Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

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

Features

What 11th Circuit Ruled in Copyright Suit Over Netflix's Narcos Series Image

What 11th Circuit Ruled in Copyright Suit Over Netflix's Narcos Series

Michael A. Mora

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled in favor of Netflix in finding that one of its shows didn't infringe the copyright of a Colombian journalist who wrote a memoir about her affair with drug kingpin Pablo Escobar and the rise of the Colombian drug trade.

Features

Fifth Circuit's Decision in Sampling Case Considers Automatic Liability Controversy Image

Fifth Circuit's Decision in Sampling Case Considers Automatic Liability Controversy

Stan Soocher

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in favor of internationally successful hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis in a music sampling suit brought against them by New Orleans jazz musician Paul Batiste.

Features

'Asserted Truths' Doctrine Used to Decide Jersey Boys Copyright Dispute Image

'Asserted Truths' Doctrine Used to Decide Jersey Boys Copyright Dispute

Robert J. Bernstein & Robert W. Clarida

In a recent decision, the Ninth Circuit held that materials taken from an autobiography of Tommy DeVito — an original member of The Four Seasons music group — and used in the Broadway musical Jersey Boys depicting the band's history and hits, comprised facts and other noncopyrightable expression.

Features

To Embed, or Not to Embed, that is the Question Image

To Embed, or Not to Embed, that is the Question

Shaleen J. Patel & Mike Hobbs

Would Shakespeare Post Hamlet on Instagram in 2020? Recent legal and procedural developments associated with the ubiquitous Instagram social media site have created significant practical and legal risks for both copyright owners and account holders.

Features

Are Rule 12(b)(6) Dismissals In Copyright Infringement Lawsuits In Danger? Image

Are Rule 12(b)(6) Dismissals In Copyright Infringement Lawsuits In Danger?

Alan Friedman

Until recently, the Second and Ninth Circuits have both been receptive to dismissals under Rule 12(b)(6) if the court determines the plaintiff cannot plausibly state a claim of copyright infringement because the two works are not substantial similar. However, a pair of recent "unpublished" Ninth Circuit reversals involving prominent motion pictures stand in contrast to a recent Second Circuit decision affirming such a dismissal.

Features

In Decision of First Impression, Court Decides 'Gap Grants' Can Be Terminated Under §203 of U.S. Copyright Act Image

In Decision of First Impression, Court Decides 'Gap Grants' Can Be Terminated Under §203 of U.S. Copyright Act

Stan Soocher

In the 1976 Copyright Act, Congress inserted a termination right for authors or their successors for pre-January 1, 1978, assignments of copyrighted works. However, the legislators didn't directly address a key issue: how to determine termination rights for what are known as "gap grant" works — that is, those created post-1977 under copyright assignments made before then.

Features

FL Federal Court Rules 'Despacito' Doesn't Infringe on 'Despasito' Image

FL Federal Court Rules 'Despacito' Doesn't Infringe on 'Despasito'

Raychel Lean

Federal Judge Kathleen Williams recently analyzed the hit song "Despacito" in a copyright lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, when she found its writers had not copied an earlier Spanish song with the same name.

Columns & Departments

Bit Parts Image

Bit Parts

Stan Soocher

Film Clips Included in Talent's Acting Reel Are a Copyright Fair Use Ninth Circuit Finds Judd/Weinstein Meeting Within Scope of California Sexual Harassment Statute Personal Manager's Lawsuit in New York Against Former In-House Counsel Can Move Forward

Features

States Win Some and Lose Some on Copyright Front at Supreme Court This Term Image

States Win Some and Lose Some on Copyright Front at Supreme Court This Term

Jason Bloom

The Supreme Court decided two copyright cases this term, both involving states. This article discusses the cases and their likely impact on copyright law going forward.

Features

Copyright Considerations In Artificial Intelligence Image

Copyright Considerations In Artificial Intelligence

Shaleen J. Patel & Sushmitha Rajeevan

In the process of creating new content, AI, which has moved into the entertainment industry, may create copies of copyrighted works in memory storage as a byproduct of its overall output sequence. This article explores authorship and ownership of such AI-generated content, and to what extent, if any, can copyrights be infringed upon when AI reproduces copyrighted works for machine learning.

Need Help?

  1. Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
  2. Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.

MOST POPULAR STORIES

  • Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws
    This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.
    Read More ›
  • Legal Possession: What Does It Mean?
    Possession of real property is a matter of physical fact. Having the right or legal entitlement to possession is not "possession," possession is "the fact of having or holding property in one's power." That power means having physical dominion and control over the property.
    Read More ›
  • The Article 8 Opt In
    The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.
    Read More ›
  • Cutting Off the Stream: How United States v. Silver Affects "Stream of Benefits" or "Retainer" Bribery
    Although the court stressed that, by vacating certain of former NY State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's counts of conviction, it was clarifying and not altering the "as opportunities arise" theory, it nevertheless emphasized that this theory requires particularity with respect to the "question or matter" that is the subject of the bribe payor and recipient's corrupt agreement.
    Read More ›