Dude, You Can’t Copyright That Hookah; Wired.com, 1/9/14

David Kravets, Wired.com; Dude, You Can’t Copyright That Hookah: "A California hookah pipe maker’s copyright infringement lawsuit against a rival went up in smoke today when a federal appeals court ruled that hookahs are not copyrightable. The appellate decision is believed to be the first concerning the shape of the smoking instrument’s water container. Inhale Inc. claimed Starbuzz Tobacco was infringing its base design registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 2011... The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tossed the suit today, agreeing with a lower-court judge that the pipe’s base cannot be copyrighted... Under copyright law, the water container is considered a “useful article,” the court wrote."