Consider Fair Use Before Issuing a Takedown Notice
The Internet presents a challenging environment for copyright owners trying to control their content. in this case a court decreed that, under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, copyright [...]
Laying a Low Floor for Copyright Originality
Things found in nature are generally considered in the public domain and not subject to copyright protection. Yet a federal appeals court recently ruled that a flooring design based on the [...]
Ain’t That A Shame: A Musical Copyright Case
The popular musical “Jersey Boys” tells the story of the 1960s vocal group the Four Seasons. But the story isn’t over for some of the boys. A recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the [...]
On Second Thought: Copyright’s First Sale Doctrine
Costco customers often enjoy significant discounts on copyrighted products. This is good for them, but not so good for the copyright holder. Unfortunately for those copyright holders, a recent [...]
The Very Real Case of a Hypothetical Copyright License
It’s hard enough to recover copyright damages under the clearest of circumstances. But this article looks at a particularly tricky case, in which the court answered the difficult question of [...]
Watch Out, Copyright Holders!
Several hours after a Swiss company released its earnings report, it held a conference call with a group of financial analysts (as permitted by Swiss law). No journalists or press organizations [...]
Aereo Defeated at the Supreme Court
On June 25, 2014, Aereo lost a landmark copyright decision at the U.S. Supreme Court in a 6-3 vote in American Broadcasting Cos., Inc. v. Aereo Inc. Overturning the decision of the Second [...]
Supreme Court Obliterates Laches Defense in Copyright Cases
On May 19th, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Paula Petrella, whose father Frank Petrella, wrote a screenplay that allegedly served as the basis for Martin Scorcese’s classic film "Raging [...]
