Jones Day Talks Intellectual Property: Blurrier Lines and Narrow Grounds—Implications of the Ninth Circuit’s Blurred Lines Decision
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
In Kirk Kara Corp. v. Western Stone & Metal Corp. et al, 2-20-cv-01931 (CDCA 2020-08-14, Order) (Dolly M. Gee), the Central District of California denied Defendant’s motion to dismiss Plaintiff’s claims for copyright...more
Ruling en banc, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reinstated a 2016 jury verdict, finding that the rock band Led Zeppelin and the opening notes of its hit song “Stairway to Heaven” did not infringe the 1967 song...more
As we have previously discussed, the owner of the copyright in a work has certain exclusive rights in that work. Anyone who violates the exclusive rights of the copyright owner is an infringer of that copyright. To...more
When does inspiration turn into copyright infringement? The line is getting blurrier. Jones Day’s Meredith Wilkes, Anna Raimer, and Aryane Garansi explain how the Ninth Circuit’s decision—on “narrow grounds”—in the Blurred...more
On February 22, Chief Judge Saris in the District of Massachusetts issued an opinion on a motion to dismiss implicating several complex copyright infringement issues. The Chief Judge’s ruling analyzed whether several...more
English pop musician Ed Sheeran has been sued for copyright infringement in the Central District of California over his recent hit song “Photograph,” which peaked at number ten on Billboard’s “The Hot 100” chart. The two...more