Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Fourth Circuit Weighs In on Fair Use and Copyright Registration Validity

By Thomas Kjellberg and Robert W. Clarida
April 01, 2024

In Philpot v. Independent Journal Review, 92 F.4th 252 (4th Cir. 2024), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed the district court's findings regarding fair use and copyright registration validity.

Facts

In July 2013, Larry Philpot, a professional concert photographer, took a photograph of "Motor City Madman" Ted Nugent performing. On Aug. 21, 2013, Philpot applied to register the Nugent photo with the U.S. Copyright Office as part of a collection of unpublished works, and the Office issued Philpot a registration certificate effective Aug. 21, 2013. The next month, Philpot published the Nugent photo on Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons license. The license specified that anyone could use the Nugent photo for free so long as they provided attribution to Philpot.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?

Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.

Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent Trolls Image

With trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.