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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 […]

Who’s the Owner: A White Paper on “Improving Copyright Information Management: An Investigation of Options and Areas for Further Research”

The U.S. Copyright Office came to Stanford Law School yesterday to conduct a roundtable on Recordation Reengineering, The Stanford Law School Law and Policy Lab submitted comments and a thoughtful White Paper, and live tweeted the proceeding along with us (see @slspolicylab and @fairlyused). The Law and Policy Lab was represented at the roundtable by Peter Holm, third year law […]

Deadline: April 14th. Public invited to weigh in on orphan works – US Copyright Office

ORPHAN WORKS is red hot again. After a number of failed legislative attempts and a couple of high profile court cases, its back to the drawing board, albeit a better defined drawing board. On the one hand, most everyone agrees that for true orphans, it would be great for us all to be able to […]

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Copyright Case Opinion Summaries

Source: Justia Daily Opinion Summaries (feed)

Energy Intelligence Group, Inc. v. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, LP

Published on: January 15, 2020

EIG, publisher of “Oil Daily,” filed suit alleging numerous instances of copyright infringement and violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) against KA, a boutique investment firm. KA purchased an annual “Oil Daily” subscrip…

Southern Credentialing Support Services, LLC v. Hammond Surgical Hospital, LLC

Published on: January 9, 2020

Southern Credentialing filed suit claiming that Hammond’s ongoing use of credentialing forms infringed Southern Credentialing’s copyrights. The district court granted summary judgment as to the existence of the copyrights and infringement, g…

Great Minds v. Office Depot, Inc.

Published on: December 27, 2019

The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s dismissal, for failure to state a claim, of an action brought by Great Minds, publisher of math curriculum Eureka Math. The complaint alleged a claim of copyright infringement against Office De…

Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC v. Willowood, LLC

Published on: December 18, 2019

Syngenta sued Willowood, a Hong Kong company that sells fungicide to its Oregon-based affiliate, for infringement of patents directed to a fungicide compound and its manufacturing processes and infringement of copyrights for detailed produc…

MGA Entertainment, Inc. v. Mattel, Inc.

Published on: October 29, 2019

This lawsuit stemmed from MGA and Mattel’s dispute over ownership of the Bratz line of dolls and claims of copyright infringement. The Court of Appeal agreed with the trial court that, under California law, the same suspicions that allowed M…

Copyright Case Dockets

Source: Justia Dockets and Filings (feed)

Smart Study Co., Ltd. v. Apple Star Enterprise, et al

January 22, 2020

Filed: January 22, 2020 as 2:2020cv00658

Plaintiff: Smart Study Co., Ltd.

Defendant: Apple Star Enterprise, Does 1-10, inclusive

Cause Of Action: Copyright Infringement

Court: Ninth Circuit › California › US District Court for the Central District of California

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Strike 3 Holdings, LLC

January 22, 2020

Filed: January 22, 2020 as 1:2020cv00482

Plaintiff: Strike 3 Holdings, LLC

Cause Of Action: Copyright Infringement

Court: Seventh Circuit › Illinois › US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Durant v. Coughlin & Co.,Inc et al

January 22, 2020

Filed: January 22, 2020 as 1:2020cv10123

Plaintiff: John Durant

Defendant: Richard H Coughlin, Coughlin & Co.,Inc

Cause Of Action: Copyright Infringement

Court: First Circuit › Massachusetts › US District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

S.A. Music, LLC et al v. Google, LLC et al

January 22, 2020

Filed: January 22, 2020 as 5:2020cv00488

Defendant: Limitless Int. Recordings, Valleyarm Digital Limited, Lenandes, Ltd and others

Plaintiff: William Kolbert, S.A. Music, LLC

Cause Of Action: Copyright Infringement

Court: Ninth Circuit › California › US District Court for the Northern District of California

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Bolden v. Skims Body, Inc. et al

January 22, 2020

Filed: January 22, 2020 as 2:2020cv00365

Plaintiff: Saeed Bolden

Defendant: Kim Kardashian, Skims Body, Inc.

Cause Of Action: Copyright Infringement

Court: Second Circuit › New York › US District Court for the Eastern District of New York

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

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 […]

protect your site from copyright lawsuits

By Mary Minow

Published on: November 16, 2016

Everyone who thought they were protected from copyright lawsuits based on user postings, read this and take action on December 1st 2016 and no later than December 2017. lawofthelevel.com/2016/11/articles/intellectual-property/dont-lose-dmca-safe-harbor-protection/

Happy Birthday – ruling plus full court docket filings

By Mary Minow

Published on: September 25, 2015

Justia has made the full docket of legal filings in the Happy Birthday case available for free online at https://dockets.justia.com/docket/california/cacdce/2:2013cv04460/564772