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Podcast: The Briefing - Zillow Loses Second Round of Copyright Fight [Audio]

The Ninth Circuit recently issued an opinion affirming that Zillow infringed thousands of copyrights owned by a real estate photography studio. Scott Hervey and James Kachmar discuss this case on this episode of The Briefing....more

The Briefing: Zillow Loses Second Round of Copyright Fight [Video]

The Ninth Circuit recently issued an opinion affirming that Zillow infringed thousands of copyrights owned by a real estate photography studio. Scott Hervey and James Kachmar discuss this case on this episode of The Briefing....more

Zillow Loses Second Round of Copyright Fight Over Real Estate Photos

On June 7, 2023, the Ninth Circuit issued its opinion in VHT, Inc. v. Zillow Group, Inc., in which it affirmed the trial court’s findings of infringement against Zillow and the award of statutory damages. In 2019, the Ninth...more

Apple Prevails on “Epic” Antitrust Claim

On April 24, 2023, the Ninth Circuit issued its opinion in Epic Games, Inc. v. Apple, Inc., and affirmed the trial court’s ruling in Apple’s favor as to Epic’s Sherman Act claim for restraint of trade relating to Apple’s...more

Ninth Circuit Reaffirms That Parties Can Contractually Shorten Statute of Limitations Period for Copyright Infringement Claims

The Ninth Circuit recently addressed the issue of whether parties can contractually agree to shorten the statute of limitations period for bringing a copyright infringement claim. In an unpublished opinion in the case, Evox...more

GoDaddy Obtains Section 230 Immunity Despite Plaintiffs’ “Sympathetic” Claims

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (“CDA”) provides immunity to “interactive computer services” providers against certain types of legal claims, such as when harmful material is posted on their site by third...more

Google Escapes Antitrust Challenge from Stock Photo Site After Changes to Its Search Engine Algorithm

Google, which operates the world’s most popular search engine, recently defeated an antitrust claim brought by an online supplier of stock images in the case Dreamstime.com, LLC v. Google, LLC, decided on December 6, 2022, by...more

The Interplay Between Section 230 Immunity and The Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2018

The Ninth Circuit was recently called upon to decide a case of first impression for it involving the interplay between immunity granted to website providers under the Communications Decency Act (“CDA”) and potential civil...more

Connect 4: Trade Dress Infringement and Secondary Meaning

You are likely familiar with the children’s game, Connect 4, in which players drop red and black checker pieces into an upright rack trying to get four of their pieces in a row to win. Some of you may have even seen enlarged...more

Copyright Infringement and Personal Jurisdiction Over Foreign Defendants

In Lang Van, Inc. v. VNG Corporation (decided July 21, 2022), the Ninth Circuit addressed the issue of how to evaluate whether a U.S. District Court can exercise personal jurisdiction over a foreign defendant with regard to a...more

Trademark Protection and the Lawful Use Requirement

Trademark law was developed to help protect a seller’s “brand” in connection with the marketing and labeling of products for sale to avoid “consumer confusion.” One rarely litigated aspect of trademark law is that the use of...more

The Continuing Battle Over LinkedIn Profiles and the Applicability of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

Over two and a half years ago, this column analyzed a Ninth Circuit case titled HiQ Labs, Inc. v. LinkedIn Corporation, in which the Court agreed with a lower court that had issued a preliminary injunction against LinkedIn...more

Federal OSHA Withdraws COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard

Our Blog has been monitoring the ETS that OSHA issued in November 2021 that mandated employers of 100 or more employees to require their employees to obtain COVID-19 vaccinations or undergo regular COVID-19 testing instead. ...more

Copyright Infringement and Class Certification Issues

Greg Kihn is a musician best known for his 1983 hit song, “Jeopardy.” In 2017, he (and his publishing company) filed suit against Bill Graham Archives, LLC, which did business as Wolfgang’s Vault. Wolfgang’s Vault is a...more

US Supreme Court Will Hear OSHA Vaccine or Test Mandate Challenge on Expedited Basis

Earlier this week, Beth West wrote a blog update about the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals vacating the stay of OSHA’s vaccine or test mandate that applies to employers with more than 100 employees (Click here to read). Ms. West...more

Ninth Circuit Refuses to Adopt “Ordinary Observer” Test for Substantial Similarity and Copyright Infringement

The Ninth Circuit was recently asked to determine whether to continue to apply the Circuit’s two-part extrinsic/intrinsic test for “substantial similarity” with regard to a copyright infringement claim or to depart from this...more

Employers Beware – Confidentiality and Non-Disparagement Provisions Face Further Restrictions

In 2018, in response to the #MeToo movement, California enacted Senate Bill 820 which added section 1001 to the California Code of Civil Procedure and prohibited employers from including provisions into settlement agreements...more

The De Minimis Concept in Copyright Cases – The Ninth Circuit Says What it is and What it Isn’t

In a recent case, Bell v. Wilmott Storage Services, LLC, decided September 9, 2021, the Ninth Circuit clarified the role that the de minimis concept plays in copyright infringement cases. In essence, the Ninth Circuit...more

“Happy Together” – The Ninth Circuit Plays The Golden Oldies Of Copyright Law

Calling it a “ball of confusion,” the Ninth Circuit recently considered a case involving the music of the Turtles, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and whether royalties are owed under California copyright law for music dating prior...more

What Happens In Your Backyard Doesn’t Always Stay In Your Backyard

Loud parties, surveillance cameras, and a neighbor dispute? The Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District in California was recently faced with these issues in a case involving claims that one neighbor’s use of...more

The Sleekcraft Factors And “Reverse Confusion” Trademark Infringement

What happens when a junior trademark holder’s business becomes so popular and well known that it threatens to swamp the reputation of a senior mark holder? The senior mark holder brings a trademark infringement case alleging...more

De Novo Or Abuse Of Discretion? Trademarks, The Unclean Hands Defense, And Summary Judgment Review

The Ninth Circuit recently considered an issue of first impression: What standard of review does an appellate court apply when reviewing a district court’s grant of summary judgment in a trademark infringement case on the...more

The Interplay Between Statutory Damages And Joint And Several Liability In A Copyright Infringement Action

Under the Copyright Act, an owner of a copyright suing for infringement may elect to seek statutory damages instead of actual damages. The amount of statutory damages under the Copyright Act are limited to $30,000 for...more

It’s No “Fair Use” Trying To Parody Dr. Seuss

One of the last books written by Dr. Seuss, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” is one of the bestselling books during graduation season each year. The copyright for this book, like all of the works of Dr. Seuss, belongs to Dr. Seuss...more

Trade Secrets And The Duty To Identify Them With Sufficient Particularity

One of the first elements that a plaintiff must prove to succeed on a trade secret claim is that it is the owner of a valid trade secret. To do so, the law generally imposes a burden on plaintiffs to identify its trade...more

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