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Summary Judgment Appeals The Copyright Act

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

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

When Is a Car a Character? The Ninth Circuit Revisits Copyrightability in Halicki v. Carroll Shelby Licensing

The Copyright Act does not expressly address the protection of individual characters in expressive works, but courts have long recognized that certain characters, particularly those with strong visual or narrative identities,...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

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

Prayer for Declaratory Relief Invokes Copyright Act and Available Attorneys’ Fees

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Vacating the district court’s order denying a defendant’s recovery of attorneys’ fees under the Copyright Act, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that, even when asserted as a claim for declaratory relief, any...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

Usenet Server Owners, Operators Are Not Directly or Secondarily Liable for Copyright Infringement

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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

McDermott Will & Emery

Burning Man Bus Not a Protected Work of Visual Art Under VARA

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the judgment of a Nevada district court when it determined that the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) of the US Copyright Act did not apply to a used school bus that had...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Party Raising “First Sale” Defense to Copyright Infringement Bears Initial Burden of Proof - Adobe Systems Inc. v. Christenson et...

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Addressing the appropriate allocation of the burden of proof related to the “first sale” defense to copyright infringement, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit confirmed that the initial burden of proof falls on...more

McDermott Will & Emery

No Copyright in Individual Contributions to a Film - 16 Casa Duse, LLC v. Merkin

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Citing the U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit’s recent en banc decision in Garcia v. Google (IP Update, Vol. 18, No. 6), the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a summary judgment ruling that...more

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