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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.

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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)

Arkeyo LLC v Saggezza, Inc.

Published on: July 30, 2026

Two software development companies became involved in a dispute after a UK bank, Metro Bank PLC, hired one company, Arkeyo LLC, to create software for its coin-counting machines. Years later, as Arkeyo’s product became outdated, Metro Bank e…

Hayden v. Koons

Published on: July 21, 2026

An American artist created a Styrofoam sculpture in Italy in the late 1980s and sold it to a production company owned by a well-known Italian adult film star and politician. About a year later, another artist, internationally recognized for …

4DD HOLDINGS, LLC v. US

Published on: July 16, 2026

The dispute centers on the government’s use of TETRA® software, developed by 4DD Holdings, LLC. The Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs sought to improve data interoperability for healthcare records and decided to purcha…

Dmarcian, Inc. v. DMARC Advisor BV

Published on: July 10, 2026

An American software company based in North Carolina and a Dutch company entered into a business relationship that later soured. The American company alleged that the Dutch company stole its brand name, software code, and customer base. The …

Dmarcian, Inc. v. Millen

Published on: July 10, 2026

A North Carolina software company initiated a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina against its former business partner, a Dutch entity, after their business relationship dissolved. The plaint…

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: H.R.9112

June 24, 2026

Bill Recently Introduced

H.R.9112 -Creative Rights Ensuring Artists’ Technique and Originality are Reserved Act, or the CREATOR Act, introduced 6/2/2026.

To provide visuals artists the exclusive right to authorize the commercial exploitation, or public distribution in or affecting interstate commerce of a stylistic impersonation of that visual artist, and for other purposes.

Copyright Legislative Developments: S.4784

June 17, 2026

Bill Recently Introduced

S.4784 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027, introduced 6/15/2026.

To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes. Includes provision to amend section 105 of Title 17.

Copyright Legislative Developments: S.4591

June 1, 2026

Bill Recently Introduced

S.4591- NO FAKES Act of 2026, introduced 5/20/2026.

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

Copyright Legislative Developments: S.4145

March 27, 2026

Bill Recently Introduced

S.4145 - Pro Codes Act of 2026, introduced 3/19/2026.

To amend title 17, United States Code, to reaffirm the importance of, and include requirements for, works incorporated by reference into law, and for other purposes.

Copyright Legislative Developments: S.3813

February 25, 2026

Bill Recently Introduced

S.3813 - Copyright Labeling and Ethical AI Reporting Act, or the CLEAR Act, introduced 2/10/2026.

To require a notice be submitted to the Register of Copyrights with respect to copyrighted works used in building generative artificial intelligence models, and for other purposes.

Copyright Office News

Source: Copyright.gov (feed)

U.S. Copyright Office Submits Proposed Fee Schedule and Analysis to Congress

July 14, 2026

U.S. Copyright Office Submits Proposed Fee Schedule and Analysis to Congress NewsNet 1090 July 14, 2026 The Copyright Office has submitted to Congress a proposed new fee schedule for Copyright Office services, along with a supporting analysis, in accordance with copyright law. This is the first chan

U.S. Copyright Office Announces Copyright Essentials: Copyright 101 Webinar

June 23, 2026

U.S. Copyright Office Announces Copyright Essentials: Copyright 101 Webinar NewsNet 1089June 23, 2026 The U.S. Copyright Office invites you to register to attend the upcoming online webinar, “Copyright Essentials: Copyright 101,” on Wednesday, July 15 at 1:00 p.m. eastern time. This event is the lat

U.S. Copyright Office Announces Start of Tenth Triennial Rulemaking Proceeding Under Section 1201

June 9, 2026

U.S. Copyright Office Announces Start of Tenth Triennial Rulemaking Proceeding Under Section 1201 NewsNet 1088June 9, 2026 The Copyright Office has published a notice of inquiry and request for petitions initiating the tenth triennial rulemaking proceeding under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act

U.S. Copyright Office Issues Final Rule Redesignating Mechanical Licensing Collective and Digital Licensee Coordinator Under the Music Modernization Act

June 3, 2026

U.S. Copyright Office Issues Final Rule Redesignating Mechanical Licensing Collective and Digital Licensee Coordinator Under the Music Modernization Act NewsNet 1087June 03, 2026 The Register has determined that the existing designations of the entities serving as the mechanical licensing collective

U.S. Copyright Office Proposes an Amendment to the Group Registration Option for Updates to News Websites

May 28, 2026

U.S. Copyright Office Proposes an Amendment to the Group Registration Option for Updates to News Websites NewsNet 1086 May 28, 2026 The U.S. Copyright Office proposes an amendment to the group registration option for frequently updated news websites. The Group Registration for Updates to a News Webs

Copyright Regulations

Source: Justia Regulation Tracker (feed)

Copyright Blogs

Source: Justia BlawgSearch (feed)

New Strike 3 Holdings Lawsuits in the Northern District of California – Strong Privacy Protections from Multiple Judges

August 12, 2026

By Attorney Jeffrey Antonelli, Antonelli Law | August 2026 Strike 3 Holdings Northern District of California cases have been filed in a new wave of “John Doe” copyright infringement lawsuits. These cases were primarily filed on July 24 and July 27, 2026, and target individuals identified only by IP

Bangladesh’s 325-Paper Retraction Crisis

August 12, 2026

A recent article exposed a widespread issue of Bangladeshi researchers having their papers retracted. However, the bigger issue may be accountability. Source

3 Count: AI Overview

August 12, 2026

French publishers target Google AI summaries, Vietnamese singer arrested for copyright infringement and new wave of site blocking in France. Source

How to Prove That Your Writing is Not AI

August 11, 2026

Authors are increasingly facing allegations of using AI to generate their work. How do you prove that your writing is human? Here are some tools to help. Source

3 Count: Alien Superstar

August 11, 2026

Beyoncé hit sued over alleged unlicensed sample, South Korea reverses ban on AI-assisted music and GMR settles with Music Choice. Source

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 […]