U.S. Copyright Claims Board Offers a Low Cost Path to Enforcement

The U.S. Copyright Claims Board recently went live, offering copyright holders a low cost method of enforcement.  The filing fee is $100, an attorney is not required, and the damage award is capped at $30,000. Registered copyright holders may choose to opt out and take the traditional federal suit route for larger damage claims. OneContinue reading “U.S. Copyright Claims Board Offers a Low Cost Path to Enforcement”

Weaponizing Copyrights in Cancel Culture

Recently many have been turning to copyrights as a means of punishing or silencing their opponents.  In one recent case, a police officer relied on Taylor Swift’s copyright to prevent a private citizen from posting cell phone footage of an unflattering interaction.  The officer played Swift’s music on his own phone while being recorded andContinue reading “Weaponizing Copyrights in Cancel Culture”

Internet Archive Being Sued over COVID-19 “Emergency Library”

The Internet Archive (IA) is a nonprofit organization that has digitally preserved more than 1.4 million books and historical documents. The organization is best known for the Wayback Machine which comprises nearly 390 billion pages of internet archives. Following the recent pandemic, IA began another project called the Open Library in which it allowed usersContinue reading “Internet Archive Being Sued over COVID-19 “Emergency Library””

NCAA to Allow Athletes to Profit from their Name, Likeness & Image

On October 29th, the NCAA announced it will begin a process that will eventually allow athletes to profit from their image, name and likeness.  For years student athletes have used their talents to negotiate college scholarships but many see this as insufficient compensation in light of the enormous revenue that sports bring to these universities.Continue reading “NCAA to Allow Athletes to Profit from their Name, Likeness & Image”

Does Sovereign Immunity Apply to States in Copyright Infringement Cases?

In 1996, Blackbeard’s famed ship Queen Anne’s Revenge was discovered by a private salvage company.  A film crew was subsequently hired to capture the expedition.  The State of North Carolina used both the videos and images captured during the shoot without a license and a copyright suit was filed.  North Carolina is defending itself byContinue reading “Does Sovereign Immunity Apply to States in Copyright Infringement Cases?”

New EU Copyright Law Requires Tech Giants to Pay for Content

New EU Copyright Law Requires Tech Giants to Pay for Content New EU legislation known as Article 11 and Article 13 was recently passed, requiring companies such as Facebook, YouTube and Google to take more responsibility and provide compensation for copyrighted material posted on their respective sites.  The law also limits how copyrighted material mayContinue reading “New EU Copyright Law Requires Tech Giants to Pay for Content”