The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals held that unprotectable elements of a song, when considered together, are not enough to support a claim of copyright infringement. Guy Hobbs v. Elton John, Case No. 12-3652 (7th Cir. July 17, 2013) (available here). Guy Hobbs sued Elton John for … [Read more...] about Elton John’s Song “Nikita” Is Not Copyright Infringement of Thematic Concepts In Natasha’s Song
“Premium Rush” Movie By Sony Pictures Not Substantially Similar Enough To “Ultimate Rush” Novel For Copyright Infringement
The Court for the Northern District of California granted defendant Sony Pictures’ motion for summary judgment against plaintiff Joe Quirk regarding Quirk’s allegations that Sony made an unauthorized adaptation of Quirk’s novel for one of Sony’s movies. Quirk v. Sony Pictures … [Read more...] about “Premium Rush” Movie By Sony Pictures Not Substantially Similar Enough To “Ultimate Rush” Novel For Copyright Infringement
Photographs Depicting Factual Content Not Enough For Copyright Infringement
A famous photograph depicting a man wanted by the FBI (for child abduction; passing as a member of the Rockefeller family, British royalty, a Wall Street advisor, and a rocket scientist) does not have enough copyrightable elements to meet the substantial similarity test for … [Read more...] about Photographs Depicting Factual Content Not Enough For Copyright Infringement
Copyright Protects Original Selection, Arrangement and Coordination of a Factual Database Compilation
In Buc International Corp. v. International Yacht Council Limited, 489 F.3d 1129 (11th Cir. 2007)(available here), the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on the scope of copyright protection for a database comprised of yacht listings. Plaintiff BUC compiled a yacht listing … [Read more...] about Copyright Protects Original Selection, Arrangement and Coordination of a Factual Database Compilation
