I have never received as many high fives for a Halloween costume than the year a friend and I dressed as giant bananas with huge cartoon hands. But despite the ubiquity of these fruity outfits — as a simple Internet search will show you — the maker of one banana costume is accusing Kmart of dropping it as a vendor in order to sell its own alleged knockoff version. [More]
copyright
Photographer Claims Urban Outfitters, Macy’s Used Tupac Photos Without Permission
By 9.22.17
The late Tupac Shakur might no longer have any say over how his image is used, but that doesn’t mean you can use a photograph of the famed rapper without getting permission from the photographer. [More]
The ‘Monkey Selfie’ Lawsuit May Finally Be Over
By 9.11.17
Bad news for any artistic monkeys, apes, elephants, or dolphins who had dreams of selling their creations at a gallery someday: A federal lawsuit over a famous 2011 photo taken by a macaque has come to an end without any real decision on whether or not non-humans can hold a copyright. [More]
Appeals Court Deals Blow To Streaming Service That Lets You Filter Out Nudity & Swearing
By 8.24.17
VidAngel is a streaming service that allows subscribers to filter out nudity, violence, swearing, or anything else they might find offensive in a movie or TV show. Today, a federal appeals court dealt the latest blow to VidAngel, saying that the service likely violates federal copyright law, and keeping in place an injunction that prevents the service from reproducing and streaming videos without permission. [More]
Supreme Court Rejects ‘Dancing Baby’ YouTube Copyright Case
By 6.19.17
After 10 years, the legal battle over a silly 29-second YouTube video of a baby dancing to a Prince song has hit a dead end, with the Supreme Court announcing this morning that it will not hear arguments in this high-profile copyright case. [More]
Photographer Sues Forever 21, Urban Outfitters Over Tupac T-Shirt
By 6.2.17 — Updated: 6.9.17
Urban Outfitters and Forever 21 are not strangers to lawsuits claiming they’ve stolen designs or elements of designs from others in order to make sales: from textile designs to ornaments. Now, the two retailers are facing a lawsuit together, after a celebrity photographer claimed the companies illegally used photographs he took of Tupac Shakur on T-shirts. [More]
Justice Dept. Says Supreme Court Should Not Hear ‘Dancing Baby’ YouTube Case
By 5.9.17
A decade-old legal dispute over a 29-second YouTube clip featuring a baby dancing to a barely audible Prince tune may not have its day before the Supreme Court, at least if the nine justices take the suggestion of the Justice Department. [More]
Debut Of Previously Unreleased Prince EP Blocked By Court Order
By 4.20.17
Songs that Prince recorded a decade before his untimely passing were slated to be released on April 21, the first anniversary of the artist’s death. However, a federal judge has barred these songs from being made public, at least temporarily, while it considers a dispute between Prince’s estate and the co-producer of that EP. [More]
Court Orders Pornhub To Identify Potentially Thousands Of Users
By 4.7.17
Just like any other copyright holder, porn studios can — and do — exercise their rights under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to force X-rated “tube” sites (think YouTube, but with more genitals) to take down infringing videos. One company has apparently gotten tired of this game of Whac-A-Mole and gotten a court order that could lead to legal threats against thousands of people who uploaded videos to one popular tube site. [More]
Supreme Court’s Ruling In Cheerleader Uniform Case Could Lead To Higher Prices For Clothing, Furniture
By 3.22.17
This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in a case that involves cheerleader uniforms, but which some critics believe could eventually result in higher prices for everything from clothing to furniture to housewares. [More]
Lawsuit Over Star Trek Fan Fiction Flick Headed To A Jury Trial
By 1.4.17
The David vs. Goliath sci-fi copyright battle between Paramount Studios and the makers of a crowdsourced Star Trek fan fiction movie nears its glorious conclusion, with a judge determining this morning that the dispute will head to a jury trial. [More]
‘Game Of Thrones’ Still Most-Pirated Show On TV, Despite HBO Efforts
By 12.27.16
HBO has a bit of a challenge on its hands: every new episode of its mega-hit Game of Thrones is viewed by tens of millions of fans… but a huge percentage of them aren’t actually HBO subscribers. They’re pirating the show, instead. And once again, the show’s most recent season has landed at the top of the “most-torrented” lists for the year. [More]
Uber: No, We’re Not Going To Sell User Information
By 11.21.16
Late last week, Twitter began to light up with claims that Uber had changed its terms of service to give the company the right to to modify and sell users’ data — not a minor concern for any privacy-minded consumer. However, Uber points out that the specific clause at the center of this mini-controversy is not new, not unique to the ride-hailing service, and doesn’t give the company that god-like authority some people are claiming. [More]
Why The Supreme Court Suddenly Cares About Cheerleader Uniforms
By 11.1.16 — Updated: 3.22.17
When you strip off the logos from your typical cheerleader’s uniform — especially in high school and college — you’re left with something that is still distinctly an outfit meant for a cheerleader. But can a uniform manufacturer copyright that basic uniform design? It’s a question currently before the U.S. Supreme Court, and one whose answer could have far-reaching implications. [More]
Supreme Court Asks Feds To Chime In On Decade-Old “Dancing Baby” YouTube Case
By 10.31.16
A nearly decade-long copyright dispute over a silly YouTube video of a baby dancing to a barely audible Prince song continues, with the U.S. Supreme Court now asking for the federal government to give its thoughts on the matter. [More]
Cisco Says It Can Now Shut Down Pirated Live Video Feeds Mid-Stream
By 10.21.16
There are a growing number of pirated live video streams available online, giving viewers unauthorized access to pay-TV, pay-per-view events, and other feeds. Copyright holders say the usual method of sending a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice isn’t fast or effective enough, as hosts of these streams either ignore the demands or quickly move to a different host. Now, Cisco says it has developed a way for copyright holders to play a better game of Anti-Piracy Whac-A-Mole by giving them a way to cut off feeds mid-stream. [More]
Court Throws Out “Who’s On First?” Copyright Lawsuit Against Broadway Show
By 10.12.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
Every “funny” uncle knows at least some of the classic “Who’s On First?” comedy routine made famous nearly 80 years ago by the duo of William “Bud” Abbott and Lou Costello. But can you repeat large chunks of the well-known baseball-themed bit verbatim in a Broadway show without violating copyright? Two courts have said yes you can, but for very different reasons. [More]
McDonald’s Accused Of Stealing Late Artist’s Work To Make Fake Graffiti On Restaurant Walls
By 10.6.16
Seven years after artist Dash Snow passed away, his estate is accusing McDonald’s of brazenly swiping one of his signature designs to use as fake “graffiti” decor on eateries around the world. [More]
