Intellectual Property News and Reports

Appellants Valentina M. Peretti Acuti and Paul J. Reitnauer, III, heirs to the late songwriter and record producer Hugo Peretti, appeal from an order of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Buchwald, J.) dismissing... Read more →

The panel affirmed the district court’s order vacating a jury’s award of damages for copyright infringement and granting judgment as a matter of law to Katheryn Hudson (pka Katy Perry) and other defendants. Christian hip-hop artists Marcus Gray (pka Flame),... Read more →

Just as famous as some great upsets in sports history are the motivational speeches that inspired them. Knute Rockne, in a speech immortalized in film by a future President, asked his Notre Dame players at halftime to “win one for... Read more →

Held: Section 411(b) does not distinguish between a mistake of law and a mistake of fact; lack of either factual or legal knowledge can excuse an inaccuracy in a copyright registration under §411(b)(1)(A)’s safe harbor. Pp. 4–9. (a) The Copyright... Read more →

The panel affirmed the district court’s order denying plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction against enforcement of the “Dealer Law,” an Arizona statute aimed at strengthening privacy protections for consumers whose data is collected by car dealers and restricting anti-competitive... Read more →

This dispute concerns whether, for Copyright Act purposes, the screenwriter Victor Miller was an employee or independent contractor of the film production company Manny, Inc., in 1979, when Miller wrote the screenplay for the landmark horror film Friday the 13th,... Read more →

The panel reversed the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the defendant based on a putative de minimis use defense in a copyright case, and remanded for consideration of remaining defenses and damages issues. The panel held... Read more →

The panel reversed the district court’s grant of partial summary judgment to Flo & Eddie, Inc. in its action against Sirius XM satellite radio, seeking royalties for pre-1972 songs that were played on Sirius XM without permission or compensation. The... Read more →

Designworks Homes, Inc., thinks that a group of architects and other builders copied one of its home designs. It also believes that, even if there was no copyright violation, it should not have to reimburse the alleged infringers for their... Read more →

In sum, we hold that § 120(a) does not provide a defense to copyright infringement to real estate companies, their agents, and their contractors when they generate and publish floorplans of homes they list for sale. Our decision does not... Read more →