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Copyright, Fair Use & AI

In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, the intersection of copyright law and AI technology presents unique challenges and opportunities. This seminar aims to explore the complexities of copyright issues related to AI and provide a summary of the dozens of AI copyright lawsuits with a particular focus on whether training AI on copyright material is an infringement or fair use.

Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Open Educational Resources (OER)

American University’s Washington College of Law, along with other academic contributors, has launched the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Open Educational Resources (the Code). This forty-plus page report, the goal of which is to assist professors, teachers, librarians, and other educators in evaluating when and how they can incorporate third party copyright […]

New Legislation: The CASE Act

The Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act) was passed by Congress on December 21, 2020 and signed into law on December 27, 2020 as a part of a much bigger omnibus spending bill. What Is It? The CASE Act creates a “Copyright Claims Board” (the Board) within the U.S. Copyright Office which can […]

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 […]

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Copyright Case Opinion Summaries

Source: Justia Daily Opinion Summaries (feed)

Woodland v. Hill

Published on: May 16, 2025

Rodney Woodland, a freelance artist and model, sued Montero Lamar Hill, also known as Lil Nas X, for copyright infringement. Woodland claimed that Hill posted photos on his Instagram page that were too similar to photos Woodland had posted o…

InfoDeli, LLC v. Western Robidoux, Inc.

Published on: May 5, 2025

InfoDeli, LLC and Breht C. Burri (collectively, InfoDeli) brought a lawsuit against Western Robidoux, Inc. (WRI), Engage Mobile Solutions, LLC, and other defendants, including members of the Burri family and several companies. InfoDeli alleg…

InfoDeli, LLC v. Western Robidoux, Inc.

Published on: May 5, 2025

Thaler v. Perlmutter

Published on: March 18, 2025

A computer scientist, Dr. Stephen Thaler, created an artificial intelligence system called the “Creativity Machine,” which autonomously generated an artwork titled “A Recent Entrance to Paradise.” Dr. Thaler submitted a copyright registratio…

Design Gaps, Inc. v. Shelter, LLC

Published on: March 3, 2025

Jason and Kacie Highsmith hired Shelter, LLC to manage a home renovation project and later contracted with Design Gaps, Inc. to design and install cabinets and closets. The contracts required arbitration for disputes but did not specify comp…

Copyright Case Dockets

Source: Justia Dockets and Filings (feed)

Sumfinidade Unipessoal LDA v. Fotoxposure Inc.

May 15, 2025

Filed: May 15, 2025 as 7:2025cv04081

Plaintiff: Sumfinidade Unipessoal LDA

Defendant: Fotoxposure Inc.

Cause Of Action: 17 U.S.C. § 501 Copyright Infringement

Court: Second Circuit › New York › U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Tomelleri v. Bass On-Line, Inc.

May 15, 2025

Filed: May 15, 2025 as 6:2025cv03132

Plaintiff: Joseph R Tomelleri

Defendant: Bass On-Line, Inc.

Cause Of Action: 17 U.S.C. § 501 Copyright Infringement

Court: Eighth Circuit › Missouri › U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Friemoth v. IBTimes LLC et al

May 15, 2025

Filed: May 15, 2025 as 1:2025cv04111

Plaintiff: Anna Friemoth

Defendant: IBTimes LLC, IBT Media Inc. and Does 1-10

Cause Of Action: 17 U.S.C. § 101 Copyright Infringement

Court: Second Circuit › New York › U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Garyck Truls Arntzen v. The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A

May 15, 2025

Filed: May 15, 2025 as 1:2025cv05421

Plaintiff: Garyck Truls Arntzen

Defendant: The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A

Cause Of Action: 17 U.S.C. § 101 Copyright Infringement

Court: Seventh Circuit › Illinois › U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Rodriguez-Beerman v. Nunez

May 15, 2025

Filed: May 15, 2025 as 3:2025cv30091

Plaintiff: Sarah Rodriguez-Beerman

Defendant: Julio Nunez

Cause Of Action: 17 U.S.C. § 101 Copyright Infringement

Court: First Circuit › Massachusetts › U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Copyright Legislation

Source: Copyright.gov (feed)

Copyright Legislative Developments: S.5379

December 10, 2024

Bill Recently Introduced

S.5379 TRAIN Act, introduced 11/21/2024.

To create an administrative subpoena process to assist copyright owners in determining which of their copyrighted works have been used in the training of artificial intelligence models.

Copyright Legislative Developments: H.R.10103

November 14, 2024

Bill Recently Introduced

H.R.10103 TRIPS Waivers Act, introduced 11/8/2024.

To amend titles 17, 18, and 35, United States Code, the Plant Variety Protection Act, and the Lanham Act to require the submission of a report to Congress before the negotiation of any international agreement relating to an intellectual property right, and for other purposes.

Copyright Legislative Developments: S.4875

September 4, 2024

Bill Recently Introduced

S.4875 NO FAKES Act of 2024, introduced 7/31/2024.

To protect intellectual property rights in the voice and visual likeness of individuals, and for other purposes.

Termination Rights, Royalty Distributions, Ownership Transfers, Disputes, and the Music Modernization Act

August 30, 2024

Termination Rights, Royalty Distributions, Ownership Transfers, Disputes, and the Music Modernization Act

NewsNet 1051
August 30, 2024

The U.S. Copyright Office is adjusting certain compliance dates related to the corrective adjustment process in its July 9, 2024, final rule on termination rights and other topics related to the Music Modernization Act. The final rule contained a discrepancy between a date in the rule’s regulatory text and its preamble. To resolve any confusion created by the discrepancy and ensure parties have adequate time to participate in the corrective adjustment process, the Office is adjusting the relevant compliance dates for all parties by extending each date by approximately thirty days from the original dates provided in the rule’s regulatory text.

The original final rule and the rule adjusting the compliance dates can both be found on the website.

Copyright Legislative Developments: S.4674

August 19, 2024

Bill Recently Introduced

S.4674 - Content Origin Protection and Integrity from Edited and Deepfaked Media Act of 2024, introduced 7/11/2024.

To require transparency with respect to content and content provenance information, to protect artistic content, and for other purposes.

Copyright Office News

Source: Copyright.gov (feed)

U.S. Copyright Office Releases New Copyright Registration Toolkit

April 22, 2025

U.S. Copyright Office Releases New Copyright Registration Toolkit NewsNet 1070 April 22, 2025 Today, the U.S. Copyright Office released the Copyright Registration Toolkit, a comprehensive resource designed to help creators, small business owners, advisors, and others navigate the copyright system.

U.S. Copyright Office Invites Public to Webinar on Effectively Using the Copyright Public Records System

April 9, 2025

U.S. Copyright Office Invites Public to Webinar on Effectively Using the Copyright Public Records System NewsNet 1069 April 09, 2025 Have you used the Copyright Public Records System (CPRS) pilot to power your copyright public records searches? Now is the time to try, ahead of the summer 2025 decomm

U.S. Copyright Office Publishes Final Rule to Require Pay.gov Use for Statutory Royalty Payments

March 31, 2025

U.S. Copyright Office Publishes Final Rule to Require Pay.gov Use for Statutory Royalty Payments NewsNet 1068March 31, 2025 The U.S. Copyright Office has published a final rule amending its regulations regarding the submission of royalty fees by cable, satellite, and digital audio recording devices

U.S. Copyright Office Announces Webinar on Copyright Essentials for Musicians

March 20, 2025

U.S. Copyright Office Announces Webinar on Copyright Essentials for Musicians NewsNet 1067March 20, 2025 The U.S. Copyright Office invites you to register to attend a Copyright Essentials three-part series of online webinars, with the second session occurring on April 16 at 1:00 p.m. eastern time. C

Emily Chapuis Appointed Acting General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights

March 13, 2025

Emily Chapuis Appointed Acting General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights NewsNet 1066 March 13, 2025 Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter today announced that Emily Chapuis will serve as Acting General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights at the United States Copyright Office,

Copyright Regulations

Source: Justia Regulation Tracker (feed)

Notice - Notice of Intent To Audit

February 18, 2025

The Copyright Royalty Judges announce receipt from SoundExchange, Inc., of notices of intent to audit the 2022, 2023, and 2024 statements of account submitted by commercial webcasters Alpha Media LLC and Univision Communications Inc. concerning royalty payments they made pursuant to two statutory li

Proposed Rule - Determination of Rates and Terms for Digital Performance of Sound Recordings by New Subscription Services and Making of Ephemeral Copies To Facilitate Those Performances (NSS V); Correction

February 10, 2025

On December 19, 2024, the Copyright Royalty Judges published for comment proposed regulations governing the rates and terms for the digital performances of sound recordings by new subscription services and for the making of ephemeral recordings necessary to facilitate those transmissions for the per

Notice - Notice of Intent To Audit

January 14, 2025

The Copyright Royalty Judges announce receipt from SoundExchange, Inc., of notices of intent to audit the 2021, 2022, and 2023 statements of account submitted by commercial webcasters Beasley Mezzanine Holdings, LLC, Hubbard Broadcasting Inc., iHeartMedia, and Midwest Communications, Inc. and non-co

Rule - Ruling on Regulatory Interpretation for Business Establishment Services

January 10, 2025

The Copyright Royalty Judges publish their ruling on regulatory interpretation in a matter that was referred to them by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The regulation at issue is the definition of "Gross Proceeds" in the rates and terms set forth through settlements in

Proposed Rule - Determination of Rates and Terms for Digital Performance of Sound Recordings by New Subscription Services and Making of Ephemeral Copies To Facilitate Those Performances (NSS V)

December 19, 2024

The Copyright Royalty Judges are publishing for comment proposed regulations governing the rates and terms for the digital performances of sound recordings by new subscription services and for the making of ephemeral recordings necessary to facilitate those transmissions for the period commencing Ja

Copyright Blogs

Source: Justia BlawgSearch (feed)

Take a letter and get in line

May 16, 2025

Originally posted 2008-01-30 12:18:36. Republished by Blog Post PromoterJohn Berryhill: A recurring discussion within certain circles over the years has been the potential assignment of single character domain names in the generic top-level domains (gTLDs). Prior to the formation of ICANN, and despi

Friday’s Endnotes – 05/16/25

May 16, 2025

US Copyright Office Releases Highly Anticipated Report on Generative AI Training – Here’s What It Actually Says — “The U.S. Copyright Office (USCO) recently released its highly anticipated Report on Generative AI Training (the third and final part in the USCO’s AI and copyright series) in a pre-publ

How did “openness” fall out of fashion?

May 16, 2025

Something curious has been occurring in the world of digital rights. Openness, once one of the cornerstones of Internet culture, has lost its shine. There used to be a time in which everything was open. We had open source, open access, open science, open content, open hardware, open source water, […

[Guest Post] Exhaustion of Trade Mark Rights and the Burden of Proof: Coty/Easycosmetic

May 16, 2025

The IPKat has received and is pleased to host the following guest post by Katfriend Diego Guerrero Obando (attorney at bureau Brandeis), commenting on a Dutch ruling on the burden of proof in a parallel trade case. Here is what Diego writes: On 16 April 2025, the District Court of The Hague delivere

Little people, big lawsuits

May 15, 2025

Originally posted 2013-11-14 14:25:38. Republished by Blog Post PromoterThe Washington Post reports on legal action taken by ordinary folk against Big IP Content Generating institutions for lifting and using “user-generated” content, i.e., pictures and stuff uploaded onto blogs and galleries by regu

Fairly Used Blog

Source: Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center (feed)

Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Open Educational Resources (OER)

By Cicely Wilson

Published on: June 10, 2021

New Legislation: The CASE Act

By Cicely Wilson

Published on: June 7, 2021

Celebrating the unfreezing of the public domain

By Mary Minow

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 […]

Termination Rights, Royalty Distributions, Ownership Transfers, Disputes, and the Music Modernization Act

NewsNet 1051August 30, 2024

NewsNet 1051
August 30, 2024