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.
ChatGPT Risks for Compliance Programs
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New Happy Birthday Song, Copyright-Free
Mickey Mouse is one of the most prolific cartoon characters of all time. Walt Disney incorporated in 1923 and first aired a video of Mickey Mouse (which I shall refer to as Mickey Mouse 1.0) in the short cartoon "Steamboat...more
Just Because it’s Published Doesn’t Mean it’s in the Public Domain - Some people think that if something is on the Internet, it’s in the public domain and is fair game to be copied. Not true! Giving the public access to an...more
2021 was a big year for Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) resulting in significant commercial value. The creators behind Cryptopunks, an NFT project with over $2 billion worth of trading volume, signed a representation deal with a...more
The First Circuit seldom delivers opinions on trade secret claims, so employers should pay extra-close attention to the lessons to be learned from the court’s recent decision in TLS Management v. Rodríguez-Toledo...more
Introduction - •Music copyrights: –Musical works – sheet music and lyrics •Author is generally composer/lyricist and controls •Can be administered through a music publisher - ...more
1. Poor Man’s patent/copyright: mail yourself a copy of what you want protected and don’t open it.The sealed information can then be used to prove ownership of the intellectual property contained in it. While this may...more
Mean Girls v. The Right of Publicity: Lessons Learned From the Lohan and Gravano Lawsuits - On September 1, 2016, a New York appellate court ended two closely watched right of publicity lawsuits brought by Lindsay...more
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the premiere of the original series of Star Trek, which first aired on NBC in September 1966. On July 22, this milestone will be marked in earnest when Paramount Pictures releases...more
If you’ve ever applied for, or researched copyright law, you likely learned one thing above all else: it’s not a perpetual right. So, how, you might wonder, have companies like The Walt Disney Company managed to maintain...more
Maya Hayuk is a Brooklyn artist known for her vivid murals that use a variety of geometric shapes punctuated by bright hues and layers of dripping paint. In June of 2015, Hayuk filed a complaint against Starbucks on copyright...more
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently filed a copyright infringement lawsuit on behalf of a crested macaque monkey, who famously snapped a smiling selfie of himself using wildlife photographer David...more
If you have ever been to a Chili’s restaurant, odds are you have heard this birthday jingle. Perhaps you have also heard different birthday greetings at other chain restaurants. More likely than not, you have not heard any...more
A U.S. District judge for the Central District of California has determined that Warner/Chappell Music Inc. does not own a valid copyright to the lyrics of the song “Happy Birthday.”...more
This week, in Rupa Marya, et al. v. Warner/Chappel Music, Inc., et al., No. CV 13-4460-GHK (C.D. Cal. Sept. 22, 2015), U.S. District Judge George H. King ruled that defendant Warner/Chappel Music has no enforceable copyright...more
A bank manager decides to update the bank’s website. The IT manager assigned the project wants to include photographs and images to enhance the information on the website. The IT manager uses several photographs from the...more
This August will mark the 75th anniversary of the release of the classic film The Wizard of Oz. As Warner Bros. celebrates the iconic status acquired by the film and its characters during the past seven-plus decades, the...more