Practice Area: Intellectual Property Law

Steamboat Willie Enters Public Domain

The Copyright Act ensures that its protections extend to creative works even after the death of the author. However, no copyright can last forever, and, as of Jan. 1, 2024, an iconic American cartoon has now entered the public domain: Steamboat Willie.[1] For those unfamiliar with Disney lore, the cartoon is synonymous with the character … Continued

Does Copyright Protection Extend Beyond Original Works in an AI World?

We are living in a pre-“Matrix” world1 – the version before the super-powerful computer programs in the machine world take over, leaving the humans to live in a simulated reality. Artificial intelligence2 has already taken over the zeitgeist and soon your entire life. At its core, AI, and its progeny generative AI,3 bring the allure of efficiency.4 Need to write a … Continued

Bored Apes and Monkey Selfies: Copyright and PFP NFTs

What do the monkey selfie and the “Bored Ape Yacht Club” images pictured above have in common? Both depict grinning primates, of course. But less obviously, both may lack copyright. You may recall a dispute between Naruto the monkey and a photographer whose camera Naruto borrowed to take a selfie. The photographer argued that he … Continued