Copyright

Dr. Stephen Thaler created a generative artificial intelligence named the “Creativity Machine.” The Creativity Machine made a picture that Dr. Thaler titled “A Recent Entrance to Paradise.” Dr. Thaler tried to register the copyright in the work with the United States Copyright Office. On the application, Dr. Thaler listed the Creativity Machine as the work’s […]

Here’s What Happened: For those who haven’t been keeping up with recent Congressional news, George Santos is a public figure and former member of the United States House of Representatives. In May 2023, Santos was indicted on numerous federal felonies, including wire fraud in connection with a political campaign, money laundering and theft of public […]

Here’s What Happened: Tracy Anderson developed the “Tracy Anderson Method” that combines dance, fitness and cardiovascular movement for her fitness studios. Tracy employed Megan Roup as an instructor for seven years. Megan signed an employment agreement which included a confidentiality clause that covered the Tracy Anderson Method manuals and other business information. Megan left and […]

In Brief:  Google’s use of framing in its search results is a copyright issue. Here’s What Happened:   Best Carpet Values, Inc. brought a class action suit against Google. Google’s search results for Best Carpet Value on an Android phone were displayed in a frame. The frame included links to websites owned by Best Carpet’s […]

In Brief:  On January 1 of each year, some copyrighted works fall into the public domain. That means, they are free for use, copying and as a basis for derivative works. Works created before 1928 are now in the public domain. Thousands of works spanning all copyright categories make up the Public Domain Class of […]

In Brief:  Fleeting use of a creative work for the purposes of commentary is fair use. Here’s What Happened:   In the spring of 2020, during the world-wide pandemic caused by the Covid-19 virus, many found solace in watching the Netflix docuseries, Tiger King. The series focused on a big cat breeder in Oklahoma, Joseph […]

In Brief:  The US Copyright cannot demand the deposit of a physical copy of a work for registration. Here’s What Happened:   Valancourt Books LLC is an independent small press based in Richmond, Virginia, specializing in new editions of neglected classics, with an emphasis on horror/supernatural and LGBT literature. (Some of its offerings appear in […]

In Brief:  The case of the Andy Warhol Foundation and Lynn Goldsmith regarding photos of Prince has been kicking around the courts and this blog for 4 years. The Supreme Court has spoken holding that there was no fair use. Here’s What Happened: The facts are convoluted but important. Lynn Goldsmith took some photos of […]

In Brief:  The Copyright Office will register a work that has some AI. Here’s What Happened: In the past, the Copyright Office has refused registration of works created by non-humans. For example, photographer, David Slater, didn’t own the copyright in a selfie taken by a macaque monkey who used David’s camera. The big thing these […]