Category: Copyrights

Copyrights, IP - From Theory to Practice

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.
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avatarAngela Yeh
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?

avatarIsabella Field
Behind the Scenes, 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”

avatarConnor Druhan
Art Law, IP - From Theory to Practice

To Be or Not To Be…A Copyright Infringer? Jeff Koons & My Journey to IP

When parents send their kids off to college, they often wish for them to grow as people, have fun, and (perhaps most importantly) major in something that will get them a job. Neuroscience, data science, and finance are the coveted majors – not theatre, communications, or (my personal favorite) art history. I pursued an art history minor in undergrad where I was first exposed to … Continue reading To Be or Not To Be…A Copyright Infringer? Jeff Koons & My Journey to IP

avatarMeredith Wickenheiser
Copyrights

CHAT GPT – Should we have a chat about IP’s role?

What is ChatGPT and how does it work?

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) computer program developed by the San Francisco based company,OpenAI. ChatGPT works by taking a natural language input, which is an input of human language as it is spoken and written, from a user and then producing a natural language output. Essentially, ChatGPT works like a search engine (Google, Bing, Yahoo!, etc.). However, instead of returning a list of websites, ChatGPT returns exactly what you ask it to in a conversational format. As a result, ChatGPT enables a user to receive direct responses to their questions. ChatGPT has received substantial media coverage for its easy-to-use interface and extensive capabilities. By simply asking ChatGPT to do so, a user can receive a literary work such as an essay, or an article created by the program. Continue reading “CHAT GPT – Should we have a chat about IP’s role?”

avatarManuel Franco Pech
Copyrights, Navigating Resources on IP

Trouble in Vermont: A Case Study on Artists Moral Rights

The New York Times recently reported a story about Vermont Law School and a mural on their campus that gave rise to a copyright dispute.  The mural, painted by a white man, depicts slavery and the evils around it.  Many who have seen the mural objected to how African Americans were depicted.  Indeed, they found that the depictions were racist caricatures of black people.

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avatarBryan Bott
Behind the Scenes, Copyrights

What’s Mine is Yours?

What’s Mine is Yours?

When I was younger, my dad told me that he worked on “artificial intelligence” after graduating college. I thought this was the coolest job ever. What if my dad was part of the team that made a self-aware AI like in the movies? He told me that AI didn’t really work that way. In fact, he worked on a smaller piece of AI technology dealing with sorting data based on algorithms. I didn’t really understand what he meant at the time, but it still seemed pretty neat. Continue reading “What’s Mine is Yours?”

avatarConnor Druhan
Behind the Scenes, Copyrights

Jazz Musician Turned into a Tattoo: Miles Davis Photographer’s Suit against Tattoo artist Kat Von D for Copyright Infringement

Jazz Musician Turned into a Tattoo: Miles Davis Photographer’s Suit against Tattoo artist Kat Von D for Copyright Infringement

The tattoo industry has largely avoided cases of copyright infringement or other types of intellectual property suits based on an artist’s work. This may change as Jeffrey Sedlik, a well-known photographer, who photographed the prolific and well known jazz musician Miles Davis, is suing tattoo artist Kat Von D. for using his photograph to produce a tattoo for a colleague. Continue reading “Jazz Musician Turned into a Tattoo: Miles Davis Photographer’s Suit against Tattoo artist Kat Von D for Copyright Infringement”

avatarJacob Taylor
Behind the Scenes, Copyrights

NCAA Sports and IP – The Perfect Merger

Since the inception of the National Collegiate Athletic Association otherwise known as the “NCAA”, student-athletes were not able to collect any type of financial benefits while they were playing collegiate-level sports. Fast forward to today, student-athletes are now allowed to make profits off of their “name, image, and likeness” aka “NIL,” a type of intellectual property right that’s grouped under the right of publicity (essentially gives each person the exclusive right to use and license their identity for commercial promotion). What I and many others were once not allowed to partake in, is now available and encouraged for all student-athletes. Some student-athletes are already making millions in deals and sponsorships!
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avatarAlexandra Angyalosy