The written works Winnie-the-Pooh and Bambi are now in the public domain. Click here for a list of this year’s releases.
Category Archives: Copyright
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The Internet Archive (IA) is a nonprofit organization that has digitally preserved more than 1.4 million books and historical documents.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””
New Materials Entering the Public Domain
A host of books, musical works, literary works and art created in 1924 have entered the public domain on January 1st and are now free to use. These materials include books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, plays by Eugene O’Neill and art from Georgia O’Keefe. CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE
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?”
U.S. Copyright Office Modernization
Copyright Office continues to explore a variety of options to streamline the copyright process and reduce registration times. CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE
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”
Music Modernization Act Signed into Law
The President recently signed the Music Modernization Act into law. This legislation streamlines payment to songwriters by creating a single mechanical licensing database for streamed music. The database is managed by music publishers and songwriters and paid for by digital streaming services. CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE
Louis Vitton Doesn’t See the Humor
A hand bag company called My Other Bag (MOB) has been engaged in a long legal battle with Louis Vitton. The company claimed that MOB’s canvas tote bags depicting images of Louis Vitton bags was an infringing use of their copyrights and trademarks and was diluting their brands. The District Court for the Southern DistrictContinue reading “Louis Vitton Doesn’t See the Humor”