Rock Hall ‘fair use’ ruling raises big questions for creators; Cleveland.com, November 21, 2025

Peter Chakerian, Cleveland.com; Rock Hall ‘fair use’ ruling raises big questions for creators

"Seeing things from both sides

“It can be a slippery-sloped and indeed it was a slippery slope,” said attorney Mark Avsec, partner and vice chair of the Intellectual Property Group of Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff.

Avsec was part of the funk-rock band Wild Cherry (“Play That Funky Music”) and was an original member of Donnie Iris & the Cruisers. The keyboardist-songwriter wrote or co-wrote all the latter band’s music, was its sole lyricist and produced all of its albums.

“[C]ases started evolving to where any derivative work based on a copyrighted work was almost by definition transformative and therefore a fair use,” he said. 

“That can’t be right. A copyright owner’s ability to authorize or not authorize derivative works based on the copyrighted work is an important right under the Copyright Act.”

Avsec said that the Supreme Court’s ruling in the recent Warhol case reset things."

The Death of the Litmus Test; Chicago-Kent Intellectual Property Journal, December 20, 2023

Dale Cendali, Abbey Quigley , Chicago-Kent Intellectual Property Journal; The Death of the Litmus Test

Fair use protection against copyright infringement claims just got smaller; Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 24, 2023

John Farmer , Richmond Times-Dispatch; Fair use protection against copyright infringement claims just got smaller

"Now, the borrowing artist must focus on whether the original work and the borrower’s rendition might be used for the same purpose. If the purposes are the same, such as artwork for a company’s blog post, and if the company is for-profit, there is a high risk that the borrowing isn’t fair use."

Commentary: Warhol decision’s implications for creators, artists; Minnesota Lawyer, June 16, 2023

 Jack Amaral and Jon Farnsworth, Spencer Fane LLP, Minnesota Lawyer; Commentary: Warhol decision’s implications for creators, artists

"Impact on artists and copyright holders

This decision is a victory for copyright holders. Although copyright infringement and analysis of the Fair Use Doctrine is a case-by-case factual analysis where a judge determines whether fair use is a valid defense based on the four factors above, this decision sends a clear message that commercial uses of copyrighted works might be less likely to be considered fair use. This decision could have a significant impact on photographers, artists, and other creators such as software engineers.

Creators who build off copyrighted works should be aware of this decision and know the potential consequences of building off of other’s work. This decision will likely make it more difficult to show a work is “transformative” while leaving an artist open to liability...

Takeaways for creators and businesses:

• If you have current works that are protected under copyright law, keep your eyes peeled for potentially infringing works. Speak with an experienced intellectual property attorney to see if you may have a valid infringement claim.
• If you build off of other creator’s work to create your own, speak to an intellectual property attorney who will walk you through the four factors of the Fair Use Doctrine and help determine if your work could be considered infringement and open you up to potential liability."

Supreme Court’s 2023 Copyright Fair Use Decision is Not a One-Hit Wonder; JD Supra, June 6, 2023

 Mark Avsec, Angela Gott, idia Mowad, JD Supra; Supreme Court’s 2023 Copyright Fair Use Decision is Not a One-Hit Wonder

"The fair use defense to copyright infringement has been remastered by the Supreme Court—at least the first factor. The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Andy Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith holds that the defense does not apply to commercial copying of an original work if the copy serves the same or highly similar purpose as the original. Despite the Court’s efforts to limit its holding, the decision is far from a one-hit wonder. Now more than ever, artists and others should proceed with caution when creating unauthorized derivative works, especially if they plan to commercialize them."