WASHINGTON, D.C. - (Mealey's) Congress did not exceed its authority in enacting Section 514 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA), which extended protection to foreign works that would otherwise fall into the public domain, a divided U.S. Supreme... Read More
The other week, the 2013 hit song “Blurred Lines” made legal news when a California federal jury slapped singer Robin Thicke and music producer Pharrell Williams with a $7.3 million damage award in a copyright infringement action brought by... Read More
NEW YORK - (Mealey's) A federal judge on March 22 refused to endorse a proposed settlement of copyright infringement allegations surrounding the Google Library Project (GLP) ( Authors Guild, et al. v. Google Inc. , No. 05-Civ-8136, S.D. N.Y.). ... Read More
NEW YORK - (Mealey's) A New York federal judge's determination that YouTube LLC is entitled to safe harbor immunity from copyright infringement claims was largely vacated April 5 by the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, which found that a... Read More
NEW YORK - (Mealey's) Cautioning that "theft of the world's greatest music comes with a stiff price," Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Chairman and CEO Mitch Bainwol confirmed May 12 that a settlement has been reached... Read More
On May 24, the Honorable Catherine D. Perry issued an oral opinion denying S. Victor Whitmill a preliminary injunction in his tattoo copyright suit against Warner Brothers and the Hangover II ( S. Victor Whitmill vs. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. ,... Read More
On September 22, 2015, Chief Judge George H. King of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued a summary judgment ruling declaring invalid Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., and Summy-Birchard, Inc.’s purported copyright to... Read More
Patrick Collins, Inc. has filed a number of Doe suits for copyright infringement of its pornographic films by illegal download. Patrick Collins Inc. is reported to be known as Elegant Angel Productions and was allegedly involved in the copyright troll... Read More
Anthony Dash, a musician, asserted that he was entitled to damages for copyright infringement after Floyd Mayweather, Jr. used a song written by Dash when he entered an arena during a WrestleMania XXIV event. Dash contended that he was never informed... Read More
In a case involving whether the designs on cheerleading uniforms are eligible for copyright protection under the Copyright Act of 1976, the Supreme Court on March 22, 2017, held that an artistic feature of the design of a useful article is eligible for... Read More
On March 19, 2014, Stan Lee Media, Inc., a bankruptcy debtor, filed a petition for writ of certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court. The debtor sought to protect the rights of its shareholders. It alleged that a portion of its stock that related to the copyrights... Read More
According to Gawker.com , Charlie Sheen is attempting to copyright his various catchphrases, including the phrase "Tiger Blood." However, Sheen's a little late to the game as evidenced by a recent filing from Zing Brothers, LLC, owner of... Read More
WASHINGTON, D.C. - (Mealey's) A student accused of copyright infringement prevailed March 19 at the U.S. Supreme Court, which held in a divided ruling that the first sale doctrine applies to lawfully made works manufactured abroad and imported to... Read More
In the story Peter Pan , Peter loses his shadow and is forced to chase it down in order to reattach it. A shadow isn't very substantive, but like any person, Peter wants his back because it is his shadow and his property. We take our shadows for granted... Read More
OAKLAND, Calif. - (Mealey's) After an 11-day trial, a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Nov. 23 determined that Oracle USA Inc. was entitled to $1.3 billion in actual damages in the form of a fair market value... Read More