U.S. copyright law protects works created by humans. The Copyright Office will not register content produced entirely by a non-human source. Courts have applied this rule to works attributed to animals, supernatural beings, and natural forces. Not monkeys, not oceans, not even “celestial beings” can own a US copyright. Courts found Naruto the monkey couldn’t … Read more
The federal government is “shut down.” But that shut down does not apply equally across all aspects of the federal government. For those of us who work with intellectual property, that is on full display. For example, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), remains “open and fully operational” because it has operating reserves … Read more
For creative people, copyright is a powerful concept. US law gives authors of fixed works with some element of creativity rights over their own creations, be they literary works, works of visual art, etc. This right allows the authors of these works to decide who is allowed to copy their work, and how, amongst … Read more