After personally reading 6,000 pages of romantasy fiction, Judge Colleen McMahon called this copyright suit over the bestselling Crave series "open and shut.” The "shut" part still took four years, three judges, and $3.4M in fees. Full story: copyrightlately.com/crave-copyri...

After 6,000 Romantasy Pages, Judge Hands Crave Plaintiff the Bill

The Crave copyright case was open and shut once a judge compared the books. Getting there took four years and $3.4 million in legal fees.

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A ruling billed as a win for creators would quietly strip foreign ones of any U.S. termination rights. Now most of the music and film industry is asking the Supreme Court to undo it. Full story, up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/bmg-vetter-c...

Studios, Labels and Scholars Say the Fifth Circuit Botched Vetter

Five new amicus briefs urge the Supreme Court to undo the Fifth Circuit's worldwide-reversion rule, warning it would sow international chaos.

copyrightlately.com

I took a vacation. The federal courts did not. Reaction videos, reggaetón, Taylor Swift, migrating ducks, and the photographer who beat the server test only to lose to the calendar. Consider it a beach read, if your idea of the beach is a federal courthouse: copyrightlately.com/whats-up-cop...

What's Up With Copyright Lately?: Summer Breeze Edition

Reaction videos, reggaetón, and a poet's second loss to Taylor Swift. The courts cleared their dockets for summer. Here's what piled up.

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Most people try to stay out of lawsuits. Sony, Universal, Warner, and BMG just bought the losing end of one—specifically to seek Supreme Court review of a Fifth Circuit ruling they call a recipe for global chaos. Full story, up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/bmg-vetter-c...

Double Shot's Last Call: Will SCOTUS Review Worldwide Copyright Termination?

Major music companies ask the Supreme Court to reverse the Fifth Circuit's worldwide copyright termination ruling in BMG v. Vetter.

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The Ninth Circuit just took the Kat Von D tattoo case en banc, putting "total concept and feel" on the chopping block. copyrightlately.com/kat-von-d-en...

Kat Von D Tattoo Case Headed for En Banc Review

The Ninth Circuit will rehear the photography-meets-tattoo copyright case en banc, putting "total concept and feel" on the chopping block.

copyrightlately.com

Court issues a tentative reaction to a reaction video, and the internet reacted to the reaction before the court could finalize its reaction. Here's my reaction:

Aaron Moss@copyrightlately.bsky.social · 2mo ago

There's a tentative ruling in Ethan Klein's reaction-video suit against Denims, and it would beat him with the fair use precedent he helped create. It's not final, but the internet already has opinions. Many of them are wrong. New on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/ethan-klein-...

There's a tentative ruling in Ethan Klein's reaction-video suit against Denims, and it would beat him with the fair use precedent he helped create. It's not final, but the internet already has opinions. Many of them are wrong. New on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/ethan-klein-...

Judge’s First Take Favors Denims—But Will It Survive the Recut?

Judge's ruling would hand Denims a fair use win in Ethan Klein's reaction-video copyright lawsuit—using Klein's own precedent against him.

copyrightlately.com

Cox v. Sony narrowed secondary liability. Now more rides on direct liability, where a dial-up-era doctrine called volitional conduct asks who "presses the button" when a machine makes the copy. Does it fit gen AI? Full story, up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/cox-sony-vol...

Cox and Effect: Why Volitional Conduct Is AI Copyright's Next Battleground

Cox v. Sony is reshaping AI copyright fast. The next fight is volitional conduct—the rule deciding who's liable for what AI models output.

copyrightlately.com

NEW: Ethan Klein won the foundational reaction-video fair use case in 2017. Now he's the plaintiff—and his lawsuit against streamer Denims puts hatewatching on a collision course with fair use. Full story, up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/klein-reacti...

Hatewatch This Space: Catching Up With Ethan Klein’s Reaction Video Lawsuits

Of the three streamers Ethan Klein sued over Content Nuke, only Denims is still fighting—and her fair use motion puts hatewatching on trial.

copyrightlately.com

Here's how you know a copyright opinion was a disaster: the Tenth Circuit just spent 79 pages writing it again. New on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/tiger-king-f...

Tenth Circuit Redeems Itself in 'Tiger King' Fair Use Case

A replacement opinion affirms Netflix’s fair use of a one-minute funeral clip—and gives documentary filmmakers a post-Warhol roadmap.

copyrightlately.com

The Supreme Court's Cox v. Sony Music ruling is three weeks old. It's already being cited to defend an AI video generator that produces Darth Vader on demand. Full story, up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/cox-v-sony-m...

Cox v. Sony Music Comes to Hollywood

The Supreme Court’s newest copyright decision is already being used to argue that an AI video generator should be treated the same as an ISP.

copyrightlately.com

The Supreme Court's Cox v. Sony Music ruling is three weeks old. It's already being cited to defend an AI video generator that produces Darth Vader on demand. Full story, up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/cox-v-sony-m...

Cox v. Sony Music Comes to Hollywood

The Supreme Court’s newest copyright decision is already being used to argue that an AI video generator should be treated the same as an ISP.

copyrightlately.com

The Supreme Court just rewrote the rules for contributory copyright infringement. What it all means for secondary liability, the DMCA safe harbor, and the pending AI output cases—up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/supreme-cour...

Supreme Court Draws a Hard Line on Contributory Infringement in Cox v. Sony Music

The Supreme Court just killed fifty years of contributory liability precedent, rewriting the rules for secondary copyright liability.

copyrightlately.com

A stock photo company took a pork chop photo all the way through a federal jury trial, won $200, then asked for $69,000 in attorney's fees. Guess how that went. Full story, up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/prepared-foo...

This Little Piggy Went to Trial (And Got Just $200 and No Fees)

A stock photo company went to trial over a single image of raw pork chops, won $200, then asked for $69,000 in fees. It went poorly.

copyrightlately.com

Thaler is dead. Here are the AI copyright questions it leaves behind. copyrightlately.com/thaler-is-de... #ai #copyright #ip #law

Thaler Is Dead. Now for the AI Copyright Questions That Actually Matter.

The Supreme Court buried the easy AI copyright case. Still left: what counts as authorship, how you prove it, and what can still get you sued.

copyrightlately.com

Tracy Anderson sued a former trainer for copying her fitness routines. The Ninth Circuit said you can't copyright a workout—especially one you spent years marketing as a "method." Full story, up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/tracy-anders...

Tracy Anderson Called Her Workout a "Method." The Ninth Circuit Agreed.

A celebrity fitness guru sued a former trainer for copying her exercise routines. The Ninth Circuit said they aren't choreography.

copyrightlately.com

Seedance 2.0 drew cease and desist letters within days. One detail that no one's caught: Disney’s letter landed on the desk of a former Warner Bros. GC—now ByteDance’s top lawyer. If that sounds tangled, wait until you get to the enforcement challenge. copyrightlately.com/meet-seedanc...

Meet Seedance 2.0, Hollywood’s Newest AI Copyright Headache

The entertainment industry's AI copyright claims are strong, but Seedance 2.0 highlights the harder challenge: enforcing them across borders.

copyrightlately.com

The Art of Not Letting Go: The Mondrian Trust claims a 1930 painting is still protected—citing "dual copyrights," Spanish law, and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. Familiar playbook. None of it holds up. Full story, up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/mondrian-pub...

Mondrian Entered the Public Domain. The Estate Disagrees.

The Mondrian Trust claims a 1930 painting is still protected—citing "dual copyrights," Spanish law, and a misreading of the Copyright Act.

copyrightlately.com

Attention, foreign nations: the U.S. is coming for your copyrights. The Fifth Circuit just held in Vetter v. Resnik that copyright termination and renewal recapture ownership worldwide. The court is wrong—and I explain why. Up now on Copyright Lately. copyrightlately.com/vetter-resni...

Fifth Circuit Expands Copyright Termination Beyond U.S. Borders

A sweeping new ruling holds that U.S. copyright termination and renewal reach worldwide, upending long-settled limits of territoriality.

copyrightlately.com

Top Gun: Maverick just notched two copyright wins, issued days apart on opposite coasts. Together, they show where copyright stops helping you—and where it stops you cold. Full story up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/two-new-top-...

Two New Top Gun Rulings Map Copyright’s Danger Zone

Issued days apart on opposite coasts, the cases show copyright's outer limits—what’s protected, what isn’t, and the cost of crossing the line.

copyrightlately.com

The Ninth Circuit just affirmed Kat Von D’s win in the Miles Davis tattoo case—but two judges questioned whether the court’s longstanding “total concept and feel” test should survive at all. Is en banc next? Full story up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/kat-von-d-ta...

Will the Kat Von D Tattoo Case Kill “Total Concept and Feel”?

The Ninth Circuit affirmed in Sedlik v. Von Drachenberg—but two judges called for scrapping the intrinsic test. En banc review may be next.

copyrightlately.com

Before you close the books on 2025, here’s one more year-end list: my annual countdown of the year’s worst copyright decisions. Five cases. No spoilers. Let the debates begin. Up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/the-5-worst-...

The 5 Worst Copyright Decisions of 2025

From novel legal theories to repeated mistakes, 2025 delivered no shortage of questionable copyright rulings. These five cases led the way.

copyrightlately.com

Public Domain Day 2026 is almost here. On January 1, a new crop of works become free to use in the U.S.—ready to remix, recycle, or repurpose into B-grade horror films and ill-advised erotica. My annual roundup covers 150+ of them: copyrightlately.com/public-domai...

Public Domain Day 2026 Is Coming: Here's What to Know

On January 1, 2026, works from 1930—including Nancy Drew, early Betty Boop, and The Maltese Falcon—hit the U.S. public domain. Here’s what it all means.

copyrightlately.com

A bumper crop of soon-to-be-freely-available works: "Public Domain Day 2026 Is Coming: Here’s What to Know," from @copyrightlately.bsky.social (Plus- Winter Holidays with @jstordaily.bsky.social, Radiohead, and The Kinks) Makin' a list: roughlydaily.com/2025/12/20/t...

Public Domain Day 2026 is almost here. On January 1, works from 1930—including Miss Marple, Animal Crackers, and The Little Engine That Could—enter the U.S. public domain. Expect celebration, confusion, and at least one Betty Boop slasher film. Sorry in advance. copyrightlately.com/public-domai...

Public Domain Day 2026 Is Coming: Here's What to Know

On January 1, 2026, works from 1930—including Nancy Drew, Betty Boop, and The Maltese Falcon—hit the U.S. public domain. Here’s what it all means.

copyrightlately.com

As NBC used to say when advertising 'Friends' reruns back in the 90s: If you haven't seen it, it's new to you! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! copyrightlately.com/a-five-cours...

A Five-Course Feast of Thanksgiving-Themed Copyright Cases

If you like your turkey with a side of copyright infringement, you've come to the right place.

copyrightlately.com

Oof.

SDNY just held that AI “substitutive summaries” — non-verbatim outputs that mirror a story’s expressive structure and journalistic choices — may plausibly infringe copyright. Big case for AI + news. Full story on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/court-rules-...

Court Rules AI News Summaries May Infringe Copyright

News publishers just cleared a key hurdle against Cohere in a copyright fight over AI-generated "substitutive summaries" of their reporting.

copyrightlately.com

President Trump just raised tariffs on Canada over a Reagan ad quoting Reagan's anti-tariff views. Is there a copyright issue? The answer may depend which side of the border you're on. Full story up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/reagan-found...

Can the Reagan Foundation Sue Ontario for Copyright Infringement over Tariff Ad?

Thanks to international copyright treaties, Reagan's public domain speech may be protected in Canada—even as Canada gets tariffed for using it here.

copyrightlately.com

French Montana just won a six-year lawsuit because a teenage producer supposedly registered only a sound recording copyright—not the underlying composition. But what if his registration covered both—and nobody realized it? Full story on Copyright Lately⬇️ copyrightlately.com/how-french-m...

How French Montana Won on a Copyright Technicality

7th Circuit: register the right copyright or risk losing even when tracks sound identical. But what if the artist did—and nobody noticed?

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