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Copyright Infringement IP License Copyright Litigation

Roetzel & Andress

Think Before You Post: Notable Case Demonstrates Dangers of Using Unlicensed Music in Social Media Marketing

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Warner Music Group initiated a copyright infringement lawsuit against DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse and its parent company, Designer Brands Inc. Warner Music Group accuses DSW of using over 200 recordings and compositions owned...more

Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP

Gone from Copyright: Ninth Circuit Rejects Copyright Protection for Iconic “Eleanor” Shelby Mustang

Court Narrows Scope of Character Copyright, Drawing Sharp Line Between Props and Protectable Expression - Not every film icon gets legal protection. On May 27, 2025, the Ninth Circuit ruled that Eleanor—the legendary Mustang...more

Weintraub Tobin

The Briefing: When a TikTok Costs You $150,000 - Copyright Pitfalls in Influencer Marketing

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Warner Music Group just sued DSW for using 200+ hit songs in social media ads—without permission. Those TikToks could now cost $30M. On this episode of The Briefing, entertainment and IP attorneys Scott Hervey and Tara...more

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP

Surge in Copyright Claims by Music Publishers for Unauthorized Use of Music in Social Media Marketing

Music publishing companies are increasingly sending demand letters seeking payment for unauthorized uses of music that appear on social media platforms as part of brands’ social media marketing efforts. Recently, there has...more

J.S. Held

Evolving Landscape of Technology Rights Enforcement

J.S. Held on

Established 25 years ago at the turn of the century by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World IP Day celebrates the unique contributions made by global inventors and creators. Over the past half century,...more

Smith Anderson

Copyright Liability Could Cost You and Your Business

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Businesses can unknowingly infringe others’ copyrights in all kinds of ways. It’s important for copyright holders to know their rights. It’s also important for those using copyrighted content to be aware of common pitfalls...more

Husch Blackwell LLP

Delaware Court Grants Summary Judgment to Plaintiff in Machine Learning / AI Copyright Case

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Albert Einstein is credited with saying “the measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” In September 2023, Judge Stephanos Bibas—sitting by designation in the District of Delaware—denied plaintiff Thomson Reuters’...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Religious Texts, Copyrights, and Estate Law: A Case of Strange Bedfellows

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part a case involving a deceased religious leader who owned the copyrights to works reflecting his teachings. The Court found that the copyrighted...more

Snell & Wilmer

Church Founder’s Works Not “Works for Hire” Even Though Founder Was Employee

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Keith Rhinehart started the Aquarian Foundation church in 1955, with a mission to study “Modern Spiritualism, Christianity, Eastern and Metaphysical Thought.” Bruce Lowndes joined the church in the 1970s and grew close with...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Just Compensation Based on Hypothetical Negotiation

In a long-standing copyright dispute on its second visit to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Court affirmed the modest damages award from the US Court of Federal Claims, ruling that a hypothetical...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

UPDATE: Success for “Success Kid” before the Eighth Circuit in Copyright Dispute

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A few months’ back, the TMCA wrote about a copyright dispute between the campaign committee of former Iowa Congressman Steve King and Laney Griner, the owner of the photograph used in the popular “Success Kid” meme. The...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Even Free Libraries Come With a Cost

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a district court’s judgment of copyright infringement against an internet book archive, holding that its free-to-access library did not constitute fair use of the...more

A&O Shearman

Overview of the U.S. copyright office’s AI digital replicas (“deepfakes”) report

A&O Shearman on

Daren Orzechowski, Alex Touma, and Jack Weinert examine Part 1 of Artificial Intelligence Report on Digital Replicas, published by the U.S. Copyright Office on July 31, 2024. In the first quarter of 2023, the U.S....more

Lathrop GPM

Is there a Damages Limitation on Timely Copyright Claims? Supreme Court says: "No."

Lathrop GPM on

On May 9, 2024, the United States Supreme Court clarified that the “Copyright Act entitles a copyright owner to recover damages for any timely claim.” This seemingly simple rule of law, however, rested on shaky ground as soon...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Will “Success Kid” Owner Continue to Succeed on Appeal in Copyright Dispute?

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

Years ago, Laney Griner took a picture of her then toddler son, Sam, at the beach clenching his fist in what appeared like a celebratory gesture. The photo went viral, and later became a widely used meme on the internet known...more

Perkins Coie

Recent Rulings in AI Copyright Lawsuits Shed Some Light, but Leave Many Questions

Perkins Coie on

The last few months have seen a flurry of activity in cases involving artificial intelligence (AI), including some of the first major rulings involving generative AI. Andersen et al. v. Stability AI Ltd. As we have...more

Weintraub Tobin

(Podcast) The Briefing: Are LEGO Creations Based on Religious Texts Eligible for Copyright Protection?

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The creator of a LEGO brick Second Holy Temple product is accusing another LEGO creator of copyright infringement for their interpretation of the same temple. Scott Hervey and Eric Caligiuri discuss this case on this episode...more

Weintraub Tobin

The Briefing: Are LEGO Creations Based on Religious Texts Eligible for Copyright Protection?

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The creator of a LEGO brick Second Holy Temple product is accusing another LEGO creator of copyright infringement for their interpretation of the same temple. Scott Hervey and Eric Caligiuri discuss this case on this episode...more

Robinson+Cole Class Actions Insider

Ninth Circuit Limits Attorneys’ Fees in Class Action Settlements

A recent Ninth Circuit decision clarified that the benefit to the class is the “touchstone for determining the reasonableness of attorneys’ fees in a class action.” Under this decision, the fee should not be based on the...more

Miller Nash LLP

The Accidental Infringer: What You Need to Know about Copyright When Using Photos from the Web

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You’ve received a letter from a lawyer saying that a photo you found online and uploaded to your website infringes a photographer’s copyright. Maybe you do nothing and wait to see if you get another letter. Maybe you take the...more

Vondran Legal

Are your website photos all licensed?

Vondran Legal on

Attorney Steve® Photo Infringement News for Real Estate Professionals - My law firm is a boutique intellectual property law firm with a strong focus on copyright issues, including photographs and drone videos.   We are...more

Kaufman & Canoles

TikTok Lawsuits Target Brands, Influencers

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The music industry has begun cracking down on brand owners’ and influencers’ unlicensed use of songs in social media posts through the filing of several lawsuits over the past few months. The lawsuits have largely targeted...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Two More Comedians Added to Pandora Battle over Licenses to Perform Jokes

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

Over his highly successful career, comedian Lewis Black has certainly done his share of hard work writing jokes. He also has copyrighted them. Now he and a host of other famous comedians are seeking compensation for the use...more

Mayer Brown

Developments in Copyright Law Affecting Tech Transactions

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This episode focuses on an IP right at the heart of many technology deals—copyrights. Mayer Brown partners Richard Assmus and Oliver Yaros and host Julian Dibbell will discuss some recent important changes in US and European...more

Weintraub Tobin

Podcast - The Briefing from the IP Law Blog: Embed at Your Own (Copyright) Risk

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In this episode of the Briefing from the IP Law Blog, Scott Hervey and Josh Escovedo discuss a copyright lawsuit against Buzzfeed, over its practice of embedding images from social media pages into their website. ...more

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