Copyright Law

Who Owns What: How to Classify Ownership of a Chatbot’s Generated Content

February 28, 2024

Tracing ChatGPT back to its conception, the core of the programming was always the Language Learning Model. By being able to access and compress a large number of data points into a uniquely generated output mimicking speech patterns, chatbots seem to be a supreme combination of search engines and research tools. [...]

Monetization of Memes: Who Owns Internet Culture?

October 13, 2021

John Travolta is confused. He is confused in the doll aisle of a toy store, confused about an answer on the TV show Jeopardy!, and even confused and alone inside the late-night diner in Edward Hopper’s famous painting, “Nighthawks.” But these are not promotional trailers for a new HBO Max series or Netflix original movie. Looking around various locations in his black suit and bolo tie, John Travolta is the subject of a form of shared cultural consciousness prevalent across the [...]

Feet, Don’t Fail Me Now…On My Way to Receiving a Copyright-Protected Title for My Choreographic Work

April 9, 2021

Every culture has its own customs, rituals, behaviors, beliefs, dress, and languages. These cultures may be united in a broad context, such as living on a particular continent, or in a narrow context, such as working in a specified field found within a one-mile radius. Dancers are no different, for they breathe a culture all of their own. The term “dancers” may encompass the performers for any of the forms of dance found within, such as ballet, contemporary, tap, hip-hop, jazz, cheer, [...]

When streaming equals stealing: Spotify is sued again.

July 25, 2017

Music streaming service Spotify is back in the spotlight after more allegations of copyright infringement regarding the illegal use of thousands of unlicensed musical compositions. [...]

Creative inspiration or copyright infringement: The “Blurred Lines”

December 20, 2016

Where is the line between inspiration and infringement, and how easy is it to cross that line? The recent lawsuit against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams provides some clues. [...]