To put it mildly, the relationship between the copyright owners of popular works of fiction and the creators of fanfiction has always been… complicated. Some copyright holders wholeheartedly support it. Others have denounced it, wanting to retain total control over...
AI and copyright are far from new themes in September 2023. You have likely heard about multiple cases on the nature of AI-generated work and how copyright law may (or may not) apply. A recent ruling on a completely AI-fabricated piece of artwork advanced this...
The fashion retailer Shein is known for its constant waterfall of online clothing listings. Shein enthusiasts are known to scroll the app like they would social media, gazing upon absurdly cheap outfits, shoes, and home decor. But if you are at all familiar with...
At this point, it should come as no surprise that the internet is the Wild West of intellectual property law. Between AI-generated content and complex layers of transmitting other people’s ideas, it can prove difficult to draw the lines of copyright ownership,...
Generally speaking, if you purchase an item you have the right to resell it. This is an actual intellectual property law called the first sale doctrine. Here is how it is defined: “The first sale doctrine, codified at 17 U.S.C. § 109, provides that an individual who...
Sometimes, thankfully, intellectual property law proves to be downright comical. The case we examine this week taps the funny bone and reads like the setup of a joke: How many artists does it take to duct tape a banana to a wall? To be more specific, how many artists...
Imagine that you are the landlord of an elderly, reclusive tenant who has been with you for decades. Right before the tenant dies, he is moved to a nursing home and tells you he does not need anything from his apartment. It is all “yours.” He certainly does not give...
Some may know British singer Rick Astley from his performance of 1987 hit song “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Or from the song’s internet phenomenon resurgence in 2007, rising to one billion views on YouTube by 2021. However, in January of this year, Astley and the famed...