News & Analysis as of

Copyright Infringement Summary Judgment The Copyright Act

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Use of Floorplans in Real Estate Listings is Permissible Under U.S. Copyright Law

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

Floor plans are a key part of real estate listings, providing fundamental information about the layout of a building to prospective buyers or renters. But home designer Charles James and his company Designworks Homes, Inc....more

McDermott Will & Emery

Fair use or foul play? The AI fair use copyright line

The US District Court for the Northern District of California granted summary judgment in favor of an artificial intelligence (AI) company, finding that its use of lawfully acquired copyrighted materials for training and its...more

Baker Donelson

The Northern District of California Weighs in on "Transformative" Use of Copyrighted Books for Training Generative AI Tools

Baker Donelson on

Only a few months ago, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware ruled that the use of "headnotes" in a legal search tool, for the purpose of training a competing legal tool driven by artificial intelligence (AI),...more

Womble Bond Dickinson

Multiple California Courts Enter Summary Judgment That Using Copyrighted Material to Train AI Platforms is Fair Use

Womble Bond Dickinson on

Within a roughly one-week period in late June 2025, two federal judges in the Northern District of California entered summary judgment rulings on the issue of “fair use” in connection with generative AI platforms’ use of...more

Falcon Rappaport & Berkman LLP

Twin California Rulings Mark a Turning Point for AI‐Copyright Fair Use

In the space of forty-eight hours, two judges of the Northern District of California issued detailed, partially contrasting opinions on whether large language model (“LLM”) training that copies entire books without...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

When Is a Car a Character? The Ninth Circuit Revisits Copyrightability in Halicki v. Carroll Shelby Licensing

The Copyright Act does not expressly address the protection of individual characters in expressive works, but courts have long recognized that certain characters, particularly those with strong visual or narrative identities,...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Let’s Not Get It On: Battle of the Greatest Hits

McDermott Will & Emery on

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that Ed Sheeran’s 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud” does not infringe the copyright on Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It On.” Structured Asset...more

Snell & Wilmer

Second Circuit Holds Musical Works Registered Under the Copyright Act of 1909 Are Limited to the Deposit Copy

Snell & Wilmer on

The Second Circuit recently decided Structured Asset Sales, LLC v. Edward Christopher Sheeran, considering whether Sheeran’s hit song “Thinking Out Loud” infringed the copyright of Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

The New York Times Calls Out OpenAI on Its Motion to Dismiss

Responding to the OpenAI brief that read more like a press release than a traditional motion to dismiss, the New York Times attacked OpenAI's approach from the very first sentence, calling the factual background of OpenAI's...more

McDermott Will & Emery

When Are Compulsory Copyright Licenses Compulsory?

McDermott Will & Emery on

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit partially affirmed a district court’s summary judgment order holding that audiovisual recordings of live concerts do not fall within the scope of the Copyright Act’s compulsory...more

McDermott Will & Emery

De Minimis Defense Doesn’t Protect Minimal Use of Concededly Infringing Material

McDermott Will & Emery on

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed a district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the defendant in a copyright case based on a “minimal usage” or de minimis use defense. Richard N. Bell v....more

McDermott Will & Emery

Second Circuit: Supreme Court Google Precedent Doesn’t Alter Copyright Law’s Fair Use Analysis

Addressing fair use as an affirmative defense to copyright infringement, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit amended its recent opinion, reversing a district court’s summary judgment in favor of fair use. The Court...more

McDermott Will & Emery

No Matter How Many Touched the Flowers, Single Infringement Begets Single Statutory Damages Award

McDermott Will & Emery on

In a dispute over the alleged infringement of a floral print textile design, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the plaintiff’s ownership of a valid copyright, but reversed and remanded for further...more

McDermott Will & Emery

“Can’t Hold Us” Liable: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Win Affirmance in Copyright Suit

McDermott Will & Emery on

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a grant of summary judgment on the issue of copyright infringement and an award of attorneys’ fees against the plaintiff under the Copyright Act. Although the Court noted...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Prayer for Declaratory Relief Invokes Copyright Act and Available Attorneys’ Fees

McDermott Will & Emery on

Vacating the district court’s order denying a defendant’s recovery of attorneys’ fees under the Copyright Act, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that, even when asserted as a claim for declaratory relief, any...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Second Circuit: No First Sale Doctrine for Reproduced Digital Files

McDermott Will & Emery on

Holding that reproduction of a digital file for purposes of resale does not fall under the “first sale” doctrine of the Copyright Act, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the district court’s grant of...more

Fenwick & West LLP

Intellectual Property Bulletin - Summer 2018

Fenwick & West LLP on

In This Issue - US Taxation of IP After Tax Reform - U.S. taxation of intellectual property has become astoundingly more complex after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The new rules are so complex that the IRS and Treasury...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Louis Vuitton Not Liable for Attorneys’ Fees in Case of Parody Handbags

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

In January 2016 and January 2017, we blogged about a trademark and copyright dispute between Louis Vuitton Malletier, S.A. and My Other Bag, Inc. (“MOB”) over a line of canvas tote bags that parodied Louis Vuitton’s iconic...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Standing to Sue for Copyright Infringement: No Bright Line Rule for Stock Photo Agencies

McDermott Will & Emery on

Affirming a grant of summary judgment in favor of copyright defendants, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit took up the “often litigated issue” of whether a stock photography agency has standing under the Copyright...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Usenet Server Owners, Operators Are Not Directly or Secondarily Liable for Copyright Infringement

McDermott Will & Emery on

Addressing copyright infringement issues, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s summary judgment in defendants’ favor on direct, vicarious and contributory infringement claims. Perfect...more

Snell & Wilmer

The Supreme Court’s Fashionable Case: Implications for Expanding Copyright Protection to Apparel

Snell & Wilmer on

Currently before the United States Supreme Court is the question: “[w]hat is the appropriate test to determine when a feature of the design of a useful article is protectable under § 101 of the Copyright Act.”1 Put another...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Ninth Circuit Provides a Second Look at Willful Copyright Infringement **WEB ONLY**

McDermott Will & Emery on

In a case stemming from a copyright dispute over photographs of the legendary hip hop group Run-DMC, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed a district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of a music...more

Akerman LLP - Marks, Works & Secrets

Second Circuit Revives Copyright Claims Against Sony and Ghostface Killah

In Urbont v. Sony Music Entertainment Inc., 15-1778, the Second Circuit recently revived claims against Sony and Ghostface Killah, holding that although third parties may raise a work for hire defense, here there were factual...more

Snell & Wilmer

A House of Cards: How Much Copyright Protection Remains for Architectural Works

Snell & Wilmer on

Although copyright protection in the United States was extended to architectural works in 1990, this protection has become increasingly narrow. A recently issued Eleventh Circuit opinion, Arthur Rutenberg Homes, Inc. v. Jewel...more

WilmerHale

Copyright and Trademark Case Review: In "Vogue," Burning Man, Building Plans and More

WilmerHale on

Copyright Opinions - Samples in Madonna's “Vogue” Too Trivial to Be Infringing: VMG Salsoul, LLC v. Ciccone, Nos. 13-57104, 14-55837 (9th Cir. June 2, 2016) - Graber, J. In a suit claiming infringement of both...more

32 Results
 / 
View per page
Page: of 2

"My best business intelligence, in one easy email…"

Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra:
*By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra's Privacy Policy.
- hide
- hide