United States: Copyright

Artificial intelligence has revolutionized innovation at unprecedented speed, but its rapid advancement raises critical questions about intellectual property rights. Is AI a transformative tool that lawfully builds on existing knowledge, or does it systematically infringe on the creative works and patents of inventors and artists? The answer depends on which side of this intensifying legal debate you occupy.

The U.S. government has filed a Statement of Interest of the United States of America under 28 U.S.C. § 517 in the Southern District of New York multidistrict litigation over OpenAI’s use of copyrighted works to train large language models. The filing appears to be the federal government’s first direct intervention in the wave of artificial intelligence (AI) training copyright cases, and it advises the court to treat model training (separate from use of AI to generate outputs) on copyrighted text standing alone as a highly transformative fair use under current law.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act's notice-and-takedown system, originally designed to combat online piracy, is being exploited through fraudulent copyright claims to suppress legitimate news coverage and erase critical reporting from the internet. Bad actors are using identity theft, backdated content, and automated platform algorithms to weaponize copyright law for digital censorship, creating serious implications for businesses, media outlets, and online publishers.

Fender's aggressive trademark enforcement campaign against guitar builders and retailers has ignited a fierce debate over intellectual property rights, fair use, and brand protection. Armed with a European court victory, the guitar giant is demanding cease-and-desist compliance worldwide, but faces significant legal hurdles in the U.S. where its iconic body shapes were deemed generic.

An artist sends drawings and 3D files to an overseas foundry. The foundry casts the commissioned sculptures, keeps the molds, photographs the unfinished work, and pulls a few extra casts. Images appear online before the artist’s exhibition opens. Soon, sellers are offering cheaper versions under the artist’s name.

On August 3, 2026, Governor Greg Abbott issued a directive to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) mandating a “comprehensive verification and audit” of all data center projects currently advancing through the ERCOT interconnection process. T

The landscape of tariff enforcement is intensifying, creating significant compliance, financial, and operational challenges for importers.

RSL Media has introduced the Human Consent Standard, a machine-readable protocol allowing individuals to declare whether AI systems may use their creative works, identity, likeness, voice, characters, or marks. While endorsed by major entertainment industry figures and organizations, the voluntary standard's effectiveness depends on pending federal legislation like the NO FAKES Act, voluntary adoption by AI developers, and its ability to withstand contractual pressures that could undermine its protective fu

A professional photographer sued Iron Builders for copyright infringement after discovering his photograph on their business website. When Iron Builders failed to timely respond to a summary judgment motion, the court examined whether technical issues with electronic filing notices and alleged surprise constituted good cause for the delay.