Features

How Defendant's Prior Conduct Can Impact Copyright Cases
In the context of a copyright case, a defendant's prior bad acts and prior conduct are more useful to a plaintiff than is typical in civil litigation. In many instances, copyright infringement lawsuits are brought against defendants who have been sued before for infringement, or related misconduct, or who have been the subject of allegations or informal complaints, or who simply have experience in copyright matters.
Features

Oral Appellate Arguments in 'Blurred Lines' Copyright Case
Lawyers for Marvin Gaye's heirs and recording artists Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke were singing past each other in court in October. But it wasn't clear which side was making the most headway with the appellate court.
Features

EU Push to Filter 'Illegal' Content Raises Alarms in Silicon Valley
The European Commission (EU) is ramping up pressure on tech companies to more aggressively use automated filtering to scrub "illegal" content from the Internet, a move that is drawing criticism from some lawyers and free speech activists in Silicon Valley.
Features

Children Book Versions of Classic Novels Not Fair Use
In 2016, Frederik Colting and Melisa Medina planned to launch a series of 50 children's books, each book summarizing a great novel. They called their colorfully illustrated summaries KinderGuides. In January 2017, the owners of the copyrights to the novels filed a copyright infringement suit against Colting and Medina, resulting in a useful tale for lawyers who advise publishers on either side of such a dispute.
Features

Books Rights Win For Daughter of Steinbeck's Widow
Susan Kohlmann, managing partner of Jenner & Block's New York office, has secured a shutout win for the stepdaughter of John Steinbeck in the latest installment of a long-running legal feud over book rights that has divided the late author's progeny.
Features

Technology That Filters Movie Content Infringes Studios' Copyrights
"Star Wars is still Star Wars, even without Princess Leia's bikini scene," said federal Circuit Judge Andrew D. Hurwitz in denying an appeal by the movie-filtering service VidAngel to lift an injunction that has kept its technology off the market since December 2016.
Features

Copyright Royalty Board Gets E-Filing System
The Library of Congress' Copyright Royalty Board, the panel of three judges who set copyright royalty rates and settle related disputes, announced the launch of an electronic filing and case management system in an effort to streamline its manual and cumbersome case management processes.
Features

The Uses of Prior Conduct in Copyright Cases
<b><i>The Lessons of History</b></i><p>In the context of a copyright case, a defendant's prior bad acts and prior conduct are more useful to a plaintiff than is typical in civil litigation.
Features

The Impact of <i>TC Heartland</i> on Copyright Venue
The Supreme Court sparked a seismic shift in patent litigation recently when it upset the long-standing interpretation of 28 U.S.C. §1400(b), the special patent venue statute. TC Heartland held that for the purposes of patent venue, the meaning of "resides" in Section 1400(b) is not supplemented by the broad definition of "resides" in the general venue provision, 28 U.S.C. §1391.
Features

Twists and Turns of Copyright Litigation Over <i>Jersey Boys</i> Musical Reach Latest Stage
Since 2007, the development of the musical has been the source of protracted litigation that reached its latest stage in June 2017.
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- Risks of “Baseball Arbitration” in Resolving Real Estate Disputes“Baseball arbitration” refers to the process used in Major League Baseball in which if an eligible player's representative and the club ownership cannot reach a compensation agreement through negotiation, each party enters a final submission and during a formal hearing each side — player and management — presents its case and then the designated panel of arbitrators chooses one of the salary bids with no other result being allowed. This method has become increasingly popular even beyond the sport of baseball.Read More ›
- Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the RoughThere 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.Read More ›
- Do FL and CA Talent Agency Law Cover Social Media Influencers and Esports Talent?If the definition for "artist" under Florida's Talent Agencies Act applies to influencers and esports players, then likely a lot of unlicensed representatives are in violation of the state's statute — and the penalties are pretty serious.Read More ›
- Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About ItWhy 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?Read More ›
- The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year LaterThe 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.Read More ›