Podcast: The Briefing by the IP Law Blog - The Essential Purpose of the Short Form Copyright Assignment (Archive)
Understanding NFTs and Their Legal Implications
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Trending Now: An IP Podcast - How to Preserve Your Intellectual Property Rights with Marking—Part 1: Trademarks and Copyrights
Pepper Hamilton Higher Education "In Brief" Webinar Series: Intellectual Property Basics - What Every Higher Education Administrator Needs To Know
Recent court decisions in two highly publicized Gen AI cases favored the platforms and may start to reduce the concerns over using Gen AI. But content owners and those working for them should still understand the legal...more
Addressing the intersection of a trust beneficiary’s rights to royalties and an heir’s copyright termination rights under 17 U.S.C. § 203, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court’s order...more
In a recent ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the court refused to register a work where its sole author was an artificial intelligence (AI) tool. This holding is in line with the Copyright Office’s...more
What Is Copyright Protection? When Should A Copyright Be Filed? What is copyright? Copyright is a United States Constitutional right that provides protection to works of original authorship...more
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
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit reversed a district court’s dismissal of a copyright infringement claim alleging copying of a photograph, finding that the defendant’s use of the photograph did not constitute...more
Ah, the public domain—where copyrights dare not tread, and content lives free from the litigious claws of infringement claims. Whether thou art a humble creator or a bold entrepreneur, rejoice! For in this blessed realm, you...more
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being integrated into business models across industries and it is not hard to see why. After all, it can increase operational efficiency and reduce costs by quickly creating...more
On March 18, 2025, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the D.C. District Court’s and U.S. Copyright Office’s decisions, holding that a copyrighted work cannot be authored exclusively by an AI system. Computer...more
This post provides an overview of the six key legal challenges and opportunities to expect in the UK when negotiating to acquire the rights to adapt a book for film or TV. ...more
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
On January 29, 2025, the US Copyright Office issued a long-awaited report on the copyrightability of works consisting of or incorporating material generated by artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The report is broadly...more
On Sunday, two of the most prestigious categories at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards will confuse millions. To prevent you from being one of them, allow copyright law to explain the difference between Song of the Year and...more
A well-organized inventory is essential for effectively managing and planning the distribution of collectibles, including art. Clients may struggle to track their assets without an inventory, making future distribution and...more
In a summary order, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the district court’s orders in a case involving an ownership dispute over the copyrights to certain compositions by Parliament-Funkadelic bandleader...more
According to the United States Copyright Office Circular 14: "A derivative work is a work based on or derived from one or more already existing works. Common derivative works include translations, musical arrangements,...more
In a case of first impression, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that there is no “sophisticated plaintiff” exception to the Copyright Act’s discovery rule, which provides that a copyright claim only accrues...more
This blog involves a unique approach being used by a Hawaii law firm to seek to uncover the name, address, email address, MAC address and other information about alleged copyright infringers. The firm is using a DMCA 512(h)...more
As discussed in Part 1, understanding the application of the Copyright Act’s works made for hire doctrine is needed to protect an organization’s intellectual property. Specifically, the application of the doctrine to...more
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
Online shopping has become increasingly popular in recent years. E-commerce sales surpassed $6.5 trillion in 2023 and are expected to total over $8.1 trillion by 2026. Convenience of product variety and online competition...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed a district court’s ruling that aggrieved family members’ counterclaims for various intellectual property matters were long overdue and subject to a laches defense....more
Generative artificial intelligence captivated the world in 2023 and is firmly positioned to remain center stage in the coming year. In the United States, the introduction and early-stage use of generative AI have been plagued...more
Understanding the work made for hire doctrine under the Copyright Act of 1976 is key for effective intellectual property management. The default ownership rule under the Copyright Act provides ownership to the author (i.e.,...more
For copyright infringement lawsuits timely filed by plaintiffs availing themselves of the “discovery rule” — to determine when their infringement claims accrued — the US Supreme Court has issued a decision concerning the...more