copyright – News Stories About copyright - Page 2

No Accounting for Taste.
No Copyrighting, Either

Nov 13, 2018 11:55 AM CST

No Accounting for Taste. No Copyrighting, Either

European court says a cheese can't copyright its flavor

(Newser) - You can copyright lots of things, but not the way food tastes. That's according to the European Court of Justice, which was asked to rule on a case involving spreadable Dutch cheeses. Food producer Levola Hengelo, which began selling cream cheese and herb dip Heks'nkaas in 2011, argued...

Led Zeppelin Has to Defend
'Stairway to Heaven' Again

Sep 29, 2018 7:25 AM CDT

Led Zeppelin Has to Defend 'Stairway to Heaven' Again

Appeals court orders new trial into allegations the band ripped it off

(Newser) - A US appeals court on Friday ordered a new trial in a lawsuit accusing Led Zeppelin of copying an obscure 1960s instrumental for the intro to its classic 1971 rock anthem "Stairway to Heaven," per the AP . A federal court jury in Los Angeles two years ago found...

Elon Musk Accused of Stiffing Farting Unicorn Artist

Elon Musk Is Arguing About
an Image of a Farting Unicorn

Jun 28, 2018 3:35 AM CDT

Elon Musk Is Arguing About an Image of a Farting Unicorn

Artist says Tesla never paid him for using his creation

(Newser) - Elon Musk has switched his attention from rooting out saboteurs to arguing on Twitter about the rights to an image of a farting unicorn. The saga began in February last year, when the Tesla CEO tweeted an image of one of Colorado potter Tom Edwards' mugs, featuring a unicorn farting...

Monkey Selfie Lawsuit Settled Out of Court

Lawsuit Over Monkey Selfies
Settled Out of Court

Sep 12, 2017 2:11 AM CDT

Lawsuit Over Monkey Selfies Settled Out of Court

Revenue will be shared with wildlife charities

(Newser) - A lawsuit over who owns the copyright to selfies taken by a monkey was settled before a federal appeals court could answer the novel legal question. Under a deal attorneys announced Monday, the photographer whose camera was used to take the photos agreed to donate 25% of any future revenue...

Steinbeck Stepdaughter
Wins $13M in Copyright Case

Sep 7, 2017 8:57 AM CDT

Steinbeck Stepdaughter Wins $13M in Copyright Case

Waverly Kaffaga has been in a long legal fight with her relatives

(Newser) - A federal jury awarded John Steinbeck's stepdaughter more than $13 million in a lawsuit claiming the author's son and daughter-in-law impeded film adaptations of his classic works, per the AP . Jurors in Los Angeles found in favor of Waverly Kaffaga, who alleged that long-running litigation over Steinbeck's...

Week's Oddest
Suit: Eminem vs.
New Zealand's
Ruling Party

May 1, 2017 7:51 AM CDT

Week's Oddest Suit: Eminem vs. New Zealand's Ruling Party

'Lose Yourself' copyright is at the heart of it all

(Newser) - They may not have lost themselves in the music or the moment but a judge and nine lawyers in a New Zealand courtroom did listen politely to Eminem's "Lose Yourself" as a copyright trial involving the country's ruling political party began Monday. The Detroit-based music publishers for...

Demi Lovato
Accused of
Stealing Song

Aug 23, 2016 8:47 AM CDT

Demi Lovato Accused of Stealing Song

Parts are 'virtually identical,' lawsuit says

(Newser) - Demi Lovato has been officially accused of stealing a song. The indie duo Sleigh Bells first accused Lovato more than nine months ago of ripping off parts of its 2010 song, "Infinity Guitars," in her "Stars." But now the band has filed a federal complaint about...

Farmers Fight for Right
to Repair Own Tractors

Jul 24, 2016 1:23 PM CDT

Farmers Fight for Right to Repair Own Tractors

It all comes down to the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act

(Newser) - Farmers in Nebraska, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and New York are staging something of a mechanical revolt. They're attempting to get legislation passed in their states that would enable them, for the first time since the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, to repair their own tractors or get an independent mechanic...

Jury: Led Zeppelin Didn't Steal
'Stairway to Heaven' Riff

Jun 23, 2016 6:05 PM CDT

Jury: Led Zeppelin Didn't Steal 'Stairway to Heaven' Riff

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are 'grateful' for the decision

(Newser) - Led Zeppelin was found innocent of stealing the opening riff to "Stairway to Heaven"—frankly one of the least scandalous things the band has ever been accused of—Thursday in Los Angeles, the Guardian reports. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were sued by the estate of Randy Wolfe,...

There's a Weird Battle
Going on Over Klingon

Apr 15, 2016 7:40 AM CDT

There's a Weird Battle Going on Over Klingon

Paramount claims the use of Klingon in a fan film amounts to copyright infringement

(Newser) - Live long and copyright many things. Thus Paramount Pictures hopes to prosper as it wages a legal battle with the makers of popular Kickstarter crowdfunded Star Trek fan film Prelude to Axanar. Paramount claims the film's use of the fictional language Klingon adds up to copyright infringement; the filmmakers...

Judge: It's Possible Part of
'Stairway to Heaven' Is Stolen

Apr 12, 2016 5:52 AM CDT

Judge: It's Possible Part of 'Stairway to Heaven' Is Stolen

A May trial will decide whether Led Zeppelin copied notes from Spirit

(Newser) - A trial is needed to determine if Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" copies its opening notes from a song performed by the rock band Spirit, a federal judge has ruled. US District Judge R. Gary Klausner ruled Friday that lawyers for the trustee of late Spirit guitarist Randy...

Judge: Monkey Can't Own Copyright to Its Selfies

Jan 7, 2016 1:17 PM CST

Judge: Monkey Can't Own Copyright to Its Selfies

PETA vows to keep fighting the good fight

(Newser) - A macaque monkey who took now-famous selfie photographs cannot be declared the copyright owner of the photos, a federal judge said. US District Judge William Orrick said Wednesday that "while Congress and the president can extend the protection of law to animals as well as humans, there is no...

Lawsuit: Big Bang Theory
Stole 'Soft Kitty' Song

Dec 28, 2015 5:48 PM CST

Lawsuit: Big Bang Theory Stole 'Soft Kitty' Song

Heirs of the alleged author have filed a lawsuit

(Newser) - The heirs to a New Hampshire teacher who wrote a poem about a "soft kitty" eight decades ago said in a lawsuit Monday that TV's The Big Bang Theory is violating their copyrights. Edith Newlin's daughters sued CBS and other media-related companies over the copyright to a...

Judge: Kim Dotcom
Can Be Extradited to US

Dec 23, 2015 1:25 AM CST

Judge: Kim Dotcom Can Be Extradited to US

Case could have major online copyright implications

(Newser) - A New Zealand judge ruled Wednesday that colorful Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom and three of his colleagues can be extradited to the United States to face criminal copyright charges. Dotcom's lawyers say they will appeal the decision. Judge Nevin Dawson's ruling came nearly four years after US authorities...

Anne Frank's
Diary Now
Has a
Co-Author

Nov 14, 2015 11:29 AM CST

Anne Frank's Diary Now Has a Co-Author

The new claim would extend the copyright on the diary for decades

(Newser) - The copyright on The Diary of Anne Frank—set to expire Jan. 1 in most of Europe—has been extended by at least 35 years after the Swiss foundation that holds the copyright claimed Anne's diary actually had a co-author: her father, the New York Times reports. Otto Frank...

'Happy Birthday' Is Now Free

Sep 23, 2015 1:25 AM CDT

'Happy Birthday' Is Now Free

Judge rules that Warner never really had the copyright

(Newser) - You can now sing "Happy Birthday" anywhere you like without fear of copyright lawyers pouncing. A federal judge has ruled that Warner/Chappell, which has been making around $2 million a year from "Happy Birthday to You," doesn't have the rights to the song and never did,...

'Smoking Gun' Found in
'Happy Birthday' Lawsuit

'Smoking Gun' Found in 'Happy Birthday' Lawsuit

They're presenting evidence that song is in the public domain, not owned by Warner

(Newser) - In what the New York Times called the "lawsuit of the ages" when it was first filed two years ago, a new development is making the case even juicier with "smoking-gun evidence" that one of the world's most popular songs is in fact in the public domain,...

Justin Bieber,
Usher Face $10M
Copyright Suit
Over Song

Jun 18, 2015 7:36 PM CDT

Justin Bieber, Usher Face $10M Copyright Suit Over Song

Judge thinks 'Somebody to Love' is a little familiar

(Newser) - Justin Bieber and Usher might be on the hook for $10 million after being accused of ripping off a song. An appeals court in Virginia today ordered the pair to stand trial over "Somebody to Love." An R&B singer named De Rico claims that he and his...

YouTube Yanks Rand Paul Presidential Announcement

Apr 8, 2015 7:22 AM CDT

YouTube Yanks Rand Paul Presidential Announcement

He falls foul of copyright-enforcing robots

(Newser) - The official video of Rand Paul's campaign launch has been blocked by YouTube, but not for political reasons: The rally's use of country singer John Rich's "Shuttin’ Detroit Down" was pulled on copyright grounds after apparently being flagged by YouTube's Content ID system, reports Gizmodo...

'Blurred Lines'
Lawyer Has Long
Been a Disrupter

Mar 16, 2015 10:03 AM CDT

'Blurred Lines' Lawyer Has Long Been a Disrupter

But this case may be Richard Busch's 'most satisfying'

(Newser) - A jury has found that Robin Thicke's inescapable song "Blurred Lines" borrowed a little too heavily from Marvin Gaye —and that ruling may owe a lot to lawyer Richard Busch, who represented Gaye's family, the New York Times reports in a profile of the man who...