Worldwide: Copyright

CBP’s Intellectual Property Enforcement Branch briefed eRecordation holders on August 27, 2026 on changes to the recordation application, future expanded pre-seizure disclosure authority, pending legislation, and an enforcement posture that has to consequence delivery, especially collecting penalties for IP violations.

Is this AI-generated, or is it real? As generative AI tools have become increasingly capable of creating realistic images, videos, and audio, they have also made it easier to impersonate real people without their consent. In response, states are increasingly adopting laws that impose civil and criminal liability for certain AI-generated content that replicates an individual’s identity, likeness, voice, or other personal attributes.

The Fifth Circuit has rejected the Ninth Circuit's long-standing "server test" for copyright infringement, fundamentally reshaping how courts evaluate whether embedding or in-line linking to content constitutes unlawful display. In a certified question from Mississippi, the panel established a new two-part framework focusing on transmission origin and permission, potentially exposing website operators to liability even when content remains on the original owner's server.

When a BTS hit single shares its title and core elements with an unreleased demo, the resulting federal copyright lawsuit becomes a critical case study in proving access through digital paper trails, substantial similarity analysis, and supply-chain liability in the modern music industry. The dispute highlights how digital sharing platforms have transformed copyright litigation by generating precise evidence of access, while raising crucial questions about independent creation defenses and the legal respons

American Mah Jongg's annual card presents a unique copyright puzzle: while game rules cannot be copyrighted, the National Mah Jongg League protects its yearly publication of official winning hands. This article examines how copyright law distinguishes between unprotectable game mechanics and the protectable expression embodied in the League's standardized reference card.

When a legal research startup trained its AI on lawyer memos derived from Westlaw's editorial summaries, it sparked a landmark copyright case that exposes how artificial intelligence extracts not just content, but the accumulated judgment and authority publishers spent decades building. As Google referral traffic plummets and AI-generated content farms proliferate, the question shifts from "was a copy made?" to "was the expert ever hired?"

The obligation of brand owners to police the marketplace for unauthorized uses of their trademarks is of paramount importance, given the proliferation of counterfeit products on social media and e-commerce platforms.

The use of artificial intelligence to digitally recreate deceased actors for film productions presents complex challenges at the intersection of technology, ethics, and intellectual property law. As this practice becomes increasingly sophisticated and widespread, questions arise about ownership rights, consent, and the legal frameworks needed to govern digital resurrection. The entertainment industry faces an evolving landscape where traditional IP protections may not adequately address these novel scenario

Artificial intelligence has created a new form of piracy in film and television, one that doesn't steal finished works but instead extracts the craft and identity of performers themselves. From synthetic actors like Tilly Norwood to unauthorized digital replicas of real stars, the industry faces a fundamental question: when AI learns to recreate a performer's face, voice, and mannerisms from their body of work, whose craft has been taken?