Copyright

Latest Blog Post

Why “Work Made for Hire” Is Not Enough

Calling commissioned work "work made for hire" doesn't make it one. For logos, websites, and software, a present assignment of copyright is often what actually secures ownership and its absence surfaces at the worst moment.

August 17, 2026

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Singer Ed Sheeran Sued for Copyright Infringement

English pop singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is being sued in the United States District Court for the Central District of California over “Photograph,” from his 2014 album x (said as “multiply”).

July 05, 2016

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Appeals Court Rules for Vimeo in Major Copyright Liability Case

The “safe harbor” provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) – section 512(c) – is probably the most well known part of it. In short, it says that as long as websites take certain measures, they won’t be held liable for any copyright infringement by their users.

June 28, 2016

A stack of Vogue magazines

Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Madonna in “Vogue” Lawsuit

Madonna got to strike a (winning) pose this month, after the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that a horn sample used without permission in her song “Vogue” was not copyright infringement.

June 14, 2016

Black PA speakers in a music room

Kanye West Sues for Copyright Infringement Over a Song From His 2013 Album Yeezus

Hungarian composer Gábor Presser has filed a $2.5 million lawsuit against rapper Kanye West for allegedly using one of his songs without permission in West’s “New Slaves” from the album Yeezus, which was released in 2013.

June 07, 2016

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Fox Took a Video from a Youtube User’s Account for Its Show and Later Claimed Infringement Over It

Here’s a story that really reflects some of the issues that arise as a consequence of current automated copyright infringement reporting processes online, and the imbalance of power between corporate copyright holders and individuals.

May 31, 2016

Coding instructions on screen

Was Google’s Use of Copyrighted Code Fair Use or Infringement?

Oracle and Google are finally back in court over Java, the programming language for web content, to continue their six-year-long copyright fight. Google will now have to prove that the inclusion of 37 Java application program interfaces (APIs) in its Android operating system was fair use and not infringement.

May 24, 2016

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Advocates for the Creative Mind