News & Analysis as of

Reversal Copyright Litigation

Loeb & Loeb LLP

Sound and Color, LLC v. Samuel Smith

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Ninth Circuit reverses summary judgment in favor of pop singer Sam Smith in music copyright dispute, holding in unpublished opinion that hook in plaintiff’s song may be protectable as unique selection and arrangement of...more

Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

Ninth Circuit Revives Copyright Suit Over Sam Smith’s “Dancing with a Stranger” and Reaffirms the Jury’s Role

On April 29, 2025, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals revived the copyright infringement case filed by Sound and Color, LLC against Sam Smith, Normani, and related parties (collectively, “Defendants”) concerning the hit song...more

Sunstein LLP

Dance, Fortnite, and the “Epic” Battle for Copyright Protection

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On November 1, 2023, in a first-of-its kind decision, the Ninth Circuit revived a copyright lawsuit based on dance choreography. Hanagmi v. Epic Games pitted Viral celebrity choreographer Kyle Hanagami against Epic Games,...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Tenth Circuit Contributes Clarity to Contributory Liability in Copyright Infringement

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Addressing the elements of contributory copyright infringement, the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit found that a plaintiff had plausibly alleged contributory copyright infringement when he alleged that the...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Off the Charts: Derivative Work Copyright Registers All Material in Derivative Work

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In a matter of first impression, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed the district court’s partial grant of summary judgment in favor of the defendants, vacated a jury verdict and an award of attorneys’...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Nitpicking Allowed When Determining Statutory Damages

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On the second round of a copyright dispute, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded (again) to the district court to apply the “independent economic value test” handed...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

SCOTUS Agrees to Consider Whether Copyright Act Section 411 Requires an Intent to Defraud

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The U.S. Supreme Court recently granted certiorari to tackle a technical copyright registration question: when a defendant alleges knowing inaccuracies in a copyright registration, does 17 U.S.C. § 411 require referral to the...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Fair Use Mashup Theory Ga-Fluppted by Ninth Circuit

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Just in time to steal ComicMix’s Christmas, the Ninth Circuit recently held that the bookmaker’s mashup story Oh, the Places You’ll Boldly Go! (which combines elements of the Dr. Seuss book Oh, the Places You’ll Go! with Star...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Ninth Circuit Shows Led Zeppelin a Whole Lotta Love in ‘Stairway’ Copyright Win

Ruling en banc, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reinstated a 2016 jury verdict, finding that the rock band Led Zeppelin and the opening notes of its hit song “Stairway to Heaven” did not infringe the 1967 song...more

WilmerHale

Ninth Circuit Watch: En Banc Court Overturns Rule That a High Degree Of Access to Copyrighted Material Reduces Plaintiff's Burden...

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On March 9, 2020, the en banc U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unanimously held in Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin that a copyright defendant’s “high degree of access” to a copyrighted work does not lower the plaintiff’s...more

Hogan Lovells

Ninth Circuit holds that determination of copyright originality ill-suited for disposition on a motion to dismiss

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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

Hogan Lovells

U.S. – District Court reversed: No fair use defense for Adams Morgan neighborhood photo

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The many historic landmarks and neighborhoods in Washington DC are one of the draws for locating events there. In a cautionary tale for event organizers, however, the Court of Appeals of the Fourth District recently ruled...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Picture This: No Direct Infringement but no Fair Use Either

Addressing the use of third-party photographs on a real estate listing website, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found no direct copyright infringement, notwithstanding the display of thousands of copyrighted...more

McDermott Will & Emery

“Full Costs” Under Copyright Act Means Those Specified in General Costs Statute

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In a unanimous decision authored by Justice Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court of the United States held that the term “full costs” in 17 USC § 505 of the Copyright Act has no special, expansive meaning, but is limited to the costs...more

Sunstein LLP

March 2019 IP Update - Not All Litigation Expenses Are Recoverable Under the Copyright Act

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On March 4, the Supreme Court overturned a ruling that required Rimini Street to pay $12.8 million for Oracle’s litigation costs in a copyright infringement case. Rimini Street, Inc. v. Oracle USA, Inc. Many of the costs...more

Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass

Supreme Court Issues Two Copyright Rulings

The U.S. Supreme Court issued two rulings last week on copyright law. In both cases, they acted to resolve conflicts between the Circuits, following closely to statutory language....more

Jones Day

Jones Day Talks: Women in IP: The Supreme Court's "Copyright Day"

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In Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corporation v. Wall-Street.com, the U.S. Supreme Court tackled questions relating to copyright applications vs. copyright registrations, while in Rimini Street v. Oracle, the justices ruled on...more

Jones Day

No Longer Paid in Full: "Full Costs" Covers Only Taxable Costs in Copyright Cases

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A unanimous ruling by the Supreme Court held that the word "full" was insufficient to justify awarding additional, nontaxable costs to the prevailing party. Under the American Rule, the prevailing party ordinarily must bear...more

McDermott Will & Emery

“Full Costs” under the Copyright Act Means Those Costs Specified in General Costs Statute

On March 4, 2019, the US Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision authored by Justice Kavanaugh in Rimini Street, Inc. v. Oracle USA, Inc., finding that the term “full costs” in 17 USC § 505 of the Copyright Act has no...more

Ballard Spahr LLP

Supreme Court Allows Copyright Actions Only After Office Acts on Application and Limits Recovery of Costs

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In two unanimous opinions, the Supreme Court on March 4, 2019, clarified two important issues under the Copyright Act—in both cases, based on a strict reading of the relevant text. ...more

Snell & Wilmer

SCOTUS: “Full Costs” Are Just Costs

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Today, March 4, 2019 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Rimini Street v. Oracle USA that “full costs” described in 17 U.S.C. § 505 of the (Copyright Act) are limited to the six categories of taxable costs set...more

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

US Supreme Court Issues Two Unanimous Rulings Clarifying Meanings of ‘Registration’ and ‘Full Costs’ in Copyright Act

On March 4, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two unanimous decisions interpreting the Copyright Act. In Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com LLC, 586 U.S. ___, the Court resolved a circuit split over when...more

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Supreme Court Decides Rimini Street, Inc. v. Oracle USA, Inc.

On March 4, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States decided Rimini Street, Inc. v. Oracle USA, Inc., No. 17-1625, holding that a court’s discretion under section 505 of the Copyright Act to award “full costs” to the...more

Ladas & Parry LLP

SCOTUS Holds Large Copyright Costs Award In Rimini Street v. Oracle Is Not Permissible

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Yesterday, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the decision of the Ninth Circuit Court in Rimini Street, Inc. et al v. Oracle USA, Inc. et al to award damages for costs in the amount of $12.8 million in a...more

Robins Kaplan LLP

The Second Circuit Calls a False Start on NFL Photographer Litigation

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Just after the close of an eventful Week 1, the NFL was hit with the revival of an extensive lawsuit claiming it wrongfully exploited thousands of game-day photos without permission or payment....more

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