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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)

Stovall v. Jefferson Cnty. Bd. of Education

Published on: January 14, 2026

A Kentucky high school intended to administer a mental-health survey to its students. Concerned about the survey’s contents, a parent requested a copy under the Kentucky Open Records Act, aiming to share it with other parents and reporters. …

Vetter v. Resnik

Published on: January 12, 2026

Two individuals, Vetter and Smith, co-wrote the song “Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love)” in 1962 and assigned all copyright interests to Windsong Music Publishers in 1963, including a contingent assignment of renewal rights. After Smith died i…

Athos Overseas Limited Corp. v. YouTube, Inc.

Published on: January 7, 2026

Athos Overseas Limited owns copyrights to numerous classic Mexican and Latin American films. The company discovered that its copyrighted films were posted on YouTube without authorization. Athos sent multiple takedown notices to YouTube, whi…

YONAY V. PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORPORATION

Published on: January 2, 2026

Two individuals who are heirs to the author of a 1983 magazine article about the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, known as “Top Gun,” brought suit against a film studio. They alleged that a 2022 film, which is a sequel to an earlie…

Smart Study Co., LTD v. Shenzhenshixindajixieyouxiangongsi

Published on: December 18, 2025

A South Korean entertainment company that owns trademarks for the popular “Baby Shark” song and related products brought a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against dozens of China-based busine…

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. 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.

Group Registration for Two-Dimensional Artwork Final Rule

December 19, 2025

Group Registration for Two-Dimensional Artwork Final Rule

NewsNet 1078
December 19, 2025

The U.S. Copyright Office has created a new group registration option known as Group Registration for Two-Dimensional Artwork, or GR2D, to allow artists to register a group of published two-dimensional artworks by submitting a deposit comprising one complete digital copy of each work within the group. The final rule expands the registration options currently available to artists and permits the registration of multiple works with a single application and one filing fee.

The final rule also announces a new online registration application for this group option. The proposed rule would have allowed applicants to register up to ten works published within a thirty-day period. Based on commenters’ input and to facilitate broader participation in the registration system, the final rule permits applicants to register up to twenty works, where all works within the group were first published within the same calendar year.

The final rule takes effect on February 17, 2026, to coincide with the expected completion of related system development and educational resources. The Office will issue an additional public announcement when this option is available to applicants. For more information, please visit the Copyright Office website.

Copyright Legislative Developments: H.R.6612

December 12, 2025

Bill Recently Introduced

H.R.6612- Defense Civilian Faculty Copyright Act of 2025 Act, introduced 12/11/2025.

To amend title 17, United States Code, to provide for the royalty-free use by Federal Government of literary works produced by civilian faculty members of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in the course of such employment, and for other purposes.

Copyright Legislative Developments: H.R.6028

November 20, 2025

Bill Recently Introduced

H.R.6028 - Legislative Branch Agencies Clarification Act, introduced 11/12/2025

To modify the appointment and removal process for certain legislative branch officers, and for other purposes.

Copyright Legislative Developments: H.R.5664 and S.3068

November 14, 2025

Bills Recently Introduced

H.R.5664 - Living Wage for Musicians Act of 2025, introduced 09/30/2025

To establish the Artist Compensation Royalty Fund, and for other purposes.

S.3068 - FARM Act, introduced 10/28/2025

To require original equipment manufacturers to make available certain documentation, parts, software, and tools with respect to farm equipment, and for other purposes.

Copyright Office News

Source: Copyright.gov (feed)

Copyright Office Releases Updated Version of Copyright Registration and Recordations Bulk Dataset

January 22, 2026

Copyright Office Releases Updated Version of Copyright Registration and Recordations Bulk Dataset NewsNet 1080 January 22, 2026 Today, the U.S. Copyright Office is releasing an updated version of its copyright registration and recordations bulk dataset. This is the first major update since the Offi

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

January 8, 2026

U.S. Copyright Office Announces Webinar on Copyright Essentials for Filmmakers NewsNet 1079January 8, 2026 The U.S. Copyright Office invites you to register to attend the upcoming online webinar, Lights, Camera, Action: Copyright Essentials for Filmmakers, on February 4 at 1:00 p.m. eastern time. Th

Group Registration for Two-Dimensional Artwork Final Rule

December 19, 2025

Group Registration for Two-Dimensional Artwork Final Rule NewsNet 1078 December 19, 2025 The U.S. Copyright Office has created a new group registration option known as Group Registration for Two-Dimensional Artwork, or GR2D, to allow artists to register a group of published two-dimensional artworks

U.S. Copyright Office Fully Operational Following Government Reopening

November 14, 2025

U.S. Copyright Office Fully Operational Following Government Reopening NewsNet 1077 November 14, 2025 The U.S. Copyright Office is fully operational following the reopening of the federal government. The Office has resumed all services and continues to administer U.S. copyright law, including regist

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

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)

3 Count: International Edition

January 22, 2026

Malaysia plans to introduce a new AI bill. Swedish IPTV crackdown exposes nearly 5K subscribers. Singaporean karaoke lounge fined $16K. Source

If this is the TTAB, that must not be fraud

January 22, 2026

Originally posted 2018-03-20 19:11:54. Republished by Blog Post PromoterMostly by way of linking to posts by John Welch, I have for years been following the post-Bose decline of fraud on the PTO as successful grounds for opposition or cancellation forever. Having recently filed answers to fraud-ori

Why We Need Tech Lawyers to Shine Again

January 22, 2026

Text from my editorial in IIC. In courtrooms across the globe, a quiet crisis is brewing. As the number of artificial intelligence copyright litigations increases, judges are being asked to decide the fate of technologies that often operate in dimensions the human mind struggles to visualise accurat

The Fight Over Paid Video Game Mods

January 21, 2026

CD Projekt Red removed a paid VR mod for Cyberpunk 2077. However, it's just the latest chapter in the bizarre history of video game modding. Source

Never Too Late: If you missed the IPKat last week!

January 21, 2026

2026 is well underway. Missed IPKat last week? Here’s your catch‑up:Graphic by Riana HarveyCopyrightSöğüt Atilla‑Aydın walked us through a recent Ninth Circuit case on tattoos and photographs in which a judicial concern about the intrinsic copyright infringement test has been raised.Patents and SPCs

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 […]