Can My Band Cover Another Famous Song? — No Infringement Intended Podcast
Why Did Taylor Swift Re-record Her Albums? – No Infringement Intended Podcast
Taylor's Version: El Derecho de Artistas en la Industria Musical
Entertainment Law Update Episode 160 – August/September 2023
5 Key Takeaways | IP: Beyond the Basics
Suno is a leading AI-powered music generation platform which transforms simple text prompts, images, videos, or audio clips into fully produced songs complete with vocals and instrumentation. Last week, renowned music...more
On May 9, 2025, I sat in a crowded football stadium for the sold-out second night of the Grand National Tour concert featuring Kendrick Lamar and SZA (the stage name of Solána Rowe). As I listened to those iconic artists...more
Ninth Circuit reverses summary judgment in favor of pop singer Sam Smith in music copyright dispute, holding in unpublished opinion that hook in plaintiff’s song may be protectable as unique selection and arrangement of...more
In this episode, Rusty Close and Austin Padgett discuss what happens when one band wants to record another band's song and the special rules of copyright that go along with it. They explore the copyright owner's control over...more
In this episode, Rusty Close and Austin Padgett discuss why Taylor Swift re-recorded her original six albums. They explain the distinction between publishing rights and master recording rights, noting that Swift owned the...more
En este episodio de "A Lo Legal en Par Minutos", nuestra asociada Ana Sofía Cabrales se une al socio Edwin Cortés para explorar el intrigante tema de "Taylor's Version." La Sra. Cabrales, abogada de propiedad intelectual y...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a copyright infringement claim by one rap artist against another on the grounds that the plaintiff failed to register the work in question. The Court...more
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has been a growing concern among recording artists, music industry leaders and lawmakers, who, for the most part, have all pushed for stronger protections over musicians' copyrights...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed a district court’s summary judgment grant to an alleged song copier, finding neither evidence of factual copying nor striking similarity between the two songs. Kirk...more
Whether or not you are a TikTok user, you have likely heard about how the platform allows creators to combine music clips with original content to create viral videos. The ability for users to leverage an extensive music...more
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
The Pitch newsletter is a monthly update of legal issues and news affecting or related to the music, film and television, fine arts, media, professional athletics, eSports, and gaming industries. The Pitch features a diverse...more
The United States Supreme Court recently denied certiorari in Johannsongs-Publishing, Ltd. v. Peermusic Ltd., et al, bringing an end to a copyright infringement suit relating to Josh Groban’s 2003 song You Raise Me Up....more
Die Verwendung fremder Fotografien kann urheberrechtlich problematisch sein. Das gilt auch, wenn fremde Bilder bearbeitet werden. Doch wann genau benötigt man die Erlaubnis des Urhebers für eine Bearbeitung und wann nicht?...more
We recently wrote about Led Zeppelin’s victory at the Ninth Circuit in the dispute over “Stairway to Heaven.” Although just a few weeks old, the decision has already been applied in a music case to find non-infringement,...more
Nearly 40 years after Led Zeppelin released Stairway to Heaven – viewed by many as one of the greatest rock songs of all time – Led Zeppelin was sued for copyright infringement. The estate of guitarist Randy Wolfe, who...more
The epic copyright infringement lawsuit against Led Zeppelin over the song “Stairway to Heaven” has reached another milestone – this time in favor of the legendary band. This case has been more like a long and winding road...more
Drake prevails again – this time at the Second Circuit. On February 3, 2020, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Drake, finding that his use of a...more
The widow of the late Soundgarden frontman, Chris Cornell, has sued the band, its members, and business managers for copyright ownership of unreleased sound recordings and withholding royalties. ...more
This is what it sounds like, when sanctions are granted. In March 2019, a federal judge in Minnesota sanctioned Defendants for their failure to preserve text messages in a copyright infringement suit brought in part by the...more
The Ninth Circuit recently reversed the dismissal of copyright infringement claims in Hall v. Taylor Swift finding a lack of sufficient facts or evidence of record to justify a summary conclusion of lack of originality for...more