Practice Area
Copyright & Trademark
Copyright and trademark are the foundational IP rights in entertainment — protecting songs, scripts, films, brand identities, and likenesses. Copyright infringement claims range from music sampling disputes and screenplay similarity claims to digital piracy and AI training data cases. Trademark protects studio brands, character names, and talent identities.
Why It Matters for Law Students
Copyright infringement is the most litigated area of entertainment law. Understanding the substantial similarity test, fair use analysis, and the registration requirements under 17 U.S.C. § 411 is foundational for any entertainment attorney.
Key Statutes
§17 U.S.C. §§ 101–122
§17 U.S.C. § 107 (fair use)
§15 U.S.C. §§ 1051-1141 (Lanham Act)
Landmark Cases
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News
Taylor Swift is fighting a trademark lawsuit over The Life of a Showgirl. Here’s what a new amended complaint argues, and what’s at stake.
Swift's lawyers moved to dismiss the lawsuit in May Source…
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Influence Media emerges as winning bidder for Anthem’s music assets with $650M+ offer (report)
It's the third time in a decade that Anthem has been put up for sale after earlier auctions in 2017 and 2022 failed to d…
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News
Double Shot’s Last Call: Will SCOTUS Review Worldwide Copyright Termination?
Four major music companies bought into a disputed copyright, hired a Supreme Court heavyweight, and filed a cert petitio…
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News
Kat Von D Tattoo Case Headed for En Banc Review
The Ninth Circuit granted en banc rehearing in Sedlik v. Von Drachenberg, vacating the panel opinion and putting "total …
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News
Parody, Pastiche & Problematic Plaintiffs – Entertainment Law Update – Episode 191
In this episode of Entertainment Law Update, Gordon Firemark and Tamera Bennett break down major developments in enterta…
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