Was the classic opening riff to Led Zeppelin’s 1971 monster hit “Stairway to Heaven” actually ripped off from the 1968 song “Taurus” by the band Spirit? That question was before a jury in 2016 and was recently on appeal before the federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals....
Copyright Law
Ninth Circuit looks at copyright dispute over “The Shape of Water”
Anyone who saw the Best Picture winner "The Shape of Water" is likely to agree that it is a haunting film that uses elaborately detailed, blue sets with unexpected, random shots of water in a variety of circumstances throughout to create a mesmerizing visual story....
Marvel, Disney sued for copyright infringement
The last decade has been kind to Marvel Studios and their parent company, Disney. Yet, long before this recent success, the Marvel brand was best known for its comics and television cartoons based on those characters in the 1980s and 1990s. One of those shows was...
Radio station sued for $1.5 B for failing to pay to play songs
Making it as a songwriter is no easy task. Once a song becomes famous, artists rely on earnings from continued use of the songs, often on the radio. Radio stations who fail to pay artists for the use of their songs can face legal ramifications.A current lawsuit...
It makes us wonder, will “Stairway to Heaven” lead to a new trial?
Since 2014, Led Zeppelin and Michael Skidmore, trustee of the trust that owns rights in a song by a deceased musician, have been fighting in court about whether Zepp's iconic "Stairway to Heaven" infringes on the copyright for "Taurus." As we described in this space...
Skyline photo copyright infringement claim crashes in court
When you look at ’s skyline, you can immediately pick out the iconic Transamerica Pyramid, Salesforce Tower, 181 Fremont, California Center and other architectural landmarks. While the skyline of Indianapolis is not as well-known as ours, it is undoubtedly just...
A lesson from another photo copyright claim against Scholastic
In January, we wrote about a copyright infringement case in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California that survived a motion to dismiss some of the claims because the court found that the photographer-plaintiff Peter Menzel alleged facts...
Second Circuit: Songs for Italian movies not works made for hire
An August 21 opinion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit illustrates the concept of the work made for hire in U.S. copyright law -- and the similar concept of commissioned works in Italian law. Ennio Morricone Music Inc. v. Bixio Music Group Ltd....
Songwriter alleges copyright infringement by Lady Gaga
We have written recently in this space about the controversy over whether it is appropriate to allow copyright ownership for very small note combinations in songs. Some argue that a short progression of notes is just a basic, generic element of a musical composition...
We can buy technology to record TV shows … thanks to Justice Stevens
On July 16, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens passed away at 99. He served on the high court almost 35 years. He regarded himself as a judicial conservative, but he gained a reputation over time for opinions viewed as liberal.According to Above...