Pepsi Finally Prevails in the 2016 Copyright Lawsuit Over Superbowl 50 Ad “The Joy of Dance”

Pepsi Finally Prevails in the 2016 Copyright Lawsuit Over Superbowl 50 Ad “The Joy of Dance”

By PPLAdmin / September 9, 2021

On May 21st, 2021, a panel of judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that PepsiCo (“Pepsi”) did not steal an advertising firm’s idea for a Super Bowl ad that aired in 2016. During Superbowl 50, Pepsi aired an ad entitled “The Joy of Dance,” which featured singer Janelle Monae…

Read More

Copyright Lawsuit Against Netflix Hit Series “Outer Banks” Tossed by Federal Judge in Georgia

By PPLAdmin / September 7, 2021

On May 25th, 2021, Chief U.S. Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr. of the Northern District of Georgia tossed a copyright infringement suit against Netflix and the creators of its hit television show “Outer Banks.” “Outer Banks” is a mystery adventure series where a group of teenage friends searches for treasure after the disappearance of the…

Read More

‘Let’s Get It On . . .’ Again: Ed Sheeran Faces New Copyright Suit for Marvin Gaye Classic

By PPLAdmin / June 15, 2021

On March 31st, 2021, U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams denied a motion to dismiss a copyright infringement lawsuit against singer-songwriter sensation Ed Sheeran over his hit song “Thinking Out Loud.” Structured Asset Sales, who owns the recording of “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye, filed the suit on June 8th, 2020, alleging (again) that…

Read More

‘Breakfast At Tiffany’s’ Remake Suit Lives to See Another Day in Federal Court

By PPLAdmin / June 10, 2021

On February 26th, 2021, a California federal judge decided that the lawsuit over a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” remake will not be sent back to state court after concluding that the suit contains copyright violations only a federal court can decide. Filed on December 18th, 2020, the trust of Truman Capote, author of the 1958 novella…

Read More

North Carolina Teacher Alleges Netflix is Liable for Copyright Infringement After Release of Young Adult Series “Outer Banks”

By PPLAdmin / June 9, 2021

Kevin Wooten is a high school English teacher from North Carolina that has written the adventure novel Pennywise: The Hunt for Blackbeard’s Treasure. Within Wooten’s novel, a group of teenagers living in the Outer Banks region of the North Carolina coast finds hidden treasure. After Wooten published his novel in 2016, Netflix released the first…

Read More

“Florence Foster Jenkins” Screenwriter Hits a Sour Note When a London Judge Ruled that His Ex-Girlfriend Was a Co-Author

By PPLAdmin / May 12, 2021

The Oscar-nominated biopic Florence Foster Jenkins about the notoriously awful yet well-intentioned opera singer was released in 2016 to great critical acclaim. Screenwriter Nicholas Martin enjoyed the praise, but his opera singer ex-girlfriend Julia Kogan was less thrilled because she claimed to be Martin’s co-author and deserves credit for the film. Since the movie was…

Read More

Judge Grapples with the Copyright Complexities of Tom Clancy’s Literary Legacy

By PPLAdmin / April 21, 2021

On December 9, 2020, Judge Ellen L. Hollander of the U.S. District Court of Maryland issued a lengthy opinion designed to sort out the complex copyright considerations regarding the ownership of Tom Clancy’s literary works, but the decision ultimately did not resolve who owned the Jack Ryan character at the center of Clancy’s books. Tom…

Read More

The Future of Embedding is in Question After Mashable Settles Copyright Fight

By PPLAdmin / April 16, 2021

On February 9, 2021, a settlement was reached by the parties in an important copyright case that has been closely followed since 2018 for its impact on the practice of “embedding.” Embedding entails integrating images, links, videos, or other digital media onto web pages. This common practice is made easy on social media platforms, such…

Read More

Trump Hit With Another Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

By PPLAdmin / February 15, 2021

Just weeks after Neil Diamond filed suit over Trump’s use of his “Rockin’ in the Free World” at rallies, singer-songwriter, and producer Eddy Grant filed suit against Trump and his campaign on September 1, 2020, alleging copyright infringement over the use of Grant’s 1983 hit “Electric Avenue”  in a campaign video posted to Trump’s Twitter…

Read More
man bodybuilder showing fist

Tattoo Artist Granted Summary Judgment on Copyright Infringement Claim Against WWE

By PPLAdmin / January 6, 2021

On September 26, 2020, Judge Yandle for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois granted tattoo artist Catherine Alexander’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment in her copyright infringement lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. (“WWE”) and Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (“Take-Two”). Alexander claimed WWE and Take-Two copied the tattoos she inked…

Read More