Posts Tagged: "Holiday posts"

Christmas Copyright Cases: A Look at Past Rulings on Bubble Santas, Holiday Light Displays and Hit Songs

The complex rules of copyright and trademark law are designed so that creators of popular expressive works and companies marketing authentic branded products are properly protected. This Christmas, we’re looking at a series of rulings from U.S. federal courts on intellectual property (IP) issues involving holiday ornaments, public displays with light sculptures, as well as one of the most popular Christmas songs ever. These cases don’t simply show that a Santa Claus can be designed with non-generic copyrightable elements; they also show members of the U.S. federal judiciary working diligently to properly dispense justice on IP questions between the adverse parties arguing before them.

From AI to Amgen, Here’s Everything IP that Mattered in 2023

Another year of IP is behind us, and it is time to reflect on what mattered most—what decisions will affect practice for years to come and/or continue to play out in the courts as we move into 2024? Below are reflections on milestones from this past year—some positive, some negative, and some neutral–at least for now.

Copyright in the Courts: A Roundup of Key Copyright Decisions for 2023

Copyright exits everywhere—from books on a library shelf to music playing on the radio, to the software running the electronic device on which you are reading this article. Copyright’s broad scope and extensive reach foster a varied and fascinating landscape of copyright cases. From cases involving the use of a celebrity photograph, animated dancing video game characters, to artificial intelligence (AI) infringement inquiries, the number and type of matters copyright touches is seemingly infinite. This provides an evergreen bounty of copyright cases to digest. The following highlights some of the top copyright decisions of 2023.

The Bills to Watch: IP Legislation of 2023 That Will Affect Your 2024

Throughout 2023, a number of legislative initiatives impacting intellectual property rights were introduced in the United States Congress or signed into law by the President. In some instances, these efforts are meant to try and re-balance the various, sometimes competing, interests of the public and the innovators. In other instances, the legislation is aimed at weaponizing the intellectual property right procurement process to reward some and punish others. Various pieces of legislation as well as Executive Directives directed at artificial intelligence also have been introduced at different levels. This piece, however, leaves those AI issues for others to address. Below is a summary of some of the key legislative efforts in 2023 touching on U.S. IP rights.

What Happened at the U.S. Copyright Office in 2023

In 2023, the U.S. Copyright Office (USCO) addressed key challenges in copyright law, ranging from navigating the intricacies of AI-generated content to refining rules for the modern music industry, as well as proposing new exemptions as part of the ninth triennial rulemaking proceeding. These major developments underscore the Office’s dedication to keeping copyright law current in the face of rapid evolution, and offering a glimpse of what lies ahead.