Not-So-Starry Night for Copyright Applicant: Copyright Office Again Refuses To Register an AI-Generated Image

Written by Mark C. Humphrey On December 11, 2023, the U.S. Copyright Office’s Review Board rejected Ankit Sahni’s request for reconsideration of the Copyright Office’s earlier refusal to register an image created using generative AI. The Office found that the image was created using generative AI software and lacked sufficient human authorship to support registration. This is at least the fourth documented rejection on these … Continue reading Not-So-Starry Night for Copyright Applicant: Copyright Office Again Refuses To Register an AI-Generated Image

No Dancing Around Reversal in Copyright Choreography Case

Written by Brandon E. Hughes In 2022, Choreographer Kyle Hanagami (“Hanagami”) brought suit against video game developer and publisher Epic Games, Inc. (“Epic”), claiming that a virtual animation – known as an “emote” – that Epic sold as downloadable content for its game Fortnite infringed Hanagami’s registered copyright in one of his choreographic works. In August 2022, the United States District Court for the Central … Continue reading No Dancing Around Reversal in Copyright Choreography Case

Better Call Saul Receives ‘Sweet Liberty’ From Trademark Suit

Written by Ian Logan On September 25, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued an opinion and order in JTH Tax LLC v. AMC Networks Inc., et al., Case No. 22-cv-06526, ECF No. 44 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 25, 2023), granting Defendants AMC Networks Inc. (“AMC”) and Sony Pictures Television Inc.’s (“Sony”) motion to dismiss. Applying the test originally set forth … Continue reading Better Call Saul Receives ‘Sweet Liberty’ From Trademark Suit

Of Artificial Intelligence and Untidy Facts: Federal District Court Denies Summary Judgment in AI Copyright Case

Written by Robert H. Rotstein and Eleanor M. Lackman On September 25, 2023, Judge Stephanos Bibas of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, sitting by designation in the District of Delaware, issued an opinion addressing the potential liability of an artificial intelligence startup for training its program using a copyrighted database.  Thomson Reuters Enterprise Centre Gmbh, et al. v. Ross Intelligence Inc., … Continue reading Of Artificial Intelligence and Untidy Facts: Federal District Court Denies Summary Judgment in AI Copyright Case

Not “The Kindest”: Case Between Feuding Friends Over Facebook Post Thrown Out On Fair Use Grounds

Written by Lindsay R. Edelstein On September 14, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a decision in Larson v. Perry, Case No. 1:19-CV-10203-IT, 2023 WL 5985251 (D. Mass. Sept. 14, 2023), dismissing on summary judgment a highly publicized case concerning the short story “The Kindest,” which was inspired by a Facebook post about becoming a living kidney donor. The Court … Continue reading Not “The Kindest”: Case Between Feuding Friends Over Facebook Post Thrown Out On Fair Use Grounds

D.C. Federal Court Says Copyright Office Properly Denied Registration to Artwork Claimed to Be Generated by Artificial Intelligence

Written by James D. Berkley On August 18, 2023, a U.S. federal court for the first time addressed the copyright registrability of works claimed to be generated by computer-based artificial intelligence (“AI”). In Thaler v. Perlmutter, No. 22-1564 (D.D.C. August 18, 2023), Judge Beryl A. Howell ruled that the United States Copyright office had properly denied copyright registration to plaintiff Stephen Thaler, a scientist and … Continue reading D.C. Federal Court Says Copyright Office Properly Denied Registration to Artwork Claimed to Be Generated by Artificial Intelligence

Is Embedding Photos on a Website Copyright Infringement? Ninth Circuit Says No.

Written by Eleanor M. Lackman In Hunley v. Instagram, LLC, — F.4th — (July 17, 2023), the Ninth Circuit thwarted another attempt to outlaw embedding (also called “in-line linking”) of photographs. The court affirmed a district court’s ruling that parties who embedded on their websites photographs from Instagram did not violate the plaintiff photographers’ display right as set forth in 17 U.S.C. §106(5), and accordingly … Continue reading Is Embedding Photos on a Website Copyright Infringement? Ninth Circuit Says No.

AI and Copyright Law: U.S. Copyright Office Announces Public Webinar

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) raises many fundamental copyright law questions about copyrightability, ownership, rights and enforcement. In light of the myriad questions that AI raises in the copyright world, we are excited to share an upcoming webinar that may be of great interest. The U.S. Copyright Office has announced a free virtual, public webinar on June 28, 2023 at 2pm ET, focused on the current … Continue reading AI and Copyright Law: U.S. Copyright Office Announces Public Webinar

Copyright Office Offers New Guidance for Registering Works Using AI-Generated Materials

Written by Robert H. Rotstein and James Berkley Today (March 16, 2023), the U.S. Copyright Office issued a statement clarifying its practices for examining and registering works containing material generated through use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) technology.  Published in the Federal Register, and available at this link, the statement offers public guidance for registration of works that embody, either wholly or in part, materials generated … Continue reading Copyright Office Offers New Guidance for Registering Works Using AI-Generated Materials

Foreign-Based Infringers Beware: You May Be Within Reach of The Federal Long-Arm Statute

Written by Sofia Castillo Last week, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued another opinion on when U.S. federal courts may exercise specific personal jurisdiction over foreign-based sites sued for copyright infringement. Will Co. Ltd. v. Ka Yeung Lee, No. 21-35617 (Aug. 31, 2022), was published a few weeks after Lang Van, Inc. v. VNG Corporation, 40 F.4th 1034 (9th Cir. 2022) and two … Continue reading Foreign-Based Infringers Beware: You May Be Within Reach of The Federal Long-Arm Statute