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Copyright Litigation The Copyright Act Music

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Sharing the Stage: How Tempo Music Investments LLC v. Miley Cyrus et al Reinforces Copyright Co-owner Rights

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A recent ruling from the United States District Court for the District of Central California in the lawsuit against Miley Cyrus and others for the song “Flowers” highlighted the power that a single copyright co-owner holds in...more

Morgan Lewis

‘A Second Bite at the Apple’: Copyright Case Highlights Section 203 Recapture Rights

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A recent decision that will allow rap group 2 Live Crew to terminate a prior transfer of its copyrighted songs to a record label is a reminder that, due to a unique provision of the Copyright Act of 1976, every company that...more

Haug Partners LLP

Warner Chappell Music, Inc. v. Nealy: Plaintiffs Can Recover Damages for Timely Claims of Copyright Infringement Dating Back More...

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On May 9, 2024, the Supreme Court in Warner Chappell, Music Inc. v. Nealy settled a longstanding circuit split and ruled 6-3 that the Copyright Act entitles a copyright owner to recover damages for any timely claim, no matter...more

Wiley Rein LLP

Supreme Court Determines Some Copyright Owners Can Recover Damages Beyond the Statute of Limitations

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On May 9, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Warner Chappell Music Inc. et al. v. Sherman Nealy et al. (No. 22-1078), holding that copyright owners can recover damages going back more than three years based...more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

MarkIt to Market® - February 2024

Thank you for reading the February 2024 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss the advertising rights of luxury resellers and important updates to the Warner Chappell Music v. Nealy...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Skeptical of the Second Circuit: U.S. Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Copyright Damages

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On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Warner Chappell Music, Inc. v. Nealy, an appeal of the Eleventh Circuit’s determination that a copyright plaintiff can recover damages for infringement occurring more...more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

Time's Up: Supreme Court to Grapple with Damages Dilemma in Warner Chappell Music v. Nealy

On February 21, 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in Warner Chappell Music, Inc. et al. v. Nealy et al. The case involves whether plaintiff music producer Sherman Nealy may recover damages for...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Whose Song Is It Anyway? Questions about Samples in Flo Rida and will.i.am’s Hit “In the Ayer” Soar to the Supreme Court

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On September 29, 2023, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in Warner Chappell Music, Inc. v. Nealy, a case that should resolve a split among the U.S. Courts of Appeal relating to the scope of damages available to copyright...more

White & Case LLP

Website terms of service – enforceable or preempted?

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There is a deepening circuit split on whether the US Copyright Act preempts contract claims arising from terms of service. A recent petition to the US Supreme Court by a song lyrics website highlights this, with potentially...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Unhappy Together: No Right of Public Performance under California Copyright Law

Addressing for the first time whether California law establishes a right of public performance for the owners of pre-1972 sound recordings, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found no such right for music and...more

Fenwick & West LLP

Nicki Minaj Safeguards the Right for Artists to Experiment with Unlicensed Work

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On September 16, 2020, California federal judge Virginia A. Phillips ruled that Nicki Minaj’s use of Tracy Chapman’s copyrighted work in the creation of Minaj’s song “Sorry” was fair use. “Sorry” interpolated Chapman’s...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

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

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

Snell & Wilmer

Led Zeppelin Ruling Overturns Ninth Circuit’s ‘Inverse Ratio Rule’

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On March 9, 2020, Led Zeppelin won a major copyright battle over claims that they stole part of their signature song “Stairway to Heaven.” The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, ruling en banc, upheld a 2016 jury verdict that...more

Robins Kaplan LLP

The Big Three Sue an ISP for Enabling Copyright Infringement

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The so-called Big Three record companies—Universal, Sony, and Warner—have sued to hold an internet service provider liable for facilitating its customers’ copyright infringement....more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Buyer, Keeper, Forever? Second Circuit Affirms Decision That Music Files Purchased Online Cannot Be Resold Online

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The Second Circuit Court of Appeals returned a favorable ruling for major record companies in a copyright infringement case on December 12, 2018. The ruling came down in Capitol Records, LLC v. ReDigi Inc., a lawsuit...more

Brooks Pierce

Music Law 101: Protect Your Music, Protect Yourself

Brooks Pierce on

We are pleased to introduce a new blog series. Music Law 101 will be a recurring bi-weekly series consisting of posts covering a wide variety of legal topics relevant to artists, musicians, songwriters, producers, and others...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

The Southern District of New York Finds “Work Made For Hire” Under Italian Copyright Law

Musical scores incorporated into films are usually produced with the specific film in mind. In the U.S., we call such works “works made for hire,” meaning that the artist does not retain authorship rights to the music....more

Akerman LLP - Marks, Works & Secrets

NY Common Law Does Not Provide Creators With Control Over Public Performances of Pre-1972 Sound Recordings

On December 20, 2016, the New York Court of Appeals (New York’s highest court) issued a landmark state copyright law decision, holding in response to a certified question from the Second Circuit in Flo & Eddie, Inc. v. Sirius...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

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP

Jay Z Awarded Attorneys’ Fees After Routing Plaintiff In Copyright Lawsuit: Now Plaintiff Has $253,409.99 Problems For Bringing...

On July 17, 2015, Judge Schofield sitting in the Southern District of New York awarded defendants Shawn Carter (a/k/a Jay Z), Roc-A-Fella Records and Roc Nation, LLC (collectively, “Roc-A-Fella”) $253,409.99 in attorneys’...more

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