News & Analysis as of

Copyrightable Subject Matter Section 101

Foley Hoag LLP - Trademark, Copyright &...

Star Athletica and the Expansion of Useful Article Protection: Copyright Office Permits Registration of Automotive Floor Liner

The Supreme Court’s decision in Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands established a new and simplified test for determining whether useful articles can obtain copyright protection. Many have wondered, in the year since it was...more

Downey Brand LLP

Copyright Protection for Tattoos: Are Tattoos Copies?

Downey Brand LLP on

Abstract - This Note argues that, although “flash art” and other drawings upon which a tattoo may be based are likely copyrightable subject matter under the Copyright Act of 1976 (Copyright Act), the policy implications...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

Practice Tips for Copyright Owners in the Wake of Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands

After considering almost a year’s worth of substantive briefing (including fifteen separate amicus briefs), oral argument, at least ten distinct tests employed in courts throughout the country, as well as numerous novel tests...more

Foley & Lardner LLP

You’ve Gotta Keep ‘Em Separated

Foley & Lardner LLP on

The US Supreme Court’s ruling in Star Athletica v Varsity Brands provides a path to copyrightability for pictorial or graphical elements of clothing designs and useful articles. Laura Ganoza and Julie McGinnis of Foley &...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Give Me an E: Cheerleading Uniform Designs Eligible for Copyright Protection

McDermott Will & Emery on

In a 6–2 decision authored by Justice Thomas, the Supreme Court of the United States provided guidance as to whether aesthetic designs of a cheerleading uniform, such as stripes, chevrons, zigzags and color blocks, are...more

Ward and Smith, P.A.

Supreme Court Announces Broad Separability Test in Applying Copyright Law to Useful Articles

Ward and Smith, P.A. on

This article continues the discussion in an earlier article addressing the scope of copyright protection as it applies to useful goods under copyright law. At the time the first article was written, Varsity Brands, Inc. v....more

Goulston & Storrs PC

Supreme Court Says ‘Give Me a ©’ to the Fashion Industry

Goulston & Storrs PC on

A recent U.S. Supreme Court copyright decision analyzing cheerleader uniforms may have a profound impact on retailers, and on the fashion industry in particular. On March 22, 2017, the Supreme Court held in Star Athletica,...more

Holland & Knight LLP

Separating Art from Function: Supreme Court Creates Copyright Test for Designs

Holland & Knight LLP on

In a landmark 6-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court resolved "widespread disagreement" among lower courts and held that the artistic elements in a functional article ­– such as the cheerleading uniform at issue in this case –...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

MoFo IP Newsletter - April 2017

Supreme Court Restricts the Extraterritorial Reach of U.S. Patent Law for Exported Goods - On February 22, 2017, the Supreme Court in a landmark decision held that the supply of a single component of a multicomponent...more

Proskauer - New England IP Blog

Cheerleader Uniform Designs Protectable Under Copyright Act

The Supreme Court recently held in Star Athletica, L.L.C. v. Varsity Brands, Inc., that the designs on certain cheerleader uniforms may be protected copyrights. The 6-2 decision clarified the test to be applied when...more

Foley Hoag LLP - Trademark, Copyright &...

Supreme Court Establishes Test for Copyrightability of Two-Dimensional Designs Incorporated Into Useful Articles in Star Athletica...

On March 22, 2017, the Supreme Court established a test for determining whether a design that is incorporated into a useful article is entitled to copyright protection. In its much-awaited opinion in Star Athletica, L.L.C. v....more

Goodwin

Supreme Court Broadens Copyright Eligibility For Design Elements, Including Artwork On Clothing

Goodwin on

Summary - In Star Athletica, LLC v. Varsity Brands, Inc., 580 U.S. ___ (2017), the Supreme Court clarified the test for whether artistic features of a useful article are separable and therefore copyright eligible. The...more

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Some Copyright Clarity for the Apparel Industry - The Supreme Court provides a test for measuring when graphic features on...

Last week the Supreme Court articulated a test for the copyrightability of apparel designs. The test does not increase the protection available to the apparel industry, but it does provide clarity for determining when an...more

Knobbe Martens

U.S. Supreme Court Says That Lines, Chevrons, and Colorful Shapes on Cheerleader Uniforms Are Copyrightable

Knobbe Martens on

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, issued their opinion on Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands. The Court affirmed the 6th Circuit, holding that the lines, chevrons, and colorful shapes of Varsity’s...more

Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP

Supreme Court Clarifies the Scope of Copyright Protection for Features of Useful Articles

The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Star Athletica L.L.C. v. Varsity Brands, Inc. clarifies that the original designs on useful articles, such as common household items and personal electronics, may be protected by...more

Knobbe Martens

Chevrons, Stripes, Cheerleaders, and Copyright: The Supreme Court Issues Opinion in Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands

Knobbe Martens on

The U.S. Supreme Court issued their opinion on Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands on Wednesday, March 22. Should fashion designers rejoice or be fearful? That depends. Designers who repeatedly have original fashion designs...more

McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC

A Big Week for Intellectual Property: Supreme Court Decides Patent and Copyright Cases

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two opinions on intellectual property issues. On March 21, 2017, the Court decided in a 7-1 opinion that laches is no longer a valid defense to a claim of patent infringement occurring...more

Mintz - Trademark & Copyright Viewpoints

Let’s Go, Big ©! Let’s Go! U.S. Supreme Court Backs Copyright Protection for Cheerleading Uniforms

In a decision that may have broader implications in the U.S. fashion industry, the U.S. Supreme Court in Star Athletica, L.L.C. v. Varsity Brands, Inc. (No. 15-866) ruled that the decorative elements on a cheerleading uniform...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Break Out the Pom-Poms

We’re all familiar with the sight. Your team is down in the final minutes of the game but within striking distance. The coach calls a timeout, huddling up the team. The fans are silent. Out runs the cheerleading squad...more

Ladas & Parry LLP

Copyright protection available to surface ornamentation of cheerleader’s uniforms: Star Athletica v Varsity Brands

Ladas & Parry LLP on

On March 22, 2017, the United States Supreme Court in the case of Star Athletica LLC v Varsity Brands LLC affirmed a decision of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals that copyright protection could exist in surface...more

Akerman LLP - Marks, Works & Secrets

Supreme Court Affirms That Designs Of Cheerleading Uniforms Are Copyrightable

As we previously blogged, the Sixth Circuit held in 2015, that the colors, stripes, chevrons, and similar graphic designs of the plaintiff’s cheerleading uniforms “are copyrightable pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works”...more

McDermott Will & Emery

SCOTUS Agrees that Cheerleading Uniform Designs Are Eligible for Copyright Protection

McDermott Will & Emery on

In a 6-2 decision authored by Justice Thomas, the US Supreme Court has now provided guidance as to whether aesthetic designs, such as stripes, chevrons, zigzags and color blocks of a cheerleading uniform are eligible for...more

Polsinelli

Supreme Court Decision Arms Clothing Designers with ‘Powerful Tool’

Polsinelli on

As a result of a recent Supreme Court decision, clothing designers are expected to have an easier time stopping others from copying their original designs. On Wednesday, March 22, the Supreme Court issued guidelines to...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands, Inc. Copyright Case

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Seyfarth Synopsis: On March 22, 2017, the United States Supreme Court issued its opinion in the Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands, Inc. case, affirming and holding that “a feature incorporated into the design of a ...more

Miller & Martin PLLC

Be Aggressive, B-E Aggressive – SCOTUS Encourages IP Plaintiffs

Miller & Martin PLLC on

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court decided two much anticipated intellectual property cases. Supreme Court Rejects Laches in Patent Infringement Cases - The first, SCA Hygiene Products Aktiebolag et al. v. First Quality...more

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JD Supra Privacy Policy

Updated: Dec 28, 2021:

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Privacy Officer
JD Supra, LLC
150 Harbor Drive, #2760
Sausalito, CA 94965

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Privacy Officer
JD Supra, LLC
150 Harbor Drive, #2760
Sausalito, CA 94965

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Updates to This Policy

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