Middle Earth in the Digital Age: How Far Do Copyrights Go?
For those of you who finished the recent Hobbit film trilogy wondering when they’d see Middle Earth on the big screen again, don’t hold your breath. As far as bad…
The Blurred Lines of Music Sampling
Sampling, repurposing a snippet of another musician’s music, is an integral part of contemporary music, especially in hip-hop and R&B. Such songs by artists gain immensely popularity, and many of…
Fashion Copyright and the Muddle of the Useful Articles Doctrine
“The law in this area is a mess—and it has been for a long time.” Such was the dissent’s blunt assessment of the state of copyright law as applied to…
Toy Story 3D
Toy companies nationwide have begun to take note of a new threat: 3D printing. With the advent and development of 3D printing technology, scholars and businesses fear that the toy…
Uber Stole My Idea! An Overview of Kevin Halpern v. Uber Technologies
Uber Technologies Inc. has had, and continues to have, its fair share of legal problems. Recently, two women have filed a lawsuit claiming they were sexually assaulted by Uber drivers.…
The “Dancing Baby” Case Decision Sets Fair Use Guideline
People from all over the world share videos daily on YouTube and other video sharing platforms that may include media-rights. The recent decision in the “dancing baby” case, which features…
Copyright opportunities from a JIPEL alumnus
Andrew Moore, NYU ’15, emails us with some great opportunities for students and young lawyers interested in copyright law: My name is Andrew Moore and I am a recent…
Do We Really Care About the Copyrightability of Single Words?
Most copyright scholars will tell you that single words are non-copyrightable. The rationale for this is obvious: permitting copyrightability of such utterances would lead to bizarre forms of monopoly where…
Attending Copyright Society’s Copyright and Collaborative Works Event
The Copyright Society of the USA’s New York chapter held a lunch event titled “Copyright and Collaborative Works” at the Princeton Club in Manhattan. The Copyright Society holds events throughout…
A Not So Happy Birthday
The companies that have been collecting royalties on the “Happy Birthday” song for the past 80 years will be singing a different tune this year. According to federal judge George…