It’s bad enough having a toothache. It’s much worse when your dentist rips you off for $4,000 and then threatens to sue you for complaining…
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Wi-Fi industry is worried about mobile invading its airwaves
There’s a new technology buzzing around mobile carrier circles called License Assisted Access that promises to make our 4G networks faster by dipping…
Read MoreRepublicans embrace fair use (and Taylor Swift) to hit Obama
Many Republicans like to take a hard line against perceived pirates who use copyright without permission – but what if those people…
Read MoreSelma soars despite MLK estate’s copyright clutches
Selma, a new film about Martin Luther King’s role in seminal 1965 civil rights marches, is a triumph not only because of critical acclaim, but because biopics about…
Read MoreThe fair use case to show The Interview if Sony will not
After Sony cravenly cancelled The Interview, people who had no interest in the comedy now want to see it — mostly so…
Read MoreJay Z crushes sample troll who claimed copyright in word “oh”
It’s been a good week for Jay Z: the rap star chatted court-side with visiting royalty at a Brooklyn Nets game and, hours earlier,…
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In Google Books appeal, judges focus on profit and security
The Authors Guild took its latest courtroom swing in a decade-long dispute over Google’s decision to scan millions of out-of-print books and, based on…
Read MoreTwitter and Etsy get high marks in report card on copyright and free speech
When it comes to balancing creative rights on the internet, companies like Twitter and Pinterest play an important role as middlemen. How are they performing?…
Read MoreWordPress shames Janet Jackson for bullying bloggers and issues a new takedown report
Powerful celebrities and companies are bullying some of the millions of bloggers who use the popular WordPress platform with outlandish copyright claims. Wordpress just called attention to some of the worst offenders.…
Read MoreAmazon’s fan-fiction portal Kindle Worlds is a bust for fans, and for writers too
Amazon lets aspiring writers use characters from popular series like Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries to write stories of their own. So why isn't Kindle Worlds catching on?…
Read MoreCan you share sports videos online? Premier League says no, but it’s not clear why
The world's most prestigious soccer league is warning fans not to share goals on social media, even though there is no apparent business or legal justification for doing so.…
Read MoreMusic label sues YouTube “beauty bestie” over unlicensed songs
YouTube can help unknown musicians and performers gain an audience -- but it can also create tension when a performer like Michelle Phan, who is now snared in a copyright dispute, becomes famous.…
Read MoreDo you have a fair use right to publish World Cup goals? ESPN takedowns raise questions
Goal highlights are the most exciting, shareable and spontaneous moments of the World Cup. But ESPN and others are using copyright law to remove them from social media.…
Read MoreIn win for libraries, court rules database of Google-scanned books is “fair use”
The Authors Guild has lost yet another legal battle in a long-running dispute over who can access digital copies of library books created under Google's book-scanning program.…
Read MoreGoldieBlox could pay $1M to license Beastie Boys song. Is that fair?
A closely watched parody case turns out to have resulted in a potential $1 million payout -- but, as with everything else in the case, there's more than meets the eye.…
Read MoreJustice Department could hold key to Aereo outcome
The outcome of the Aereo case could turn on whether a majority of the justices can get comfortable distinguishing Aereo from Cablevision, allowing them to craft an opinion that finds Aereo to be illegal without disturbing the result of the Cablevision case.…
Read MoreBeastie Boys and GoldieBlox settle “Girls” copyright case
Toy maker GoldieBlox’s decision to turn a sexist rap song into a girl power commercial touched off a lawsuit last fall and led…
Read MoreTransformative or just taking? Lawyers struggle to define fair use in wake of Google Books case
The idea of "fair use" provides a critical exception to copyright law for artists, journalists and others. Increasingly, courts are asking if the new use is "transformative" - does this make sense?…
Read MoreGoldieBlox rocks Super Bowl with girl power, adds to copyright controversy
Toy maker GoldieBlox is using mass media to empower little girls to pursue science and engineering. But what about the artists whose songs the company is using to spread its message?…
Read MoreTeens’ photo feed is a viral hit – and a copyright conundrum
Images are everywhere on the internet these days and some see them as a shortcut to viral fame. The case of wildly popular @HistoryInPics raises familiar questions about how to draw lines over attribution and ownership.…
Read MoreGo ahead, use that tweet: no one can stop you!
A studio published a Times' critic's tweet about Inside Lleywn Davis without permission -- despite what some are saying, neither Twitter or the critic can do anything about it.…
Read MoreBeastie Boys countersue as fair use fight over “Girls” song escalates
A famous rap group says in a new court filing that GoldieBlox, a maker of girls toys, had no right to use its song as part of a clever marketing campaign about girl empowerment. The group may be right.…
Read MoreThe Beastie Boys vs. GoldieBlox: More evidence that copyright is broken and we are all worse off as a result
What has gotten lost in the Beastie Boys vs. GoldieBlox hysteria is that fair use is an important principle when it comes to copyright, and we would be better off as a society if we supported it rather than chipping away at its effectiveness…
Read MoreGoldieBlox removes Beastie Boys song from girl power video: smart or cynical?
Toy maker GoldieBlox, which is at the center of a controversy over their use of a rap song to celebrate girls and science, threw in the towel. Was this a real copyright controversy or just marketing?…
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