register ,
Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp v Wall-Street.com LLC ,
gTLD ,
Marijuana Cultivation ,
SCOTUS ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks
Last month American Airlines, Inc. successfully landed its turbulent pursuit to register its “Flight Symbol” logo with the Copyright Office, after the Copyright Office Review Board (CORB) electively revisited and reversed its...more
2/4/2019
/ Administrative Appeals ,
Administrative Reconsideration ,
American Airlines ,
Application Fees ,
Commercial Use ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Applications ,
Copyright Office ,
Copyright Office Review Board (CORB) ,
Copyright Registration ,
Corporate Branding ,
Graphic Designs ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Logos ,
Reversal ,
Takedown Notices ,
Trademark Registration
The January 2019 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses Pantone Color Institute's 2019 color of the year, pointers on protecting logos through copyright registration, Korea's notable amendments to...more
1/31/2019
/ Color Marks ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Registration ,
Corporate Branding ,
Domain Names ,
gTLD ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Korea ,
Logos ,
Sunrise Periods ,
Trademarks
Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court clarified the test for determining when a three dimensional design for a “useful article” is copyrightable, resolving an issue that had divided the federal circuit courts for years....more