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Appeals Summary Judgment Copyright Infringement

Loeb & Loeb LLP

Sound and Color, LLC v. Samuel Smith

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Ninth Circuit reverses summary judgment in favor of pop singer Sam Smith in music copyright dispute, holding in unpublished opinion that hook in plaintiff’s song may be protectable as unique selection and arrangement of...more

Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

Ninth Circuit Revives Copyright Suit Over Sam Smith’s “Dancing with a Stranger” and Reaffirms the Jury’s Role

On April 29, 2025, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals revived the copyright infringement case filed by Sound and Color, LLC against Sam Smith, Normani, and related parties (collectively, “Defendants”) concerning the hit song...more

Perkins Coie

Fair Use Defense Failed in Thomson Reuters v. Ross, Jury Still out for Generative AI

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The first substantive decision on the fair use defense in an artificial intelligence (AI) copyright case came down against the defendant, who used AI to create a competing product. However, as the decision expressly limited...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Let’s Not Get It On: Battle of the Greatest Hits

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The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that Ed Sheeran’s 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud” does not infringe the copyright on Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It On.” Structured Asset...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Creative License: Fair Use Defense Paints Over Infringement Battle

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Affirming the application of the fair use defense to copyright infringement, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit determined that a district court’s sua sponte invocation of a fair use defense to parallel trademark...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Late Expert Report Dooms Copyright Case

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The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit weighed in for a third time on an eight-year copyright battle, this time finding that a district court did not abuse its discretion in excluding the plaintiff’s proposed expert or...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Off the Charts: Derivative Work Copyright Registers All Material in Derivative Work

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In a matter of first impression, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed the district court’s partial grant of summary judgment in favor of the defendants, vacated a jury verdict and an award of attorneys’...more

McDermott Will & Emery

When Are Compulsory Copyright Licenses Compulsory?

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The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit partially affirmed a district court’s summary judgment order holding that audiovisual recordings of live concerts do not fall within the scope of the Copyright Act’s compulsory...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Don’t Throw in the Towel: Retroactive Copyright Protects Fight Live Stream

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The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed a district court’s summary judgment of noninfringement in a copyright dispute, finding that the transfer of ownership prior to the display of the copyrighted work...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Implied Copyright License to Photographs of Artist Formerly Known as Prince

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The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld a ruling that a marketer had an implied copyright license to distribute marketing materials containing digital copies of photographs of the late musical artist Prince....more

McDermott Will & Emery

DMCA Scienter Requirement Not Satisfied without Evidence of Knowledge of Inducement or Concealment

Interpreting a provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), 17 U.S.C. § 1202(b), for the first time, the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a summary judgment ruling that the plaintiff failed...more

Proskauer - Minding Your Business

From Ireland to Iceland to Groban? Supreme Court Leaves in Place Circuit Split Regarding Approach for Assessing Substantial...

The United States Supreme Court recently denied certiorari in Johannsongs-Publishing, Ltd. v. Peermusic Ltd., et al, bringing an end to a copyright infringement suit relating to Josh Groban’s 2003 song You Raise Me Up....more

McDermott Will & Emery

A Tale of Two Authors: Determining Ownership Rights of Novels Adapted for Theatre

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The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit vacated the district court’s opinion and order that Roberto Ramos Perea, the playwright who adapted the novels of prominent Puerto Rican author Enrique Laguerre for theatre, was...more

McDermott Will & Emery

De Minimis Defense Doesn’t Protect Minimal Use of Concededly Infringing Material

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The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed a district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the defendant in a copyright case based on a “minimal usage” or de minimis use defense. Richard N. Bell v....more

McDermott Will & Emery

Second Circuit: Supreme Court Google Precedent Doesn’t Alter Copyright Law’s Fair Use Analysis

Addressing fair use as an affirmative defense to copyright infringement, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit amended its recent opinion, reversing a district court’s summary judgment in favor of fair use. The Court...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Blueprint Blooper: Floor Plan Copyright Infringement Requires Virtually Identical Copying

Addressing whether a home builder’s floor plans infringed the plaintiff’s architectural copyrights, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed a lower court’s entry of summary judgment against the plaintiff,...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Fourth Estate Registration Requirement Defeats Pro Se Copyright Infringement Plaintiff

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The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed dismissal of a copyright infringement claim for failure to register the copyright, and affirmed summary judgment against plaintiff on related state law claims where the...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

The Rook vs. Deschain: Superficial Similarities or Superhero Copycat?

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In the 1970s, William DuBay created the comic book character, Restin Dane, also known by his superhero alter ego, “The Rook.” Dane, a wealthy scientist and inventor residing in an Arizona house shaped like a rook chess piece,...more

Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP

Fair Use: Prince Of The Universe Dethroned In Favor Of The Goldsmith

Decades ago, Andy Warhol created 15 silkscreen prints and pencil illustrations based on Lynn Goldsmith’s 1981 photograph of the artist Prince. Goldsmith’s agent had licensed Vanity Fair to use the image to publish an...more

McDermott Will & Emery

A Closed Book: No Past Infringement, No Reading Between the Lines into the Future

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The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed a district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the defendant, finding no current or future copyright infringement. OverDrive Inc. v. Open E-Book Forum dba...more

McDermott Will & Emery

No Matter How Many Touched the Flowers, Single Infringement Begets Single Statutory Damages Award

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In a dispute over the alleged infringement of a floral print textile design, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the plaintiff’s ownership of a valid copyright, but reversed and remanded for further...more

McDermott Will & Emery

This Mashup Is Not a Place You’ll Go – Seuss Copyright Will ‘Live Long and Prosper’

Presented with a publishing company defendant’s mashup of Dr. Seuss’ copyrighted works with Star Trek in a work titled Oh, the Places You’ll Boldly Go!, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit tackled claims of both...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Two Turntables, No Microphone: Using Technical Diagram Is Not Copyright Infringement

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The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed a district court’s summary judgment grant with respect to a copyright infringement claim related to technical drawings, and reversed the court’s summary judgment grant...more

McDermott Will & Emery

“Can’t Hold Us” Liable: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Win Affirmance in Copyright Suit

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The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a grant of summary judgment on the issue of copyright infringement and an award of attorneys’ fees against the plaintiff under the Copyright Act. Although the Court noted...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP - Left Coast Appeals

This Week at The Ninth: Jersey Boys and Restroom Doors

This week, we highlight Ninth Circuit decisions denying copyright protection to assertions of fact (even if those facts were made up), and deepening a slight Circuit split on the Americans with Disabilites Act's...more

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