Copyright Law

Supreme Court finds internet service providers not liable for users’ pirated music

The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that internet service providers are generally not responsible for the illegal distribution and downloading of music on their services, a blow to the music recording industry’s efforts to curb online piracy.

Mar 25, 2026 10:00 AM CDT

Musicians in this state are suing AI companies under biometric privacy law

Musicians who argue that artificial intelligence companies have used their songs without permission are bringing litigation under a unique law in Illinois.

Mar 23, 2026 1:39 PM CDT

Barbecue term catches fire on social media; who will get smoked on trademark rights?

If you like barbecue and use social media, you may have heard of Walter Johnson, a senior citizen social media influencer who goes by “Mr. Tendernism.” It references a term that he uses to describe smoked meat so tender that it falls right off the bone. In November, a North Carolina civil litigator who didn’t know Johnson filed two trademark applications for “Tendernism” for restaurant services and clothing.

Mar 12, 2026 8:55 AM CDT

Supreme Court rejects appeal from computer scientist seeking copyright for AI-created artwork

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined an appeal from a computer scientist who was denied a copyright for artwork created by an artificial intelligence system.

Mar 3, 2026 9:04 AM CST

Let’s Talk About Copyrights: Salt-N-Pepa suit over ownership of master recordings dismissed

Hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa’s case against UMG Recordings was dismissed Thursday by a New York federal judge who said relevant agreements between the parties fail to show that the rap icons ever owned the copyrights for several of the group's most popular songs.

Jan 9, 2026 11:23 AM CST

ChatGPT creator must turn over 20M chat logs in copyright litigation, federal judge says

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, must turn over 20 million chat logs in its copyright litigation with the New York Times and other news media, a federal judge ruled Monday.

Jan 8, 2026 11:13 AM CST

Intellectual property and pop culture collide over the Labubu, this summer’s hottest collectible

The Labubus are so popular that the elflike plush dolls produced by Chinese toy company Pop Mart have inspired a surge in knockoffs. While the intellectual property issues involving the Labubus aren’t exactly novel, the increasing acceptance of “dupes” is a new trend.

Aug 4, 2025 9:16 AM CDT

SCOTUS will consider liability of internet company for known music piracy by its users

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether an internet service provider can be liable for materially contributing to copyright infringement if it failed to terminate internet access for customers known to be pirating music.

Jul 1, 2025 11:06 AM CDT

Influencer who sued rival for alleged copycat styling and ‘aesthetic’ has dropped her lawsuit

An influencer has dropped her lawsuit accusing a rival influencer of posting photos copying her featured products, poses, camera angle, apparel styling, flower tattoo and "neutral, beige and cream aesthetic.”

Jun 4, 2025 10:20 AM CDT

Why Musk and Dorsey want to ‘delete all IP law’

Elon Musk’s endorsement of a tech leader’s call to “delete all IP law” could all be dismissed as idle social media chatter if Musk didn’t have a track record of turning X posts into U.S. government policy via his prominent role in President Donald Trump’s administration.

Apr 16, 2025 10:55 AM CDT

Art generated solely by AI can’t be copyrighted, federal appeals court says

A federal appeals court has ruled against a computer scientist who sought to copyright a work of art made by his artificial intelligence system, the “Creativity Machine.”

Mar 19, 2025 11:05 AM CDT

Using Westlaw headnotes to train competing AI legal research program isn’t fair use, judge rules

An appeals judge sitting by designation changed his mind Tuesday and partly ruled for Thomson Reuters in its lawsuit claiming that a legal research startup committed copyright infringement by training its artificial intelligence program using Westlaw headnotes.

Feb 12, 2025 2:30 PM CST

Misuse of digital replicas should be addressed by federal law, ABA House says

Resolution 501 calls for federal legislation to prevent the unauthorized use of an individual’s voice, visual likeness or image through technological means. It recommends that legislation include safeguards to protect First Amendment rights and address right of publicity and privacy laws and other related issues.

Feb 3, 2025 6:26 PM CST

Stanford Law prof fires Meta as client, citing platform’s ‘descent into toxic masculinity’

Updated: A professor at Stanford Law School announced on LinkedIn on Monday that he could no longer “in good conscience” represent Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.

Jan 16, 2025 12:53 PM CST

Copyright decision is a win for milkshake lovers and the right to repair

The Library of Congress—which houses the Copyright Office—has ruled that any technician can repair some commercial food preparation equipment, including the McDonald’s ice cream machines. The decision could decrease the amount of time McDonald’s restaurants have to wait for an expert to fix the devices.

Nov 1, 2024 2:15 PM CDT