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Stanford Copyright & Fair Use – Key Overview Updates

Q: Thank you for updating the copyright overview on this site. What are the most important changes that you want us to know? A: Because the update reflects changes from 2014 through 2016 it includes a few decisions that readers may be familiar with such as the Google book scanning decision (Author’s Guild v. Hathitrust, […]

How much of a photo do you need to alter to avoid copyright infringement? Hint: Cheshire Cat

Bloggers and artists often ask, “how much of a photo do you need to alter to avoid copyright infringement?” Five changes? Fifteen? The Seventh Circuit addressed the issue in the Kienitz v Sconnie Nation case recently. According to the court, Sconnie Nation made t-shirts displaying an image of Madison Wisconsin mayor Paul Soglin, using […]

Guidance on websites and copyright registration from the U.S. Copyright Office

As part of its new draft Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices, Third Edition, we have guidance on registration for websites. The draft of the full compendium is over 1200 pages and covers publication, recordation, notice, deposits, along with other topics. Members of the public may make comments anytime before (or after) the Third Edition […]

Who’s the Owner: A White Paper on “Improving Copyright Information Management: An Investigation of Options and Areas for Further Research”

The U.S. Copyright Office came to Stanford Law School yesterday to conduct a roundtable on Recordation Reengineering, The Stanford Law School Law and Policy Lab submitted comments and a thoughtful White Paper, and live tweeted the proceeding along with us (see @slspolicylab and @fairlyused). The Law and Policy Lab was represented at the roundtable by Peter Holm, third year law […]

Deadline: April 14th. Public invited to weigh in on orphan works – US Copyright Office

ORPHAN WORKS is red hot again. After a number of failed legislative attempts and a couple of high profile court cases, its back to the drawing board, albeit a better defined drawing board. On the one hand, most everyone agrees that for true orphans, it would be great for us all to be able to […]

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Copyright Case Opinion Summaries

Source: Justia Daily Opinion Summaries (feed)

Dr. Seuss Enterprises, LP v. ComicMix LLC

Published on: December 18, 2020

The Ninth Circuit reversed the district court’s summary judgment in favor of defendants on a copyright infringement claim and affirmed the district court’s dismissal and grant of summary judgment in favor of defendants on a trademark claim c…

RJ Control Consultants, Inc. v. Multiject, LLC

Published on: November 23, 2020

Rogers owned RJ Control. Elder owns Multiject, which engineers and sells accessories for plastic injection molding. In 2008, the parties entered into an oral agreement. Rogers developed a control system for injection molding. RJ updated that…

Hiller, LLC v. Success Group International Learning Alliance, LLC

Published on: September 23, 2020

In 1999, Hiller, the largest home-services company in Tennessee, became a paying “member” of Success Group, which offers management advice and customer-service training to home-services companies. Clockwork owned Success, which conducted tra…

Batiste v. Lewis

Published on: September 22, 2020

Paul Batiste, a local jazz musician, brought a copyright infringement action against the world-famous hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. After the district court found no evidence of copyrighting, it granted summary judgment for defendants…

Batiste v. Lewis

Published on: September 22, 2020

Copyright Case Dockets

Source: Justia Dockets and Filings (feed)

Joe Hand Promotions, Inc. v. Salvatore J. Amelio, Individually et al

January 28, 2021

Filed: January 28, 2021 as 7:2021cv00774

Cause Of Action: Copyright Infringement

Court: Second Circuit › New York › US District Court for the Southern District of New York

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Unicolors, Inc. v. Appareline Inc. et al

January 28, 2021

Filed: January 28, 2021 as 2:2021cv00798

Plaintiff: Unicolors, Inc.

Defendant: Appareline Inc., Does 1 through 10, Altitude Collection, LLC a Delaware limited liability company, individually and doing business as Modcloth

Cause Of Action: Copyright Infringement

Court: Ninth Circuit › California › US District Court for the Central District of California

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Creative Photographers, Inc.

January 28, 2021

Filed: January 28, 2021 as 1:2021cv00789

Alternative Dispute Resolution (Adr) Provider: Playbuzz Ltd. d/b/a Ex. Co

Defendant: Playbuzz Ltd. d/b/a Ex.Co

Plaintiff: Creative Photographers, Inc.

Cause Of Action: Copyright Infringement

Court: Second Circuit › New York › US District Court for the Southern District of New York

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Ayiomamitis v. Buzzfeed, Inc. et al

January 28, 2021

Filed: January 28, 2021 as 2:2021cv00811

Defendant: Does 1-10, Buzzfeed, Inc.

Plaintiff: Anthony Ayiomamitis

Cause Of Action: Copyright Infringement

Court: Ninth Circuit › California › US District Court for the Central District of California

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Tom Hussey Photography, LLC v. Morningstar Senior Living, LLC

January 28, 2021

Filed: January 28, 2021 as 1:2021cv00277

Defendant: Morningstar Senior Living, LLC

Plaintiff: Tom Hussey Photography, LLC

Cause Of Action: Copyright Infringement

Court: Tenth Circuit › Colorado › US District Court for the District of Colorado

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Published on: January 30, 2019

For the first time in twenty years, published works in the U.S. expired into the public domain. This anomaly was the direct result of the Copyright Term Extension Act that extended the length of copyright for works still in their renewal term at the time of the Act to 95 years. This effectively froze the […]

Stanford Copyright & Fair Use – Key Overview Updates

By Mary Minow

Published on: April 11, 2017

Future of Libraries – Need First Sale for ebooks

By Mary Minow

Published on: February 19, 2017

How will libraries hold onto ebooks and other digital files like mp3s so that readers and scholars in the future can still read them? The current state of affairs relies on license agreements with publishers who in turn license to vendors, who in turn, license to libraries. Hardly sustainable when files can and do disappear […]

protect your site from copyright lawsuits

By Mary Minow

Published on: November 16, 2016

Everyone who thought they were protected from copyright lawsuits based on user postings, read this and take action on December 1st 2016 and no later than December 2017. lawofthelevel.com/2016/11/articles/intellectual-property/dont-lose-dmca-safe-harbor-protection/

Happy Birthday – ruling plus full court docket filings

By Mary Minow

Published on: September 25, 2015

Justia has made the full docket of legal filings in the Happy Birthday case available for free online at https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/cacdce/2:2013cv04460/564772

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