The Beastie Boys can look back on 2014 as a year of good copyright outcomes. The preceding years had seen their music used without authorization in two promotional videos, by Goldieblox and Monster Energy, despite the...more
The America Invents Act (AIA) came into law back in September 2011, but it was not until last March that its provisions were completely phased in. The changes last year included not only the switch from a “first-to-invent” to...more
Last month, I wrote about the preemptive lawsuit filed by GoldieBlox, a toy retailer, against the Beastie Boys. GoldieBlox sought declaratory relief that their use of the Beastie Boys’ song “Girls” in a GoldieBlox...more
If you’ve got a Facebook account, the following video has probably made an appearance or two (or twenty) in your status feed last month...more
It was the ad video gone viral of three young girls proudly showing off their elaborate Rube Goldberg machine made of repurposed pink toys. They sang “it’s time to change, we deserve to see a range” and called for girls “to...more
Sometimes a legal dispute inspires the creative within. This is exactly what happened when I read about GoldieBlox Inc. suing Beastie Boys and producer Rick Rubin. As you may have seen in the press, GoldieBlox seeks...more
An action for declaratory and injunctive relief to establish the rights of a toy company, GoldieBlox, in connection with a parody video set to the tune of the Beastie Boys’ song “Girls.”...more