Hi folks! Recently, I celebrated my 25th birthday and some of my friends took me to one of my all-time favourite establishments – a karaoke bar! I’m no stranger to the scene, but having spent so much time on-stage singing karaoke over the years, I wanted to delve into some of the copyright issues that […]

Hi Everyone! I hope everyone had a good week so far. As we have now wrapped up copyright, I knew it was my last chance to share a piece of pop-culture (I think?) that has been on my mind. What happened? A while back, American podcaster Bobbi Althoff went viral for her podcast The Really Good […]

Hey folks! Ever wondered if jazz improvisation and copyright law could jam together in harmony? Well, Rebecca Noble decided to play matchmaker and explore this unlikely duo in her paper. It’s a roller coaster ride through legal notes and jazz chords that leaves you pondering – who really owns the rhythm? Dive in to see […]

To the chagrin of many a tattoo aficionado, there is a chance that ink based works that have been a hallmark of self-expression and identity may now be subject to copyright. Apparently in the United States, courts have begun to extend copyright protection to works done by tattoo artists. Thus, like with any copyrighted item, […]

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I have an interest in how copyright applies to fan works (such as fanfiction and fan art) and was doing some research on the topic when I ran across the following article: https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/openai-chatgpt-lawsuit-george-rr-martin-john-grisham-1235730939/ In essence, George R.R. Martin, the author of the acclaimed A Song of Ice and Fire book series (which was adapted into […]

With thoughts of copyright swimming in my head, I drove home from school somewhat bleary-eyed from the long day. Imagine my surprise when I saw this realty sign! Now to you, this might mean nothing, but these lyrics are instantly recognizable to a certain generation of listeners-80s music lovers! Have a listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHONNcZbwDY Or is it? […]

Hi everyone, If anyone is interested in the world of superheroes and/or video games, I came across a unique example of copyright law in action with the release of the new Spider-Man 2 game for PS5. To give players the most accurate version of New York City possible, Insomniac Games included 47 special landmarks in […]

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/09/us-rejects-ai-copyright-for-famous-state-fair-winning-midjourney-art/ Why bother?! Was that not the first question that came to you after reading the piece? Why was the artist trying to obtain copyright registration in the first place? For possible monetary gains? To cause an outrage? To see if he can get away with it, thus gaining notoriety? Despite appearances, most of us […]

I found this a cool read after discussing AI and copyrighted lyrics in class last week. These upcoming cases will lay the groundwork for how AI will be governed. Interestingly the parties involved here are no small players so it will be particularly interesting to see how the fair use argument plays out in court. […]

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To encourage customers continue buying and using their Generative AI-based products, Microsoft is offering legal protection for AI copyright infringement challenges:  https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2023/09/07/copilot-copyright-commitment-ai-legal-concerns/ Microsoft says “if a third party sues a commercial customer for copyright infringement for using Microsoft’s Copilots or the output they generate, we will defend the customer and pay the amount of any […]

I heard a wonderful interview on the drive home today.  Tom Power of CBC was interviewing the legendary George Clinton.  For those of you unfamiliar (which I hope isn’t many), George Clinton is the brilliant mind behind Parliament (go listen to Give Up the Funk), Funkadelic (go listen to Maggot Brain), and of course, Parliament-Funkadelic.  […]

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Hi all, I wanted to share a podcast episode I listened to recently. The podcast, “The Daily” by the New York Times, discussed how Gilead (a pharmaceutical company) delayed the release of a new version of a drug to maximize its profits from existing patents. Gilead initially developed a drug for H.I.V. treatment which had […]