Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

Ai Fanfare & Fanfiction: Do Fanfiction Writers Have Protections Against Artificial Intelligence?, Sinbay Tan

Brooklyn Law Review

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes a familiar topic in everyday conversation and now increasingly in courts, there is a conflict between its use in creative and artistic spaces. While authors and artists enjoy copyright protections that might shield their works from being misused, there are millions of fanfiction writers who have no such protections. After all, the essence of fanfiction is rooted in writing about the characters, settings, and stories made by someone else. After decades of writing online, these fanfiction authors face the threat of having their works scraped up and fed into AI algorithms to be used in …

How Eastern Europe Can Protect Their Cultural Heritage Via Copyright Protection Of Folk Music And How This Compares To Copyright Protection Of Music In The United States, Kostika Kosova

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

This note explores the intricate interplay between cultural heritage preservation and copyright protection, focusing on the distinctive case of Eastern European folk music. It delves into the historical and cultural significance of Eastern European folk music traditions, the challenges posed to their preservation, and the copyright protection mechanisms in place across the region. In parallel, the paper provides an in-depth analysis of copyright protection in the United States, highlighting its implications for folk music.

The comparative analysis showcases the unique approaches of Eastern European nations and the United States in safeguarding their respective folk music heritages. By examining key case …

Regulating Chatbot Output Via Inter-Informational Competition, Jiawei Zhang

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

The advent of ChatGPT has sparked over a year of regulatory frenzy. Policymakers across jurisdictions have embarked on an AI regulatory “arms race,” and worldwide researchers have begun devising a potpourri of regulatory schemes to handle the content risks posed by generative AI products as represented by ChatGPT. However, few existing studies have rigorously questioned the assumption that, if left unregulated, AI chatbot’s output would inflict tangible, severe real harm on human affairs. Most researchers have overlooked the critical possibility that the information market itself can effectively mitigate these risks and, as a result, they tend to use regulatory tools …

Between Copyright And Computer Science: The Law And Ethics Of Generative Ai, Devin R. Desai, Mark Riedl

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

Copyright and computer science continue to intersect and clash, but they can coexist. The advent of new technologies such as digitization of visual and aural creations, sharing technologies, search engines, social media offerings, and more, challenge copyright-based industries and reopen questions about the reach of copyright law. Breakthroughs in artificial intelligence research, especially Large Language Models that leverage copyrighted material as part of training, are the latest examples of the ongoing tension between copyright and computer science. The exuberance, rush-to-market, and edge problem cases created by a few misguided companies now raises challenges to core legal doctrines and may shift …

Fair Use, Licensing, And Authors' Rights In The Age Of Generative Ai, Celeste Shen

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

The rise of generative AI technologies has introduced unprecedented challenges to copyright law, particularly around the fair use of copyrighted works in AI training processes. Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, are trained on vast datasets that often include copyrighted material, typically without the consent of authors or compensation for use. This widespread, unauthorized use has led to legal disputes, with plaintiffs asserting that using protected texts in training AI models constitutes copyright infringement. This Note examines the application of the fair use doctrine to generative AI, analyzing each of the four statutory factors to demonstrate that generative AI’s commercial …

Attributing Ai Authorship: Towards A System Of Icons For Legal And Ethical Disclosure, Joseph J. Avery, Patricia Sánchez Abril, Alissa Del Riego

Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property

Over the past year, the pervasive role of large language models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence (AI) in text generation has precipitated concerns about ethical usage, authorship, and transparent attribution. This has been true in legal practice, academia, and the corporate world, as well as in countless other arenas. In this Article, we identify the gap that has opened between those demanding proper disclosure (we should know when and to what extent AI is an author) and those struggling to respond to these demands. Part of the problem is that there is no system in place, no lingua franca, no set …

Kei Briefing Note 2024:8 The Basic Proposal For The Design Law Treaty (Dlt) And Its Inappropriate Restrictions On Transparency, James Love

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is holding a diplomatic conference from November 11 to 22, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to conclude and adopt a Design Law Treaty (DLT). The negotiators will be working from the documents dated May 10, 2024: a thirty-one page “Basic Proposal For The Design Law Treaty” (DLT/DC/3), and a sixteen page “Basic Proposal For The Regulations Under The Design Law Treaty” (DLT/DC/4), both documents submitted by the Director General of WIPO, as well as a nineteen page, “Notes On The Basic Proposal For The Design Law Treaty” (DTL/DC/5), prepared by the WIPO Secretariat.

While …

Feasibility Of Technical Solutions For The Detection Of Falsified Images In Research, Phill Jones, Hylke Koers

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

In this report, we discuss the findings of an investigation into the feasibility of developing a research image integrity system. The focus was primarily on immunohistochemistry blots and microscopy images, although the findings are relevant to other types of research images such as gel blots and spectroscopy, geophysical, or astronomical images, as well as to any digital data type. The investigation comprised a mix of desk research and semi-structured (anonymized) interviews with nine stakeholders representing publishers, researchers, technologists, and microscopy companies.

We found that it would be possible to implement a system to assert image integrity and that the technology …

A Jacksonian Theory Of Estoppel In Ip Litigation Against The United States, Leonard C. Brahin

Washington and Lee Law Review Online

As an intellectual property infringer, the federal government occupies a unique position as both the entity that approved the infringed patent or trademark and an entity capable of arguing for its invalidity. By arguing for invalidity, the federal government assumes that it should be exempt from the traditional rules of procedural estoppel. Indeed, the government believes that even though it granted intellectual property rights (after careful research and deliberation and following the express review of an officer appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate), it should have a second bite at the apple to invalidate a patent or …

Generative Artificial Intelligence And Copyright In The Film And Media Industry, Victor A. Oberting Iv

Washington and Lee Law Review Online

The development of generative artificial intelligence (“GAI” or “generative AI”) introduces compelling benefits and capabilities to filmmakers and artists, but also brings complications regarding copyright of creative works. The American film and media industry in particular illustrates the scope of GAI’s legal, economic, and ethical implications. Though GAI may exhibit characteristics of independent agency or intent, GAI models are best understood as a new set of tools that serve a diverse range of applications in the creative process. The potential benefits of this set of tools can only be realized, then, if the filmmakers who use them are not unreasonably …

Review: Copyright For Scholars: Osmosis Doesn’T Do The Trick Anymore, Janet Brennan Croft

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

Reviews of:

Kevin L. Smith. Owning and Using Scholarship: An IP Handbook for Teachers and Researchers. American Library Association, 2014. 240 pages. ISBN: 978-083898747-6.

Kenneth Crews. Copyright Law for Librarians and Educator: Creative Strategies and Practical Solutions, 3rd edition. American Library Association, 2012. 192 pages. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1092-4.

Rebecca P. Butler. Copyright for Academic Librarians and Professionals. American Library Association, 2014. 278 pages. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1214-0.

Russell, Carrie. Complete Copyright for K-12 Librarians and Educators. American Library Association, 2012. 172 pages. ISBN: 978-0-8389-1083-2.

Sync Licenses, Soundtracking, And Infringement Claims: Oh My!, Women In Tech Law, Cardozo Entertainment Law Society, Intellectual Property Law Society, Cardozo Fame Center

2024–2025 Flyers

No abstract provided.

Formulating Public Pharma, Shweta Kumar

IPIPC Papers & Reports

In 2022, prices for both brand-name and generic drugs in the U.S. were nearly three times as high as prices in comparably industrialized nations, with the cost of insulin products in particular being nearly ten times as high. As a result, 3 out of 10 American adults cannot afford to take their medication as prescribed. Furthermore, in 2024 the U.S. experienced its worst drug shortage in over a decade, with more than 300 drugs in short supply. Generic drugs are particularly vulnerable to shortage, as manufacturers have poor economic incentives to produce drugs with slim profit margins. While the Biden …

Dangerous Intellectual Property, Mark Bartholomew

Book Reviews

Rviewing IP Accidents: Negligence Liability in Intellectual Property, by Patrick R. Goold, Cambridge University Press, 2022.

The Fair Use/Fair Dealing Handbook, Jonathan Band, Jonathan Gerafi

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

More than 40 countries with over one-third of the world’s population have fair use or fair dealing provisions in their copyright laws. These countries are in all regions of the world and at all levels of development. The broad diffusion of fair use and fair dealing indicates that there is no basis for preventing the more widespread adoption of these doctrines, with the benefits their flexibility brings to authors, publishers, consumers, technology companies, libraries, museums, educational institutions, and governments. This is particularly the case considering that the copyright laws in many “civil law” countries currently allow their courts to apply …

Is Sunlight The Best Disinfectant? The Role Of Regulation In Addressing Cybersecurity Concerns, Reagan Leverett

Vanderbilt Law Review

The technological landscape in the United States is changing rapidly, and this transformation carries with it unprecedented challenges for administrators, companies, and investors alike. In particular, cybersecurity concerns are growing in light of the new opportunities for cyber malfeasance in this landscape—opportunities to pillage corporate databases and exploit the sensitive consumer information housed therein. For administrators, these new threats challenge prevailing regulatory frameworks and demand novel solutions. For companies, this landscape brings financial and reputational threats. For stakeholders, the cyber era presents the risk of investment losses and, in some cases, loss of personal data.

The Securities and Exchange Commission …

Repair As Research: How Copyright Impedes Learning About Devices, Anthony D. Rosborough, Aaron Perzanowski

Michigan Technology Law Review

Widespread computerization and ubiquitous smart devices have enabled software-based copyright governance to reach into new domains. Beyond their instrumental utility, those devices contain vast amounts of information in the form of software and technical know-how. Through copyright and anti-circumvention rules, however, this information can be cordoned off and confined to exclusive distribution channels, significantly constraining research. While copyright law traditionally conceives of research as the use of expressive works within institutional settings, we propose a broader conceptualization that embraces device research, including informal inquiries and DIY activities. Whether for the purposes of modification, repair, user innovation, or testing, device research …

Protection In A Virtual Reality: The Dire Need For Trademark And Copyright Law Expansion To Encompass Digital Content Within The Metaverse, Amber N. Roibu

Touro Law Review

The Metaverse has gained much popularity in recent years, leaving some people with a feeling of uncertainty, but all the while intriguing many others. The multifaceted interactions and activities that take place within the Metaverse have made it a virtual world fertile for not only creative expression but also infringement of existing trademark and copyright protected works. Hand-in-hand with the development of the Metaverse has come the fast-growing interest in buying and selling virtual goods, properties, and non-fungible tokens. To preserve their reputation, avoid costly litigation, and ultimately uphold the exclusive rights allotted to them as intellectual property owners, trademark …

Access To Science And Scholarship: Building An Evidence Base To Support The Future Of Open Research Policy, Clarke & Esposito

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

Today, the MIT Press is releasing a comprehensive report that addresses how open access policies shape research and what is needed to maximize their positive impact on the research ecosystem.

The report, entitled “Access to Science & Scholarship 2024: Building an Evidence Base to Support the Future of Open Research Policy,” is the outcome of a National Science Foundation-funded workshop held at the D.C. headquarters of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on September 20, 2024.

While open access aims to democratize knowledge, its implementation has been a factor in the consolidation of the academic publishing industry, an …

The Danger Of Silence: The Negative Effect Of Supreme Court Hesitance To Establish A Bright-Line Rule For Determining Patent Subject Matter Eligibility, Amber N. Roibu

Touro Law Review

Ambiguity surrounding the interpretation of 35 U.S.C. § 101 and the ultimate application of the Alice/Mayo standard for determining patent subject matter eligibility has long plagued the courts, practitioners, and USPTO examiners alike. Maintaining a standard that leads to sheer confusion and, as a result, inconsistent rulings severely muddles the ultimate goal of patent law, to promote innovation. The Supreme Court has been presented with ample opportunities to address these issues, with the Solicitor General consistently recommending that it hear cases that deal with patent-eligibility debates. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court's continued hesitancy to grant certiorari on these cases only further …

Who Invented It? Streamlining Determination Of Patent Inventorship, Henry H. Perritt, Jr.

University of Miami Law Review

Disputes over inventorship are common in industries where new technology is important. Patents are invalid unless correct inventors are named on the patent, even when all the inventors have assigned their rights to the enterprise applying for a patent. The complexity of modern technology is such that an invention qualifying for a patent rarely is the work of only one individual. Employees and former employees frequently claim that they have been left off patent applications wrongfully. Patent law provides a variety of ways to correct inventorship both while such applications are being prosecuted in the U. S. Patent and Trademark …

A Us Perspective On Copyright And Free Trade Agreements, Marketa Trimble

Media & Informal Publications

Professor Trimble delivered a presentation for the 2024 International Congress of the International Literary and Artistic Association (ALAI), held in Santiago de Chile.

The topic of the Congress was "Copyright, International Trade, and Cultural Diversity," and Professor Trimble presented about U.S. perspectives on copyright and free trade agreements.

Streaming Service Arms Race: Protection And Distribution Of Live Sports Broadcasting In A Cord-Cutting Environment, Leo Bourgeois

Dalhousie Journal of Legal Studies

This paper highlights the disparity in meeting consumer expectations for broadcasting sports content. The current shift to online streaming services creates accessibility and affordability challenges, leading to an increase in illegal streaming. The existing copyright laws in Canada and the U.S. have some limitations in enforcing the rights of sports media rights holders against primary or secondary infringement, and intermediaries face difficulties in removing infringing content. While injunctions and site-blocking orders are potential solutions, they may not completely combat online piracy. A possible solution is a centralized streaming service to address piracy while improving customer satisfaction. However, concerns about feasibility, …

Questions And Answers On The Future Of Ip For Research And Innovation, Sean Flynn

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

This paper publishes the annotated contents of an interview with PIJIP Director Sean Flynn by the staff of WIPO’s work on the Future of IP. All questions relate to the future of copyright with respect to AI assisted innovation.

Author Remuneration In The Streaming Age – Exploitation Rights And Fair Remuneration Rules In The Eu, Martin Senftleben, Elena Izyumenko

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

The transition from linear to on-demand consumption of music, films and other copyrighted content on platforms like Spotify, Netflix and YouTube has given rise to the question whether authors and performers receive a fair share of streaming revenues. While these revenues are substantial and right holders may have the opportunity to control access to copyright-protected content on the basis of copyright protection, it is often not the creators themselves who benefit from growing streaming revenue and reinforced access controls. The issue has a global dimension. The Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC) proposed that the World Intellectual Property …

Understanding Golf’S Civil War: An Antitrust Analysis And Discussion, Emma Hackett

BYU Law Review

For years, professional golf has been ruled by the PGA Tour. But in 2022, the PGA Tour’s monarchy started to crack when LIV Golf, a new Saudi-backed golf league, entered the scene and sued the PGA Tour for antitrust violations. Players and fans had to take sides: the legacy of the PGA Tour or the deep pockets of LIV Golf? The lawsuit resulted in a settlement between the entities, but the complaints exposed dealings engaged in by the PGA Tour that this Note argues are violations of the Sherman Act. Beyond illegality of the Tour’s acts, the dispute between LIV …

United States Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Scientific Integrity Policy

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

US CDC SIP

Brief Of 20 Professors Of Law And Public Knowledge As Amici Curiae In Support Of Affirmance, Charles Duan, Rachel Bamberger

Amicus Briefs & Court Filings

In Carroll Shelby Licensing v. Halicki, the U.S. Court of Appeals considers whether a car in a film is a "character" for purposes of copyright law. Character copyright protection has proven to be an especially difficult area of the law, and courts and commentators have struggled with the proper boundaries of such protection and whether characters are independently protectable works at all. This brief presents a novel legal argument for resolving the scope of character copyright, at least in the context of inanimate objects in creative works such as cars. While the case law and commentary has to date focused …

The Evolution Of Irs: A Brief History, Paul Royster

Copyright, Fair Use, Scholarly Communication, etc.

A history of institutional (and other) repositories 1980-2022: precursors and preconditions, environmental survey, 1990s the groundwork, 2000s the beginnings, 2010s expansion and rise of metrics, mergers and acquisitions, growth, features, nay-sayers and hesitations, the download button, Dear Author messages, progression of strategies, expert advice, what happened and what didn't, evolutionary radiation, advantages and opportunities.

A video of the preentation is at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFGjcrD-r64&list=PLO_aItZ7W0896xPLSSeq8nRcxZVMyd-ag

Fake Drake? Ai Music Generation Implicates Copyright And The Right Of Publicity, Hope Juzon

Washington Law Review

Artificial intelligence has contributed to music composition since the 1950s. Its contributions evolved from machines that produced simple melodies to programs that generate accurate vocal imitations of singers. Modern artificial intelligence relies on pre-existing—and often copyrighted—songs to create new music, the most common of which include vocal imitations of popular singers. Copyright law in the United States has yet to address how copyright holders’ rights are implicated when artificial intelligence programs are trained on protected works. As a result, these rights holders across disciplines and sectors have filed complaints alleging infringement of their works. While copyright holders await their fate, …