Impact of Mickey Mouse on public domain. The latest artificial intelligence and intellectual property cases - Thaler lost again. Nirvana Nevermind baby gets day in court. Tolkien estate and more.
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The Pitch newsletter is a monthly update of legal issues and news affecting or related to the music, film and television, fine arts, media, professional athletics, eSports, and gaming industries. The Pitch features a diverse...more
Key Takeaways - Public Domain Day 2026 releases thousands of creative works for free use. As of January 1, literary works from 1930 and sound recordings from 1925 are now available without copyright restrictions....more
Fans of the iconic Betty Boop character have taken to social media to share their dream celebrity casting for Miss Boop now that Dizzy Dishes, the six-minute cartoon that first featured the Betty Boop character, has entered...more
As the Courts re-open, practitioners and clients alike need to consider the impact of new Practice Direction 51ZH which came into effect in the Commercial Court and Financial List of the Business & Property Courts on 1...more
While many Americans think of January 1 as the day upon which to make and hopefully begin keeping New Year’s resolutions, copyright nerds celebrate it as Public Domain Day. This is the date on which the copyright protection...more
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, marketing teams are under constant pressure to create bold, engaging campaigns. But creativity often collides with legal risk, especially when referencing other brands, copyrighted...more
The UK’s Practice Direction 51ZH launches a two year pilot to improve public access to documents used in hearings in certain business courts. Broadly, the practice direction is intended to move from the current ad hoc,...more
Steamboat Willie, the cartoon best known as the debut of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, is the subject of a new legal controversy. The law firm Morgan & Morgan created a commercial based on the iconic cartoon and is seeking a legal...more
When you are in the business of creating content, it’s crucial to know when licenses or permissions are required to use the intellectual property of others (such as copyright and trademarks). In this article, we explore what...more
Ah, the public domain—where copyrights dare not tread, and content lives free from the litigious claws of infringement claims. Whether thou art a humble creator or a bold entrepreneur, rejoice! For in this blessed realm, you...more
Some works enter the public domain the moment they are created, such as the AI-generated images below. Others take their sweet time, so when they finally do arrive, it’s cause for celebration....more
Every year, the world celebrates the first of January as Public Domain Day, marking the release of copyrighted works into the public domain. In 2024, we saw popular intellectual properties enter the public domain, including...more
Celebrated on the first day of every year, Public Domain Day marks the day works with copyrights that expired the year prior enter the public domain. While the calculations to determine copyright expiration can be complicated...more
The U.S. Patent and Trademark office has done what Thanos and Lex Luthor never could—defeat the larger than life combined forces of Marvel and DC. Despite being well-known rivals, DC (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and...more
I saw this question online and decided to answer it here on my blog. It raises some very interesting and timely questions about the scope and reach of copyright law in our modern age. Many people want to know, is police...more
In the ever-evolving landscape of intellectual property law, one of the most pressing challenges is posed by the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI). Particularly in the realm of photography and visual content,...more
New York employers should take note of a new law that recently took effect that impacts their ability to access applicant and employee social media accounts. The law applies to all employers covered by the New York Labor Law...more
January 1, 2024, brought numerous hangovers along with an unprecedented amount of media attention to intellectual property law. That is because, as of the new year, one of the most famous cartoon characters in history –...more
In the time it took you to read this far, a new website was built (per Siteefy, a new site goes live every three seconds). More than 70% of all businesses have a website, and there are more than 600 million blogs on the...more
The expiration of the 95-year copyright for Disney’s first Mickey Mouse from Steamboat Willie marked a momentous day in IP history. It also shines a spotlight on the public domain, and the inescapable fact that, as time...more
Copyrights protect creative works. Trademarks protect indicators of source. Can a creative work also act as a trademark? Yes, and the character of Mickey Mouse as portrayed in Disney’s animated classic Steamboat Willie is a...more
Through tactical litigation practices, copyright trolls rely on copyright law to allege infringement and threaten major statutory damages upon unsuspecting defendants. The term “copyright troll” is an unflattering nickname...more
As one of the largest and most iconic entertainment brands in the world, the Walt Disney Company is most readily associated with two things: their main mascot, Mickey Mouse, and the fierce protection of their intellectual...more