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Copyright Summary Judgment The Copyright Act

A Copyright is an exclusive legal right granted to the creator of an original work to license, copy, sell, distribute, or otherwise exploit the work for his or her own benefit.
Seyfarth Shaw LLP

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

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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

Womble Bond Dickinson

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

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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

McDermott Will & Emery

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

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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

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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

Weintraub Tobin

Court Rules Lego Creation Based on Religious Texts is Eligible for Copyright Protection

Weintraub Tobin on

In JBrick, LLC v. Chazak Kinder, Inc. et al, 1-21-cv-02883 (EDNY Sep. 21, 2023) (Hector Gonzalez), the District Court for the Eastern District of New York granted the plaintiff’s motion for summary judgment regarding the...more

McDermott Will & Emery

It’s a Taking: Copyright Deposit Requirement Violates Fifth Amendment

Addressing the issue for the first time, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia found that the Copyright Act of 1976’s requirement to deposit two copies of a work with the Library of Congress within three months...more

McDermott Will & Emery

When Are Compulsory Copyright Licenses Compulsory?

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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

Publisher’s Fair Use Defense Dries Up

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The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overturned a district court’s summary judgment, rejecting an accused publisher’s argument that their use of copyrighted photos embedded in articles was fair use under the...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Oh the Horror: No Work for Hire in Friday the 13th Screenplay

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The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a summary judgment grant, ruling that an author was an independent contractor when writing the screenplay for a horror film and entitled to authorship rights, and...more

McDermott Will & Emery

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

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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

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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

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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

Second Circuit: No First Sale Doctrine for Reproduced Digital Files

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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

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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

McDermott Will & Emery

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

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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

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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**

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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

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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

Akerman LLP - Marks, Works & Secrets

Ninth Circuit Says “Let’s Go Crazy” On Fair Use of Prince Song In YouTube Video

n Lenz v. Universal Music Corp. et al, the Ninth Circuit held that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (the “DMCA”) requires copyright holders to consider fair use before sending a takedown notice and that the failure to do...more

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