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U. S. Supreme Court Will Decide What It Means to “Register” a Copyright
In this 2018-19 term, the United States Supreme Court will hear arguments on an issue that has long divided copyright attorneys and the courts that hear their cases. Under the Copyright Law, Section 411(a), a copyright owner may not bring an infringe...
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The State Can Plunder Your Copyright: Allen v. Cooper
In 1710, during the reign of Queen Anne, Great Britain’s Parliament enacted the statute that gave rise to copyright as we know it—the Statute of Anne—which was the first statute to declare that the subject matter of copyright would be regulated by th...
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Replacement Parts Manufacturer Gets Burned: Music City Metals Co., Inc. v. Jingchang Cai
Music City Metals (MCM) built a thriving business designing and selling replacement parts for name-brand BBQ grills. Too good, it turns out, as a number of foreign competitors also jumped into the game, copying MCM’s own replacement parts and selling...
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Copyright and Software: Oracle v. Google
In the blockbuster case of Oracle v. Google, the Federal Circuit has once again questioned the role of juries in deciding technical issues, this time in the context of fair use of copyrighted software. Oracle sued Google in 2010 after acquiring Sun M...
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Copyright Office Rule Changes—Maintaining DMCA Safe Harbor Immunity Requires New Registration
The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) provides limited safe-harbor immunity from copyright infringement claims to certain types of websites and other online service providers. Earlier this year, we blogged regarding the need for such providers...
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Sis Boom Bah? Cheerleading Uniforms and Copyright Protection—Star Athletica Case Decided!
Can a cheerleader uniform containing combinations of elements like chevrons, lines, stripes, and angles be protected by copyright? Well, the Supreme Court addressed this exact issue on March 22, 2017, in the case of Star Athletica, L.L.C. v. Varsity...
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