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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)

Cortes-Ramos v. Martin-Morales

Published on: June 12, 2026

After participating in a songwriting contest co-sponsored by Sony and a well-known Puerto Rican singer, the plaintiff submitted an original song and accompanying music video for consideration. Upon advancing as a finalist, the plaintiff was …

Deque Systems Inc. v. Browserstack, Inc.

Published on: June 5, 2026

Deque Systems Inc., a company specializing in web accessibility software, developed and registered multiple versions of its DevTools and Rules Help Pages products. To access these, users agreed not to copy, reverse-engineer, or otherwise mis…

Lil’ Joe Records, Inc. v. Won

Published on: June 2, 2026

Members of the rap group 2 Live Crew, including Mark Ross, created five albums between 1986 and 1989. Through a written agreement, the group assigned the sound recording copyrights to Luke Records, a company owned by one of the group’s membe…

Estate of Worrell v. Thang, Inc.

Published on: May 27, 2026

George Bernard Worrell, Jr., a foundational member and arranger for the musical group Parliament-Funkadelic, collaborated with George Clinton and Thang, Inc. from 1969 to 1981. In 1976, Worrell was presented with a contract (the “1976 Agreem…

Great Bowery Inc. v. Consequence Sound LLC

Published on: May 5, 2026

A renowned photographer entered into a 2014 agreement with a licensing agency, granting it the exclusive worldwide right to license, market, and promote certain of her images. However, she reserved for herself the right to collaborate with o…

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.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 Legislative Developments: H.R.7209

January 23, 2026

Bill Recently Introduced

H.R.7209- Transparency and Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence Networks Act, or the TRAIN Act, introduced 1/22/2026.

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: S. 3517

January 12, 2026

Bill Recently Introduced

S. 3517- Visual Artists Copyright Reform Act of 2025, introduced 12/17/2025.

To amend title 17, United States Code, to reform copyright laws relating to visual artists.

Copyright Office News

Source: Copyright.gov (feed)

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

U.S. Copyright Office Issues a Notice of Inquiry on Possible Alternative Fee Structures for ECS Registration

March 26, 2026

U.S. Copyright Office Issues a Notice of Inquiry on Possible Alternative Fee Structures for ECS Registration NewsNet 1085 MARCH 26, 2026 The Copyright Office has issued a notice of inquiry (NOI) to gather public input on possible alternative fee structures for its registration services that could be

U.S. Copyright Office Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Adjustments to Fee Schedule

March 19, 2026

U.S. Copyright Office Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Adjustments to Fee Schedule NewsNet 1084March 19, 2026 The Copyright Office is publishing a notice of proposed rulemaking requesting public comment on proposed changes to its fee schedule. Congress authorized the Register of Copyrights to set an

Copyright Regulations

Source: Justia Regulation Tracker (feed)

Copyright Blogs

Source: Justia BlawgSearch (feed)

The Problem with Collecting CCB Damages

February 2, 2026

The Copyright Claims Board (CCB) first opened in June 2022. One of the first claims to be filed there (the twelfth according to the docket number) was the case of Benjamin Bronner vs. EssayZoo. I discussed the case in more detail when it was filed, but a quick summary is that Bronner is a universit

3 Count: Evil Genie

February 2, 2026

US government asks Supreme Court not to take AI art case, Danish students to face lawsuits over pirated textbooks, and Google's new AI tool sparks takedowns. Source

Use of AI in the patent industry: Are you behind the wheel or waiting for the bus?

February 2, 2026

It took a global pandemic to move some patent firms away from paper files. Today, it seems that patent attorneys are finally entering modernity with the growing adoption in the industry of automation tools for patent drafting and prosecution case management. Interestingly, much of this is being sold

Black History Month Program: 1913 Federal Mann Act: Prosecution of Jack Johnson

February 2, 2026

On February 11, 2026 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, in collaboration with the Federal Bar Association Chicago Chapter and the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc., is hosting what promises to be an interesting and timel

Does Being Interested In Whether AI Can Be An Author Make For An “Interested Person”?

February 1, 2026

The Thinker: Rodin 1904CIPPIC has filed an interesting and apparently unprecedented Federal Court application claiming standing as an “interested person” with respect to a Canadian copyright registration for a work entitled SURYAST in which an AI program is named as a co-author. CIPPIC says on its w

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 […]