Category: Copyrights

Copyrights

Education and Copyright: Did I Jeopardize My Job with “Movie Mondays”?

Teachers can break a law and get away with it. Sometimes. What otherwise would constitute copyright infringement, which occurs when someone violates at least one of the rights bestowed to a copyright owner, is permissible for teachers in certain situations. The problem is that teachers may not know if their use of materials like worksheets or book and movie supplements in the classroom fit within … Continue reading Education and Copyright: Did I Jeopardize My Job with “Movie Mondays”?

Jacob Yeskis
Copyrights

“Not Like Us” – Lessons in Copyright

Introduction In this post, I will explore the nuances in music copyright law using Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” as a case study. This famous diss track should be well known either from the Superbowl Halftime Show, or from its major success at the Grammys. This famous song can help illustrate the complexity involved in music ownership and the copyright rights of music through public … Continue reading “Not Like Us” – Lessons in Copyright

Alexandra Shoup
Copyrights

Baseball Copyright Fanatics- A Case Study of the Phillie Phanatic

When you think about copyrights… you may not imagine that Benny The Bull, Bucky the Badger, or the Phillie Phanatic are relevant… but even these sports characters are subject to copyright law. Before diving into how copyright applies to mascots, it’s important to understand some basic principles of copyright law.

Continue reading “Baseball Copyright Fanatics- A Case Study of the Phillie Phanatic”

Griffin Topel
Copyrights

The Rainbow Road to Nostalgia and Copyrights

In October of 1985, a heroic plumber named Mario journeyed through a kingdom of peaceful mushroom people to save a kidnapped princess from the hands of the evil, fire-breathing tyrant.

Thirty-eight years later, Mario once again journeyed through a kingdom of peaceful mushroom people, this time with the help of the princess to save his kidnapped brother from the hands of an evil, fire-breathing tyrant. However, rather than watching Mario’s adventure through a TV and a video game console, the beloved character now embarked on an adventure on the big screen.
Continue reading “The Rainbow Road to Nostalgia and Copyrights”

Ashton Yeh
Copyrights

Winter is Coming for OpenAI: What Constitutes Fair Use by ChatGPT?

Dragons, White Walkers and AI, oh my!

If you are a big Game of Thrones or fanfiction lover, buckle up! From one (legal) battlefront to the other, OpenAI has been under fire recently for the development of their artificial intelligence (AI) computer program ChatGPT. The Authors Guild and 17 individual authors (“Authors”), including “Game of Thrones” novelist George R.R. Martin, filed a lawsuit in September 2023, against Open AI for copyright infringement.

But before we dive into that, let’s cover the basics of ChatGPT.
Continue reading “Winter is Coming for OpenAI: What Constitutes Fair Use by ChatGPT?”

Francesca Zepeda
Copyrights

Is a Rhythm Copyrightable? Bad Bunny’s Unique Defense to Copyright Infringement

A Massive Lawsuit Threatening the Reggaeton Genre

In 1989, Jamaican reggae duo Steely & Clevie released “Fish Market.” Since reggae first hit the music scene in the late 1960’s, the genre was still highly impressionable. Soon after release, it became known as the first example of a “dembow” rhythm  – a sub-genre of reggae music distinguished by constant rhythm and faster beats per minute . The main element of Dembow is its riddim, a Jamaican term for rhythm which tends to be simple and repetitive.
Continue reading “Is a Rhythm Copyrightable? Bad Bunny’s Unique Defense to Copyright Infringement”

Elizabeth Schrieber
Copyrights

Is Disney Losing Mickey Mouse Because of Copyright Law?

When I first read the headline to this New York Times article, “Mickey’s Copyright Adventure: Early Disney Creation Will Soon Be Public Property,” I thought that Mickey Mouse would soon lose its copyright and enter the public domain. If Mickey Mouse were to enter the public domain, artists could use Mickey without fear of a copyright infringement lawsuit. I learned from an IP survey course … Continue reading Is Disney Losing Mickey Mouse Because of Copyright Law?

Isabella Field
Copyrights

Finding a Fix for TDM’s Issues

For all the good copyright law does to protect the creative works of authors, it causes problems for Text and Data Mining (TDM) by researchers and AI. TDM is a tool that allows computers to “read” and analyze large amounts of text or data. As I explained in Part 1 of this post, TDM is likely copyright infringement under current U.S. law. However, the initial copyright infringement isn’t the only issue. Continue reading “Finding a Fix for TDM’s Issues”

Connor Druhan