Technological Innovations do not Negate the Fundamental Principles of Copyright Law and the Fair Use Doctrine

As we are all currently witnessing with the rise of generative artificial intelligence and its effects on traditional media, the advent of novel technology causes ripples throughout society at large, including the law, as it raises serious questions about the protections owed to creative expression. However, as the Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently held

Cowan DeBaets & Co-Counsel File Federal Class Action Copyright Infringement Suit Against Anthropic on Behalf of Authors For Taking and Exploiting Pirated Books

On August 19, 2024, Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard, LLP, Lieff Cabraser, and Susman Godfrey, LLP filed a federal class action copyright infringement lawsuit in the Northern District of California on behalf of a class of authors of an array of works of fiction and nonfiction against Anthropic PBC.   AI-company Anthropic released the first

AI ART MODEL CREATES INTERESTING DRAWINGS AND COPYRIGHT PROBLEMS

Craiyon (formerly known as DALL-E mini) is an AI-powered art model that draws collages of images based on, literally, “any prompt” entered by a user. The model’s developers have explained that it was “trained by looking at millions of images from the internet with their associated captions” and that “[o]ver time, it learns how to

Second Circuit Finds Warhol Artwork of Prince Infringing: Drawing a Line Between Infringing Derivative Works and Transformative Fair Use with Appropriation Art

Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith, 992 F.3d 99 (2d Cir.), opinion withdrawn and superseded on reh’g sub nom. Andy Warhol Found. for Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith, 11 F.4th 26 (2d Cir. 2021) The Second Circuit recently upheld its earlier March 26 decision in Warhol v. Goldsmith, following the recent Supreme Court

Ninth Circuit corrects the record on de minimis use in photograph dispute

The Ninth Circuit recently clarified that the de minimis use defense (meaning too minor to constitute an infringement) is not an affirmative defense in a copyright infringement case involving an identical use of a photograph, reversing a finding in favor of the defendant asserting the defense.  Instead, the court stressed that an inquiry into de

#BlackTikTokStrike: How TikTok Dance Creators Can Begin to Protect Their Choreographic Works

The hashtag “BlackTikTokStrike” has been viewed more than six million times on TikTok, a free video-sharing-focused social networking service. TikTok has created superstars like Addison Rae and Charli D’Amelio, but these stars have mostly been white women and girls, and they have often gained notoriety and received millions of views by parroting dance routines primarily

Copyright Preempts Right of Publicity: SDNY rules against “Stuttering John” favoring copyright over publicity rights in Melendez v. Sirius XM Radio

In a clash between a radio personality’s right of publicity claim and a satellite radio’s copyright claim, the Southern District of New York recently dismissed John Melendez’s complaint against Sirius XM Radio alleging violation of California statutory and common law rights of publicity, holding that the promotion and rebroadcasting of his radio shows was preempted

Legal Drama over Docudramas: New York Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Film Producer in Porco v. Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC

On June 24, a New York appeals court ruled in favor of docudrama makers in Porco v. Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC,clarifying when filmmakers and producers who make unauthorized use of an individual’s name or likeness are shielded from liability under New York’s statutory right of publicity. The decision is a victory for First Amendment advocates

Navigating NFTs: Considering Best Practices and Avoiding Pitfalls

All of a sudden, no one can talk about anything but NFTs!  For those people who have used up all of their tech tolerance on Zoom meetings this year, understanding this latest frenzy can seem like an insurmountable task.  But FOMO tends to be very motivational!  Given that the value of the crypto art market

Congress Passes CASE Act Ushering in Crucial Copyright Reform

On December 21, 2020, Congress passed the long-awaited Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019 (the “CASE Act”), as part of its omnibus spending and COVID-19 relief bill, H.R. 133. The law was enacted on December 27, 2020 and is poised to reform copyright litigation in the United States in the coming year, creating