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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)

Compulife Software Inc. v. Moses Newman

Published on: August 1, 2024

Compulife Software, Inc. created software to generate life insurance quotes using a proprietary database of insurance rates. The defendants, Moses Newman, Aaron Levy, Binyomin Rutstein, and David Rutstein, were accused of copying Compulife’s…

D’Pergo Custom Guitars, Inc. v. Sweetwater Sound, Inc.

Published on: July 30, 2024

D’Pergo Custom Guitars, Inc. sued Sweetwater Sound, Inc. for using a photo of D’Pergo’s guitar necks on Sweetwater’s website. D’Pergo claimed copyright infringement under the Copyright Act, trademark infringement under the Lanham Act, and a …

Affordable Aerial Photography, Inc. v. Property Matters USA, LLC

Published on: July 30, 2024

Affordable Aerial Photography, Inc. (AAP) filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Property Matters USA, LLC (Property Matters) and Home Junction Inc. (Home Junction) in the Southern District of Florida. AAP alleged that Property Matte…

Canadian Standards Association v. P.S. Knight Company Limited

Published on: July 16, 2024

The case involves the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), a Canadian not-for-profit corporation that holds Canadian copyrights for various model codes. CSA alleged that P.S. Knight Company, Limited, PS Knight Americas, Incorporated, and Go…

Motorola Solutions, Inc. v. Hytera Communications Corporation Ltd.

Published on: July 2, 2024

This case involves a dispute between Motorola Solutions, Inc. and Hytera Communications Corporation Ltd., two global competitors in the market for two-way radio systems. After struggling to develop its own competing products, Hytera poached …

Copyright Case Dockets

Source: Justia Dockets and Filings (feed)

Strike 3 Holdings, LLC v. John Doe

July 30, 2024

Filed: July 30, 2024 as 2:2024cv11980

Defendant: John Doe

Plaintiff: Strike 3 Holdings, LLC

Cause Of Action: 17 U.S.C. § 101 Copyright Infringement

Court: Sixth Circuit › Michigan › US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Strike 3 Holdings, LLC v. John Doe

July 30, 2024

Filed: July 30, 2024 as 2:2024cv11978

Defendant: John Doe

Plaintiff: Strike 3 Holdings, LLC

Cause Of Action: 17 U.S.C. § 101 Copyright Infringement

Court: Sixth Circuit › Michigan › US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Strike 3 Holdings, LLC v. John Doe

July 30, 2024

Filed: July 30, 2024 as 2:2024cv11979

Plaintiff: Strike 3 Holdings, LLC

Defendant: John Doe

Cause Of Action: 17 U.S.C. § 101 Copyright Infringement

Court: Sixth Circuit › Michigan › US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Strike 3 Holdings, LLC v. John Doe

July 30, 2024

Filed: July 30, 2024 as 2:2024cv11976

Plaintiff: Strike 3 Holdings, LLC

Defendant: John Doe

Cause Of Action: 17 U.S.C. § 101 Copyright Infringement

Court: Sixth Circuit › Michigan › US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Strike 3 Holdings, LLC v. John Doe

July 30, 2024

Filed: July 30, 2024 as 2:2024cv11977

Defendant: John Doe

Plaintiff: Strike 3 Holdings, LLC

Cause Of Action: 17 U.S.C. § 101 Copyright Infringement

Court: Sixth Circuit › Michigan › US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Type: Intellectual Property › Copyright

Copyright Legislation

Source: Copyright.gov (feed)

Copyright Legislative Developments: S.835 & H.R.1631

March 31, 2023

Bills Recently Introduced

S.835 - Pro Codes Act, introduced 03/16/2023.

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.

H.R.1631 - Pro Codes Act, introduced 03/17/2023.

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: H.R.791

March 2, 2023

Bill Recently Introduced

H.R.791 - American Music Fairness Act of 2023, introduced 02/02/2023.

To amend title 17, United States Code, to provide fair treatment of radio stations and artists for the use of sound recordings, and for other purposes.

Copyright Legislative Developments: S.253

February 17, 2023

Bill Recently Introduced

S.253 - American Music Fairness Act , introduced 02/02/2023.

To amend title 17, United States Code, to provide fair treatment of radio stations and artists for the use of sound recordings, and for other purposes.

Copyright Legislative Developments: H.R.576

February 10, 2023

Bill Recently Introduced

H.R.576 - Copyright Clause Restoration Act of 2023, introduced 1/26/2023.

To address the duration of copyright, and for other purposes.

Copyright Legislative Developments: H.R.7776

December 23, 2022

Bill Signed Into Law

H.R.7776 - James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Includes sec. 6306: Copyright protection for civilian faculty of the National Intelligence University). December 23, 2022.

Copyright Office News

Source: Copyright.gov (feed)

U.S. Copyright Office Extends Deadline for New Exemption Petitions in Section 1201 Rulemaking

July 5, 2023

U.S. Copyright Office Extends Deadline for New Exemption Petitions in Section 1201 Rulemaking NewsNet 1011July 5, 2023 The U.S. Copyright Office is extending the deadline to submit petitions for new exemptions in the ninth triennial rulemaking proceeding under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (D

Copyright Office Announces Online Webinar Exploring Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Copyright around the World

June 28, 2023

Copyright Office Announces Online Webinar Exploring Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Copyright around the World NewsNet 1010June 28, 2023 Today, the U.S. Copyright Office is announcing a public webinar on July 26, 2023, on international copyright issues arising from artificial intelligence (AI)

U.S. Copyright Office Celebrates First Year of the Copyright Claims Board

June 26, 2023

U.S. Copyright Office Celebrates First Year of the Copyright Claims Board NewsNet 1009June 26, 2023 This June, the United States Copyright Office celebrates the first full year of operation of the Copyright Claims Board (CCB). The CCB is a first-of-its-kind small claims forum to resolve certain copy

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

June 8, 2023

U.S. Copyright Office Announces Start of Ninth Triennial Rulemaking Proceeding Under Section 1201 NewsNet 1008June 8, 2023 The Copyright Office has published a notice of inquiry and request for petitions initiating the ninth triennial rulemaking proceeding under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act

Copyright Office Announces Online Webinar on Application Process for Registration of Works with Artificial Intelligence-Generated Content

June 1, 2023

Copyright Office Announces Online Webinar on Application Process for Registration of Works with Artificial Intelligence-Generated Content NewsNet 1007June 1, 2023 Today, the U.S. Copyright Office is announcing a virtual, public webinar on June 28, 2023, on current Office guidance related to applying

Copyright Regulations

Source: Justia Regulation Tracker (feed)

Rule - Determination of Adjustment to Administrative Assessment to Fund Mechanical Licensing Collective

October 5, 2023

The Copyright Royalty Judges publish final regulations that adjust the amounts and terms of the Administrative Assessment To fund the Mechanical Licensing Collective.

Proposed Rule - Determination of Royalty Rates and Terms for Making Ephemeral Copies of Sound Recordings for Transmission to Business Establishments (Business Establishments IV)

October 4, 2023

The Copyright Royalty Judges solicit comments on proposed rates and terms for the making of ephemeral copies of sound recordings to facilitate digital audio transmissions of those sound recordings to business establishments pursuant to the limitation on exclusive rights specified by the Copyright Ac

Rule - Determination of Royalty Rates and Terms for Making and Distributing Phonorecords (Phonorecords III)

August 10, 2023

The Copyright Royalty Judges announce their final determination after remand of the rates and terms for making and distributing phonorecords for the period beginning January 1, 2018, and ending on December 31, 2022.

Notice - Determination of Adjustment to Administrative Assessment To Fund Mechanical Licensing Collective

June 30, 2023

The Copyright Royalty Judges announce commencement of a proceeding to determine an adjustment to the administrative assessment that digital music providers and any significant nonblanket licensees must pay to fund the operations of the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC); set the date by which the

Rule - Determination of Rates and Terms for Public Broadcasting (PB IV)

June 28, 2023

The Copyright Royalty Judges publish final regulations that set rates and terms for use of certain works in connection with noncommercial broadcasting for the period from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2027.

Copyright Blogs

Source: Justia BlawgSearch (feed)

Microsoft Office for Windows or Mac is just $25 right now

August 1, 2024

This deal on a lifetime license to Microsoft Office 2019 for Windows or Mac gives you access to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more for 89% off.

OpenAI and Microsoft - partners, competitors, or both?

August 1, 2024

Although Microsoft has shelled out lots of money toward OpenAI's AI research, the two companies compete in a few core areas, blurring the lines between what it means to be a rival or ally in the tech world.

Google introduces Bigtable SQL access and Spanner's new AI-ready features

August 1, 2024

Google's latest updates bring SQL to Bigtable and powerful new data features to Spanner, simplifying the integration of AI and enhancing the capabilities of global, scalable databases for enterprises.

The OnePlus Open is getting a red 'Crimson Shadow' variant, and I'm worried for Samsung

August 1, 2024

The OnePlus Open Apex Edition will feature 'enhanced storage,' new AI image editing features, and likely more RAM.

This WatchOS 11 feature fixed my biggest pain point with the Apple Watch

August 1, 2024

Automatic sleep tracking might not be the biggest talking point of WatchOS 11, but it's a quality-of-life upgrade for users like myself. Here's why.

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 […]