Copyright Act News

Miles Davis Photographer’s Suit Against Tattoo Artist Von D to Test Copyright ‘Fair Use’

Celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D’s use of a famous photograph of jazz great Miles Davis has led to what’s believed to be the first lawsuit over whether an image’s copyright protection extends to tattoos, pitting questions about artistic freedom …

Basketball Players Lose Copyright Infringement Bid Over ‘Fortnite’ Dance

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit in which two former University of Maryland men’s basketball players accused makers of the “Fortnite” video game of misappropriating a dance move that the ex-teammates popularized. U.S. District Judge Paul Grimm in Maryland …

Parties Compromise to End Monkey Business Over Selfie Copyright

Monkey see. Monkey sue. Monkey settle. Attorneys representing a macaque monkey have agreed to a compromise in a case where they asserted the animal owned the copyright to selfie photos it had shot with a photographer’s camera. Under the deal, …

Developing News: Case over Monkey’s Copyright Heads Back to Court

The battle over now-famous selfie photographs taken by a macaque monkey will head back to federal court. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco on Wednesday will hear arguments on whether an animal can own …

Photographer Wins $1.2M from Media Firms That Used Pics on Twitter

A federal jury on Friday ordered two media companies to pay $1.2 million to a freelance photojournalist for their unauthorized use of photographs he posted to Twitter. The jury found that Agence France-Presse and Getty Images willfully violated the Copyright …

Google Wins Copyright Scanning Case Against Authors; Judge Finds ‘Fair Use’

Google Inc. on Thursday won dismissal of a long-running lawsuit by authors who accused the Internet search company of digitally copying millions of books for an online library without permission. U.S. Circuit Judge Denny Chin in Manhattan accepted Google’s argument …

Ruling Against News Aggregator Could Affect Copyright ‘Fair Use’

A federal judge concluded that an Internet news clipping service essentially resold stories from The Associated Press, saying in a decision released last Thursday that the ability of news organizations to perform “an essential function of democracy” is jeopardized when …