On July 31, 2024, the United States Copyright Office (Copyright Office) published a report urging Congress to create a federal law protecting individuals against unauthorized artificial intelligence (AI) generated digital...more
The recent California district court decision dismissing the complaint in X Corp. v. Bright Data Ltd. could have significant implications for companies that rely on their terms of use to prohibit unauthorized “data scraping”...more
5/22/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Registration ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Preemptive Challenges ,
Technology ,
The Copyright Act ,
Web Scraping
On May 9, 2024, in Warner Chappell Music, Inc. v. Nealy, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that a copyright owner is entitled to monetary relief for timely infringement claims — i.e., claims brought within the Copyright Act’s...more
On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the petitioner in Abitron Austria GmbH v. Hetronic International Inc. However, the justices were divided 5-4 as to the precise reasoning and what facts...more
7/7/2023
/ Abitron Austria GmbH v Hetronic International Inc ,
Appeals ,
Extraterritoriality Rules ,
Foreign Jurisdictions ,
Foreign Sales ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
International Trademark Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks ,
Use in Commerce
Among the various types of AI-generated works that are being created and marketed nowadays are works that replicate the sound or visual images of specific artists. In many cases, these works, or the models or tools that...more
On June 8, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the petitioner in Jack Daniel’s Properties, Inc. v. VIP Products LLC. The Court held that a heightened standard for trademark infringement applied by many...more
6/13/2023
/ First Amendment ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Jack Daniels Properties Inc v VIP Products LLC ,
Lanham Act ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Parody ,
Rogers Test ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks
On May 18, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of the respondent copyright holder in Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Lynn Goldsmith et al., No. 21-869, analyzing the Copyright Act’s first fair...more
5/22/2023
/ Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Inc v Goldsmith ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Derivative Works ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Fair Use ,
Machine Learning ,
SCOTUS ,
The Copyright Act ,
Transformativeness
On February 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Unicolors, Inc. v. H&M Hennes & Mauritz, L.P. that the safe harbor provision concerning inaccurate information in copyright registrations, as set forth at 17 U.S.C. §...more
[co-author: Avanthi Cole]
Main Quest - How To Tell ROM From Right -
As we review some of the more prominent legal issues that impacted the video game industry this past year and consider what 2022 may have in store,...more
Main Quest - ‘Mint’ Conditions: NFTs and Video Games -
Over the course of the past year, nonfungible tokens (NFTs) have transformed from a relatively niche product for those in the cryptocurrency sector to an increasingly...more
9/17/2021
/ Blockchain ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
eSports ,
First Amendment ,
Gaming ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
IP License ,
Microsoft ,
Nintendo ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Online Gaming ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Right of Publicity ,
Sony ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademarks ,
Video Games
The end of 2020 marked a major turning point for the video game industry on numerous fronts: The precipitous rise in popularity of — and participation in — esports (bolstered, in part, by stay-at-home orders due to the...more
2/22/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
DMCA ,
Endorsements ,
Entertainment Industry ,
eSports ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Gaming ,
Influencers ,
Loot Boxes ,
Online Gaming ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Sponsorship Agreements ,
Video Games
Does My Video Game Violate Consumers’ Privacy Rights?
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is the first broad-based state statute aimed at enhancing personal privacy rights for consumers. Following the example set by...more
7/13/2020
/ Abstract Ideas ,
App Developers ,
Appeals ,
Apple ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Celebrities ,
CLS Bank v Alice Corp ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
COPPA ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Dilution ,
False Designation of Origin ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
First Amendment ,
Google ,
Interactive Gaming ,
Lanham Act ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Right of Publicity ,
Sports ,
Summary Judgment ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Unfair Competition ,
Unjust Enrichment ,
Video Games
On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided United States Patent and Trademark Office et al. v. Booking.com B.V. and resolved a circuit split by ruling that adding “.com” to the end of an otherwise generic name may...more
7/2/2020
/ Acquired Distinctiveness ,
Appeals ,
Booking.com ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
Generic Marks ,
Lanham Act ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
United States Patent and Trademark Office v Booking.com BV ,
USPTO
On May 14, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court resolved a circuit split, finding that any preclusion of litigation defenses must comply with traditional res judicata principles, and ruling that Lucky Brand Dungarees, Inc. (Lucky...more
5/16/2020
/ Claim Preclusion ,
Collateral Estoppel ,
Counterclaims ,
Defense Preclusion ,
Fashion Branding ,
Issue Preclusion ,
Lucky Brand Dungarees v Marcel Fashion Group ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Release Agreements ,
Res Judicata ,
SCOTUS ,
Split of Authority ,
Subsequent Litigation ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks
On April 27, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 vote in Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, Inc., 590 U.S. ____, that pursuant to the “government edicts” doctrine, annotations to Georgia’s state code could not be...more
4/30/2020
/ Annotated Case Law ,
Appeals ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyrightable Subject Matter ,
Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org Inc ,
Government Edicts Doctrine ,
Legislative Duties ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Statutory Code ,
The Copyright Act
On April 23, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a plaintiff is not required to prove that a defendant’s misconduct was willful in order to obtain an award of a defendant’s profits in trademark infringement...more
4/26/2020
/ § 1125(a) ,
§ 1125(c) ,
Appeals ,
Burden of Proof ,
Charge-Filing Preconditions ,
Compensatory Awards ,
Dilution ,
Lanham Act ,
Lost Profits ,
Popular ,
Remand ,
Remedies ,
Romag Fasteners v Fossil ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks ,
Vacated ,
Willful Infringement
On March 23, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Allen v. Cooper, 589 U.S. ____, that the Copyright Remedy Clarification Act of 1990 violated the 11th Amendment by purporting to authorize private copyright...more
3/24/2020
/ Abrogation ,
Allen v Cooper ,
Congressional Authority ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Remedy Clarification Act ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Eleventh Amendment ,
Interlocutory Appeals ,
Lack of Authority ,
Private Right of Action ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Sovereign Immunity
The use of third-party trademarks in video games is not a new phenomenon. In fact, conflicts between game developers and trademark owners have existed for almost as long as the medium itself.1 Now, however, as games continue...more
3/20/2020
/ Appeals ,
First Amendment ,
Gaming ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Gaming ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Rogers Test ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks ,
Video Games
On December 11, 2019, in Peter v. NantKwest, Inc., 589 U.S. __ (2019), the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision holding that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) cannot recover the salaries of its legal...more
12/14/2019
/ 35 U.S.C. § 145 ,
American Rule ,
Appeals ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Civil Claims ,
Fee-Shifting ,
Lanham Act ,
Litigation Fees & Costs ,
Patent Act ,
Patent Applicants ,
Peter v NantKwest Inc ,
Prevailing Party ,
Remedies ,
SCOTUS ,
Section 145 ,
Summary Judgment ,
Trademark Application ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
Main Quest: Does Your Gaming Stream Violate the Copyright Act?
Streaming platforms, such as Twitch, Mixer and YouTube Gaming, are quickly becoming household names, with daily viewership rates that rival those of more...more
11/13/2019
/ Abstract Ideas ,
Affirmative Defenses ,
Appeals ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Contributory Infringement ,
COPPA ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Ownership ,
Defense Strategies ,
Derivative Works ,
DMCA ,
False Advertising ,
False Designation of Origin ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Games ,
Gaming ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Internet Streaming ,
Loot Boxes ,
Name and Likeness ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Public Performance Rights ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Software Patents ,
The Copyright Act ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Unfair Competition ,
USPTO ,
Vicarious Liability ,
Video Games
The rise of the video game industry in recent years has led to growing scrutiny of certain practices by government officials. Most recently, on August 7, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a public workshop to...more
9/27/2019
/ Class Action ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Illegal Gambling ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Gaming ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Software Developers ,
Video Games
In the inaugural issue of Video Gaming / E-Gaming Law Update, we explore the legal risks and consumer protection issues surrounding "loot boxes" and summarize recent judicial decisions and new litigation filings that may...more
8/6/2019
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Digital Assets ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Gambling ,
Gaming ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Nintendo ,
Online Gaming ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Video Games
On June 24, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in a 6-3 decision in Iancu v. Brunetti, 588 U.S. ____ (2019), that Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act’s ban on the registration of “immoral” or “scandalous” trademarks violates the...more
6/26/2019
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Iancu v. Brunetti ,
Lanham Act ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reversal ,
Scandalous/Immoral Marks ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
Viewpoint Discrimination
On May 20, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Mission Product Holdings, Inc. v. Tempnology, LLC, 587 U.S. ___, that a debtor’s ability to reject executory contracts under Section 365(a) of the Bankruptcy Code does not...more
5/21/2019
/ Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP) ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Breach of Contract ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Debtors ,
Exclusions ,
Executory Contracts ,
IP License ,
Mission Product Holdings Inc v Tempnology LLC ,
Rescission ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Section 365 ,
Split of Authority ,
Trademark Licenses ,
Trademarks ,
Trustees
On March 4, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two unanimous decisions interpreting the Copyright Act.
In Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com LLC, 586 U.S. ___, the Court resolved a circuit split over when...more
3/5/2019
/ Appeals ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Applications ,
Copyright Exhaustion ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Registration ,
Damages ,
Expert Fees ,
Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp v Wall-Street.com LLC ,
Judicial Discretion ,
Litigation Fees & Costs ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Popular ,
Prevailing Party ,
Reaffirmation ,
Remand ,
Remedies ,
Reversal ,
Rimini Street Inc v Oracle USA Inc ,
SCOTUS ,
Solicitor General ,
Split of Authority ,
The Copyright Act ,
Uniformity