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Copyright, Fair Use & AI

This seminar explores the complexities of copyright issues related to AI and provides a summary of many relevant AI copyright lawsuits.

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)

Richardson v. Kharbouch

Published on: October 16, 2025

A young music producer created an instrumental hip-hop beat and uploaded it online without first obtaining a copyright. After hearing a similar beat in a popular song by a well-known rapper, he registered a sound recording copyright for his …

Santos v. Kimmel

Published on: September 15, 2025

A former congressman created personalized videos for paying customers through the Cameo platform. A late-night television host, using fictitious names, requested and purchased several of these videos. The host then broadcast some of the vide…

Santos v. Kimmel

Published on: September 15, 2025

REARDEN, LLC V. WALT DISNEY PICTURES

Published on: September 11, 2025

A technology company developed and copyrighted a facial motion capture software system used in film production. The company’s assets, including the software, were transferred among several affiliated entities, leading to a disputed sale to a…

Hoffmann Bros. Heating & Air v. Hoffmann Air & Heating

Published on: September 8, 2025

Two brothers, Tom and Robert Hoffmann, were formerly partners in a family heating and air conditioning business. After Robert bought out Tom’s interest, they settled their disputes in state court with an agreement that included a four-year p…

Copyright Case Dockets

Source: Justia Dockets and Filings (feed)

Elizabeth Karlson v. The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A

November 3, 2025

Filed: November 3, 2025 as 1:2025cv13447

Plaintiff: Elizabeth Karlson

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

Julie Stiebritz v. The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A

November 3, 2025

Filed: November 3, 2025 as 1:2025cv13416

Plaintiff: Julie Stiebritz

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

Andrea Alice Muller v. The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations Identified on Schedule A

November 3, 2025

Filed: November 3, 2025 as 1:2025cv13427

Plaintiff: Andrea Alice Muller

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

Azima v. Sand LLC

November 3, 2025

Filed: November 3, 2025 as 2:2025cv10540

Plaintiff: Maheleh Sadat Azima and Mali Sadat Azima

Defendant: Sand LLC

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

Court: Ninth Circuit › California › U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Suzhou Jihekai Network Technology Co., Ltd v. The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations identified in Schedule A

November 3, 2025

Filed: November 3, 2025 as 0:2025cv62217

Plaintiff: Suzhou Jihekai Network Technology Co., Ltd

Defendant: The Partnerships and Unincorporated Associations identified in Schedule A

Cause Of Action: 17 U.S.C. § 0501 Copyright Infringement

Court: Eleventh Circuit › Florida › U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

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)

Copyright Office Announces Open Application Period for Ringer Fellowships

September 2, 2025

Copyright Office Announces Open Application Period for Ringer Fellowships NewsNet 1076September 2, 2025 The Copyright Office is now accepting applications for the Barbara A. Ringer Copyright Honors Program. This fellowship, which runs eighteen to twenty-four months, was created for attorneys in the

Erik Bertin Appointed Acting Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Registration Policy and Practice

September 2, 2025

Erik Bertin Appointed Acting Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Registration Policy and Practice NewsNet 1075 September 2, 2025 The United States Copyright Office today announced that Erik Bertin will serve as Acting Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Registration Policy

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

August 26, 2025

U.S. Copyright Office Invites Public to Webinar on Conducting Public Records Searches Using the Copyright Public Records System NewsNet 1074 August 26, 2025 The U.S. Copyright Office invites you to register for the upcoming webinar, Conducting Public Records Searches Using the Copyright Public Recor

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

July 7, 2025

U.S. Copyright Office Announces Webinar on Copyright Essentials for Writers NewsNet 1072 July 7, 2025 The U.S. Copyright Office invites you to register to attend the third session in our Copyright Essentials webinar series. The Plot Thickens: Copyright Essentials for Writers will take place on Augus

U.S. Copyright Office Replaces Online Public Catalog with Copyright Public Records System

June 24, 2025

U.S. Copyright Office Replaces Online Public Catalog with Copyright Public Records System NewsNet 1071June 24, 2025 Today, the U.S. Copyright Office is pleased to announce that the Copyright Public Records System (CPRS) has replaced its Online Public Catalog. CPRS provides copyright registration and

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)

Can trade mark law help protect one’s privacy (and stop the spread of embarrassing WhatsApp audio messages)?

August 13, 2025

Italian actor Raoul BovaThe use – and abuse – of IP rights to achieve objectives other than protecting what those rights were originally meant to do is not new. In all of this, however, the interplay between IP and privacy protection is arguably an emerging and still underexplored area.A story that

Not so Scrabulous

August 13, 2025

Originally posted 2012-04-09 17:37:13. Republished by Blog Post PromoterCNET News / Reuters: The makers of Scrabble have asked Facebook to remove a popular online version of the word game, Scrabulous, which they say infringes their copyright. The U.S. and Canada rights to Scrabble are owned by Hasbr

Is it Time to Block the Internet Archive?

August 12, 2025

In a bid to block AI bots, Reddit announced it's also blocking the Internet Archive and the Wayback Machine. Should you follow suit? Source

3 Count: Look at this Murdergram

August 12, 2025

Judge won't halt Anthropic class action lawsuit, IPTV operator loses default judgment and Mike Tyson sued over promo video. Source

Feeling his oats

August 12, 2025

Originally posted 2014-07-16 19:54:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter TMBrandingcap.com brings this quote from John Stuart, former Quaker Oats chairman: If this business were to be split up, I would be glad to take the brands, trademarks and goodwill and you could have all the bricks and mortar –

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