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Copyright Office Provides Guidance on Artificial Intelligence

In a recent webinar, the Copyright Office provided crucial guidance on registering works that incorporate AI-generated material, a topic of growing importance as AI becomes increasingly integrated into creative processes.

This guidance builds on the Office's March 2023 statement, which clarified that AI-generated works are not eligible for copyright protection due to the absence of human…

U.S. SUPREME COURT ADDRESSES PENNSYLVANIA’S CONSENT-BY-REGISTRATION STATUTE

Last week, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a wave of opinions. Included with those cases is an under-the-radar opinion that should put companies on notice.  In Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co., No. 21-1168, the Supreme Court held that a Pennsylvania statute subjecting foreign corporations to general personal jurisdiction because they registered their business in Pennsylvania…

Supreme Court Addresses the Interplay of Trademarks and Parody

Recently, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in the case of Jack Daniel’s Properties, Inc. v. VIP Products LLC, which provides significant implications for trademark law and its intersection with the First Amendment. This landmark decision affects clients who have trademark concerns, as it provides guidance on when a trademark claim can be protected by the First Amendment.

The case involved a dog…

U.S. Supreme Court Dismisses Case Relating to In-House Counsel Attorney-Client Privilege for Dual-Purpose Communications

Key Take-Away: What is the difference between “a” and “the”? Quite a lot if you are in-house counsel for a company that wants to assert attorney-client privilege for dual-purpose communications made by you as in-house counsel. The Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) granted cert in In re Grand Jury and recently heard oral arguments regarding dual-purpose communications, giving hope that…

NCAA Approves New Guidance for Player Endorsements

The NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors approved new guidance on name, image, and likeness activities. The guidelines, approved on October 26, 2022, clarify how and when schools, coaches, and staff may be involved with athletes’ endorsement and sponsorship deals. Technically, the NCAA did not approve new rules. Instead, the NCAA issued guidance intended to clarify the existing NCAA policy.

“The…

Trade Secrets and Patents: Which to Use?

Intellectual property (IP) provides some of the largest value to many companies. But protecting that property through patents can prove to be expensive, while failing to protect some crucial IP like customer lists. In lieu of patents, many companies should consider classifying IP as a trade secret, which enjoys protection under U.S. law and can often be obtained at far lower costs.

Patents require…

The Rise of Consumer Class Actions: How Changes to the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act Increased Consumer Class Action Filings in West Virginia

Sometimes the best intentions have entirely unforeseen consequences. This is the case with changes that were made to the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act, W. Va. Code §§ 46A-1-101 et seq. (“WVCCPA” or the “Act”). At the time, there were hundreds of individual lawsuits relating to verbal notification of attorney representation wherein plaintiffs filed suit seeking thousands of…

THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS FRIENDS AND FAMILY UNDER THE SECURITIES LAWS

There are three types of securities offerings: registered, exempt, and illegal.  When raising capital for a start-up business, many entrepreneurs are very surprised to learn that there is no “friends and family” exemption under the securities laws. Often, entrepreneurs speak of raising money from a “friends and family” offering.  “Friends and family” only identifies to whom the offering is made.  It…

Name, Image, and Likeness: The NCAA and College Sports Landscape One Year After Alston

The college sports landscape changed forever on July 1, 2021, when the NCAA permitted student-athletes to earn compensation for their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Now, a year later, we look back and evaluate how this change happened; the impact of this change on the NCAA, institutions, and student athletes; and the future of NIL.

Background

In June 2021, the NCAA was preparing to launch a new…

Kemp v. United States – The Supreme Court Finds that a Judge’s Error of Law is a “Mistake” Under Rule 60(b)(1)

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b)(1) provides that a court may relieve a party from a final judgment due to “mistake, inadvertence, surprise, or excusable neglect[.]” Rules 60(b)(2)-(5) provide more narrowly tailored reasons for relief, ranging from newly discovered evidence to fraud and void judgements. Rule 60(b)(6), however, serves as a catch-all provision providing relief “for any other…

 

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