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Fashion, furniture, and other design-oriented companies will take note of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Star Athletica, L.L.C. v. Varsity Brands, Inc., No. 15-866, 2017 WL 1066261 (March 22, 2017), which resolved a division among the federal circuits on the issue of the separability of designs of useful articles under the Copyright Act. Writing for the majority, Justice Thomas clarified that the design of a useful article need not be physically separable from the article itself in order to be protectable under the Copyright Act. Instead, the design can be protectable if one could conceptually imagine the design as a work of art apart from the useful article.
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Fourth Circuit Weighs In on Fair Use and Copyright Registration Validity
By Thomas Kjellberg and Robert W. Clarida
In Philpot v. Independent Journal Review, the Fourth Circuit found no fair use or copyright validity for a concert photographer's use of a photo of Ted Nugent as part of a collection.
USPTO Issues New Guidance On Rejecting Patent Claims for Obviousness
By Rob Maier
The United States Patent and Trademark Office recently published new guidance explaining the requirements for patent examiners to reject patent claims for obviousness in view of what was already known in the prior art.
“Holy Fair Use, Batman”: Copyright, Fair Use and the Dark Knight
By David G. Kim and Michael K. Friedland
The copyright for the original versions of Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse have expired. Now, members of the public can create — and are busy creating — their own works based on these beloved characters. Suppose, though, we want to tell stories using Batman for which the copyright does not expire until 2035. We’ll review five hypothetical works inspired by the original Batman comic and analyze them under fair use.
Intellectual Property In Legal Tech: Lessons from Recent Cases
By Brian Mack, Kevin Keller and Olga V. Mack
As technology continues to permeate the legal industry, the significance of IP in safeguarding innovations, ensuring fair competition, and fostering a culture of creative legal solutions becomes paramount.
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