Superman’s Earthly Birthplace? It’s Cleveland, and It’s Embracing Its Hero.; The New York Times, August 1, 2025

 George Gene Gustines, The New York Times; Superman’s Earthly Birthplace? It’s Cleveland, and It’s Embracing Its Hero.

"In a 2007 article, Sangiacomo asked, “Isn’t it time Cleveland embraced its most famous son?” That article then led to the formation of the Siegel and Shuster Society, a nonprofit that is now spearheading the construction of the Superman memorial. (Sangiacomo is a founding board member and the vice president of the society.)...

The Siegel & Shuster Superman Plaza will sit at the city’s Huntington Convention Center and include statues of Superman in midflight, of Siegel and Shuster, and of Siegel’s wife, Joanne, the original model for Lois Lane...

For Siegel and Shuster, it was a long journey to publication after they created their superhero. They pitched Superman to many publishers before National Comics Publications, the forerunner of DC Comics, took a chance on him in 1938. Having no clue how successful the character would become, the pair sold the rights to their creation for just $130 (around $3,000 in today’s dollars). When they later tried to renegotiate, DC Comics stripped them of credit and denied them further work. Siegel eventually became a typist in Los Angeles and Shuster a messenger in Manhattan. It was not until the 1970s that a publicity campaign brought them recognition and a substantial annuity...

Justin M. Bibb, the mayor of Cleveland, said in an interview that he understood why Superman resonates today in these “chaotic and challenging times.”

“People want to feel good about being better neighbors to one another,” he said. “And so, hopefully, this film inspires us all to be our own version of our best selves.”"

Mark Cuban says the AI war ‘will get ugly’ and intellectual property ‘is KING’ in the AI world; Fortune, July 22, 2025

SYDNEY LAKE, Fortune; Mark Cuban says the AI war ‘will get ugly’ and intellectual property ‘is KING’ in the AI world

"Major tech companies are battling for AI dominance, pouring tens of billions into infrastructure and offering sky-high compensation packages. Billionaire investor Mark Cuban notes this new phase will see firms locking down valuable AI innovations and expertise rather than sharing them."

Commentary: A win-win-win path for AI in America; The Post & Courier, July 22, 2025

Keith Kupferschmid, The Post & Courier; Commentary: A win-win-win path for AI in America

"Contrary to claims that these AI training deals are impossible to make at scale, a robust free market is already emerging in which hundreds (if not thousands) of licensed deals between AI companies and copyright owners have been reached. New research shows it is possible to create fully licensed data sets for AI.

No wonder one federal judge recently called claims that licensing is impractical “ridiculous,” given the billions at stake: “If using copyrighted works to train the models is as necessary as the companies say, they will figure out a way to compensate copyright holders.” Just like AI companies don’t dispute that they have to pay for energy, infrastructure, coding teams and the other inputs their operations require, they need to pay for creative works as well.

America’s example to the world is a free-market economy based on the rule of law, property rights and freedom to contract — so, let the market innovate solutions to these new (but not so new) licensing challenges. Let’s construct a pro-innovation, pro-worker approach that replaces the false choice of the AI alarmists with a positive, pro-America pathway to leadership on AI."

Denmark to tackle deepfakes by giving people copyright to their own features; The Guardian, June 27, 2025

Miranda Bryant  , The Guardian; Denmark to tackle deepfakes by giving people copyright to their own features

"The Danish government is to clamp down on the creation and dissemination of AI-generated deepfakes by changing copyright law to ensure that everybody has the right to their own body, facial features and voice.

The Danish government said on Thursday it would strengthen protection against digital imitations of people’s identities with what it believes to be the first law of its kind in Europe."

Two Major Lawsuits Aim to Answer a Multi-Billion-Dollar Question: Can AI Train on Your Creative Work Without Permission?; The National Law Review, June 18, 2025

 Andrew R. Lee, Timothy P. Scanlan, Jr. of Jones Walker LLP , The National Law Review; Two Major Lawsuits Aim to Answer a Multi-Billion-Dollar Question: Can AI Train on Your Creative Work Without Permission?

"In a London courtroom, lawyers faced off in early June in a legal battle that could shape the future relationship between artificial intelligence and creative work. The case pits Getty Images, a major provider of stock photography, against Stability AI, the company behind the popular AI art generator, Stable Diffusion.

At the heart of the dispute is Getty's claim that Stability AI unlawfully used 12 million of its copyrighted images to train its AI model. The outcome of this case could establish a critical precedent for whether AI companies can use publicly available online content for training data or if they will be required to license it.

On the first day of trial, Getty's lawyer told the London High Court that the company “recognises that the AI industry overall may be a force for good,” but that did not justify AI companies “riding roughshod over intellectual property rights.”

A Key Piece of Evidence

A central component of Getty's case is the observation that Stable Diffusion's output sometimes includes distorted versions of the Getty Images watermark. Getty argues this suggests its images were not only used for training but are also being partially reproduced by the AI model.

Stability AI has taken the position that training an AI model on images constitutes a transformative use of that data. The argument is that teaching a machine from existing information is fundamentally different from direct copying."

What Swift fan accounts should know about copyright after Barstool's 'Taylor Watch' canceled; USA TODAY, June 12, 2025

Bryan WestNashville Tennessean, USA TODAY; What Swift fan accounts should know about copyright after Barstool's 'Taylor Watch' canceled

""'Taylor Watch' is canceled," Keegs said on the 150th episode, "because having a music related podcast or something that can toe the line with lawsuits in general where it comes to music rights, whatever, is just not feasible with Barstool Sports at this time."

One underlying issue lies in copyrighted photos, videos and music being used on social media. Several posts potentially opened parent company Barstool Sports to lawsuits, and the podcasters had two options: to cancel "Taylor Watch" or be fired."

Crumbl is sued for $24M over music copyright violations; Restaurant Business, April 28, 2025

Jonathan Maze, Restaurant Business; Crumbl is sued for $24M over music copyright violations

"The music group is asking a court to award it as much as $150,000 for each work used without permission, or nearly $24 million...

Crumbl, which operates more than 1,000 locations and is looking for a buyer, has used social media aggressively since its emergence in 2017. Those videos have played a key role in the chain’s growth and ongoing popularity. The company has 9.8 million followers on TikTok and 6.1 million on Instagram...

Warner in its complaint also referred to Crumbl’s own history of pushing back against copyright infringement. It cited the company’s since-settled lawsuit against the cookie chain Dirty Dough, and Crumbl over the years has aggressively gone after upstart companies that it said mimicked its business."

U.S. Copyright Office Releases New Copyright Registration Toolkit; U.S. Copyright Office, April 22, 2025

 U.S. Copyright Office, Issue No. 1070; U.S. Copyright Office Releases New Copyright Registration Toolkit

"Today, the U.S. Copyright Office released the Copyright Registration Toolkit, a comprehensive resource designed to help creators, small business owners, advisors, and others navigate the copyright system. As part of the Copyright Office’s Copyright for All initiative, the toolkit is a visual breakdown of copyright, including essential information about copyright law, how to prepare for copyright registration, what to expect during the process, and post-registration considerations.

“The Copyright Registration Toolkit makes copyright information more accessible and user-friendly for all creators,” said Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Public Information and Education Miriam Lord. “Resources like this one empower authors, artists, musicians, and their advisors to protect and manage creative works with confidence.”

Developed in conjunction with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's intellectual property (IP) toolkits for trademarks, trade secrets, and patents, these resources collectively provide a broad overview of IP protection under U.S. law.

Copyright Office attorneys, writers, and designers collaborated on the toolkit to ensure it serves as a reliable and engaging reference for creators making business decisions about their creative works and for advisors who help guide them in understanding their rights as IP owners.

To explore the Copyright Registration Toolkit, visit the landing page. For further inquiries, the Public Information Office is available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. eastern time, to assist with questions about the copyright registration process."

How to Find Copyright Owners For Covers and Samples; HypeBot, April 16, 2025

Alana Bonilla , HypeBot; How to Find Copyright Owners For Covers and Samples

"Want to use a someone else’s audio legally but don’t know who owns it? This expert guide shows you how to find copyright holders fast – and get the permissions you need without the legal headaches."

Creators Are Losing the AI Copyright Battle. We Have to Keep Fighting (Guest Column); The Hollywood Reporter, April 16, 2025

Ed Newton-Rex ; Creators Are Losing the AI Copyright Battle. We Have to Keep Fighting (Guest Column)

"The struggle between AI companies and creatives around “training data” — or what you and I would refer to as people’s life’s work — may be the defining struggle of this generation for the media industries. AI companies want to exploit creators’ work without paying them, using it to train AI models that compete with those creators; creators and rights holders are doing everything they can to stop them."

The Perils of ‘Free’ Information; Cato Institute, Spring 2025

 Jonathan M. Barnett, Cato Institute; The Perils of ‘Free’ Information

"Everyone likes free stuff. But weak IP rights distort innovation ecosystems over the longer term and, in biopharmaceutical markets, would likely induce significant capital flight to other investment opportunities. Author and entrepreneur Stewart Brand, who coined the slogan “information wants to be free,” also observed in the same comments that “information wants to be expensive.” That second quote is critical.

Absent meaningful property rights, stand-alone innovators and creators have limited ability to capture economic value that reflects their contribution to the knowledge ecosystem. This raises the risk of the content and tech pipeline running dry or innovation being confined to a handful of “walled gardens” comprised of integrated networks of products and services.

Far from being a monopoly that suppresses competition, secure IP rights are often a precondition for sustaining the innovators and artists that drive knowledge ecosystems. When information is free, society can pay a high price."

USPTO releases AI strategic plan; FedScoop, January 15, 2025

CAROLINE NIHILL,  FedScoop; USPTO releases AI strategic plan

"The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is planning to examine the intersection of artificial intelligence innovation and advancing intellectual property policies as part of a new AI strategy the agency released Tuesday. 

In the document, the USPTO said it intends to study AI-related implications for IP protections and potential uses for the technology to safeguard trademark rights. The agency plans to advocate for the development of “sound judicial precedents and legislation that promote both AI innovation and respect for IP rights, while not unnecessarily constraining future AI innovation.”"

OpenAI holds off on promise to creators, fails to protect intellectual property; The American Bazaar, January 3, 2025

 Vishnu Kamal, The American Bazaar; OpenAI holds off on promise to creators, fails to protect intellectual property

"OpenAI may yet again be in hot water as it seems that the tech giant may be reneging on its earlier assurances. Reportedly, in May, OpenAI said it was developing a tool to let creators specify how they want their works to be included in—or excluded from—its AI training data. But seven months later, this feature has yet to see the light of day.

Called Media Manager, the tool would “identify copyrighted text, images, audio, and video,” OpenAI said at the time, to reflect creators’ preferences “across multiple sources.” It was intended to stave off some of the company’s fiercest critics, and potentially shield OpenAI from IP-related legal challenges...

OpenAI has faced various legal challenges related to its AI technologies and operations. One major issue involves the privacy and data usage of its language models, which are trained on large datasets that may include publicly available or copyrighted material. This raises concerns over privacy violations and intellectual property rights, especially regarding whether the data used for training was obtained with proper consent.

Additionally, there are questions about the ownership of content generated by OpenAI’s models. If an AI produces a work based on copyrighted data, it is tricky to determine who owns the rights—whether it’s OpenAI, the user who prompted the AI, or the creators of the original data.

Another concern is the liability for harmful content produced by AI. If an AI generates misleading or defamatory information, legal responsibility could fall on OpenAI."

Character.AI Confirms Mass Deletion of Fandom Characters, Says They're Not Coming Back; Futurism, November 27, 2024

 MAGGIE HARRISON DUPRÉ , Futurism; Character.AI Confirms Mass Deletion of Fandom Characters, Says They're Not Coming Back

"The embattled AI companion company Character.AI confirmed to Futurism that it removed a large number of characters from its platform, citing its adherence to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA) and copyright law, but failing to say whether the deletions were proactive or in response to requests from the holders of the characters' intellectual property rights...

That's not surprising: Character.AI is currently facing a lawsuit brought by the family of a 14-year-old teenager in Florida who died by suicide after forming an intense relationship with a Daenerys Targaryen chatbot on its platform...

It's been a bad few months for Character.AI. In October, shortly before the recent lawsuit was filed, it was revealed that someone had created a chatbot based on a murdered teenager without consent from the slain teen's family. (The character was removed and Character.AI apologized, as AdWeek first reported.) And in recent weeks, we've reported on disturbing hordes of suicide, pedophilia, and eating disorder-themed chatbots hosted by the platform, all of which were freely accessible to Character.AI users of all ages."

Intellectual Property In Horticulture: A Guide To Plant Patents And Trademarks; Forbes, December 4, 2024

Tammy Sons, Forbes ; Intellectual Property In Horticulture: A Guide To Plant Patents And Trademarks

"The Role Of Patents In Horticulture

Patents play an important role in horticulture:

• Encouraging innovation: Creating new varieties of plants involves investing a lot in research. Plant patents encourage breeders to keep on creating different plant varieties.

• Market share protection: After breeders develop a particular variety of plant, they decide on its production and sale. No competitor has the right to propagate the variety for sale without special permission; hence, this privilege gives the breeder a competitive edge.

A way to gain income: Patents can enable breeders to license their varieties to other growers or nurseries. These licenses enable those breeders to make sales. Popular varieties' profits may come from the licensing agreement...

The Place Of Trademarks In The Horticulture Industry

Trademarks can give the following advantages to horticulture businesses:

• Brand differentiation: A good trademark will enable a firm to set itself apart from its competitors and build consumer loyalty. In horticulture, for instance, a nursery firm might have dozens of items similar to those of other nurseries; hence, recognition by trademark can make quite a difference in attracting and retaining customers.

• Legal protection: USPTO registration protects against infringement of any kind. If another company tries to sell using a similar brand name, logo or product name, a trademark holder can sue that company for creating confusion in the market."

UW System's copyright policy: What it means for professors; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 2, 2024

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; UW System's copyright policy: What it means for professors

"The University of Wisconsin System's proposed copyright policy aims to transfer ownership of faculty teaching materials to the university."

Microsoft boss urges rethink of copyright laws for AI; The Times, October 21, 2024

Katie Prescott, The Times; Microsoft boss urges rethink of copyright laws for AI

"The boss of Microsoft has called for a rethink of copyright laws so that tech giants are able to train artificial intelligence models without risk of infringing intellectual property rights.

Satya Nadella, chief executive of the technology multinational, praised Japan’s more flexible copyright laws and said that governments need to develop a new legal framework to define “fair use” of material, which allows people in certain situations to use intellectual property without permission.

Nadella, 57, said governments needed to iron out the rules. “What are the bounds for copyright, which obviously have to be protected? What’s fair use?” he said. “For any society to move forward, you need to know what is fair use.”"

Library cancels Harry Potter programming over copyright issue; Buckrail, October 4, 2024

Marianne Zumberge, Buckrail; Library cancels Harry Potter programming over copyright issue

"It’s a sad day for little witches and wizards in Jackson Hole. The Teton County Library’s (TCL) slate of Harry Potter programming has been canceled due to copyright infringement. 

TCL announced the news on Wednesday, Oct. 2. TCL said it had received a cease-and-desist letter from Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., which owns and controls all things Potter.

“Prior to receiving the letter, Library staff was unaware that this free educational event was a copyright infringement,” TCL’s announcement reads. “In the past, libraries had been encouraged to hold Harry Potter-themed events to promote the books as they were released.”

Three events had been planned for October: A Night at Hogwarts, Harry Potter Trivia for Adults and Harry Potter Family Day."

Paraguay Loves Mickey, Its Cartoon Mouse. Disney Doesn’t.; The New York Times, September 14, 2024

Laurence Blair,

Photographs by María Magdalena Arréllaga

, The New York Times; Paraguay Loves Mickey, Its Cartoon Mouse. Disney Doesn’t.

"Paraguayans are notoriously creative — some would say light-fingered — when it comes to intellectual property.

Factories churn out knockoff Nike, Lacoste, and Adidas clothing.Paraguay’s educational authorities warned last year that Harvard University Paraguay — in Ciudad del Este, the country’s second-largest city and a counterfeiting hot spot — was awarding bogus medical degrees. (The school has no connection to the more famous Harvard.)

Paraguay ranks 86th out of 125 countries in an index compiled by the Property Rights Alliance, a research institute based in Washington, scoring 1.7 out of 10 for copyright protection."

Will the rise of AI spell the end of intellectual property rights?; The Globe and Mail, May 27, 2024

SHEEMA KHAN , The Globe and Mail; Will the rise of AI spell the end of intellectual property rights?

"AI’s first challenge to IP is in the inputs...

Perhaps the question will become: Will IP be the death of AI?...

The second challenge relates to who owns the AI-generated products...

Yet IP rights are key to innovation, as they provide a limited monopoly to monetize investments in research and development. AI represents an existential threat in this regard.

Clearly, the law has not caught up. But sitting idly by is not an option, as there are too many important policy issues at play."