Is Marilyn Monroe Generic?
Marilyn Monroe was—and continues to be—one of the most iconic actresses in the world. And while there is no doubt that Marilyn Monroe is a household name, is it possible…
3D Printing as a Copyright Infringement
South Africa has achieved another technological milestone. The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s renewable energy laboratory recently constructed one of Africa’s largest 3D printers. With the emerging market for 3D printing, there…
The Raiders Are Likely Moving to Las Vegas, but Who’s Paying for It?
After several years of speculation, it appears that the NFL is finally ready to gamble on the Las Vegas market. In January 2017, the Oakland Raiders filed relocation papers with…
Sports Blackout Rules in the Age of Cord-Cutting
Watching sports on television used to be a simple proposition. You had a basic cable package that let you to watch your local team on its television partner’s channel and…
Capitol Records, LLC v. ReDigi Inc. and the Future of Digital Resale
In 2013, the Southern District of New York decided a case, Capitol Records, LLC v. ReDigi Inc., that effectively eliminated a consumer’s ability to resell lawfully owned digital goods. Now…
Disparaging Trademarks and Free Speech – Will the Supreme Court Strike Down the Disparagement Clause?
15 U.S.C. 1052(a) and its validity was examined in Lee v. Tam. The question is, will the Supreme Court strike it down? The statute in question is the “disparagement provision” of…
Artists Urging Reforms of the DMCA Safe Harbor: ‘Our Culture Is At Stake’
Last month, T Bone Burnett, a legendary musician, songwriter, and record producer, submitted a five-minute video to the U.S. Copyright Office calling for reforms in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act…
Stephanie Lenz, the Dancing Baby, and the Changing Landscape of Fair Use on YouTube
Last month marked the 10-year anniversary of the day that Stephanie Lenz uploaded a twenty-nine second clip of her one-year-old dancing to YouTube. The seemingly innocent video picked up very…
Trademark Litigation in the Shadow of B&B Hardware
In 2015, the Supreme Court decided a trademark dispute, B&B Hardware, Inc. v. Hargis, Indus. However, in the light of more public trademark cases, such as the Washington Redskins trademark…
Still Better to be an Inventor than an Author – Comparing Copyright and Patent for Software Algorithms
With the 2014 decision in Alice, SCOTUS reiterated the two-step Mayo framework applied to method and software patents. A patent application is deemed unpatentable under 35 U.S.C. §101 if (1)…