After file sharing (or “cyberlocker”) website Megaupload was taken down by law enforcement on January 19, 2012, the companies charged with storing data relevant to the case have begun to complain about the costs of letting their servers sit unused.  In fact, Carpathia Hosting has petitioned the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia for emergency protection from the [...]

While SOPA and SOPA 2.0 have been getting all the attention, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is still very much alive, and the Second Circuit recently handed down an important decision interpreting the statute. Unfortunately for YouTube, which had been granted summary judgment, the decision revives the litigation, and the decision has been called a [...]

Teller (of Penn & Teller fame) is suing a Dutch entertainer for allegedly ripping off Teller’s copyrighted magic piece called “Shadows.” Read all about it here.

Pinterest, the increasingly popular website that allows its users to keep track of what inspires them on the Internet, has a mission: “to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new [...]

Why was a YouTube video containing no music flagged as containing a musical composition and hit with a copyright infringement claim?  This question arises after a British vegan and YouTube user, “eeplox,” uploaded a video about foraging and making a wild salad from mustard leaves and dandelions. The video contained no music, but the recording’s [...]

Pakistan, the world’s largest exporter of cotton yarn, is in a dispute with Monsanto. Specifically, the Punjab government has rejected Monsanto’s demands for intellectual property rights protection for its genetically engineered, BT cotton seeds. The government has even gone so far as to accuse the company of having monopolistic goals.

Hotfile, the popular file sharing website, is fighting back against Warner Bros. in a copyright infringement suit. Hotfile has brought counterclaims against Warner Bros. alleging abuse of its anti-pirating tool. In the counterclaim, Hotfile accuses Warner Bros. of sending take-down notices on material they didn’t even own. Although Warner Bros. concedes that it did so, [...]

On January 18th, the Internet went black to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).  On the same day, the Supreme Court released its decision in Golan v. Holder.  __ U.S. __,  131 S. Ct. 1600 (2012) Many people did not notice that a decision was handed down by the Court related to copyright on [...]

The infamous family Corleone is involved in a legal dispute that surprisingly has nothing to do with whacking gangsters in an Italian restaurant or threatening a movie producer with a decapitated horse.  On February 17th, Paramount Pictures filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York against Anthony Puzo, the son and executor of [...]

Check out this New York Times article about the growing film industry in Nigeria and its impact on culture, identity, and the economy of Africa. The article also discusses the uncertainty of who owns the copyright in this booming business. For the copyright discussion, look to page 6.   Thank you to staffer Matthew Mann [...]