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copyrightlately.bsky.social
Aaron Moss
@copyrightlately.bsky.social
1.1K followers 930 following 130 posts
Copyright lawyer, along with trademark, media and entertainment litigation. Visit copyrightlately.com for copyright stuff
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copyrightlately.bsky.social
Oof.
November 19, 2025 at 1:40 AM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
SDNY just held that AI “substitutive summaries” — non-verbatim outputs that mirror a story’s expressive structure and journalistic choices — may plausibly infringe copyright. Big case for AI + news. Full story on Copyright Lately:
copyrightlately.com/court-rules-...
Court Rules AI News Summaries May Infringe Copyright
News publishers just cleared a key hurdle against Cohere in a copyright fight over AI-generated "substitutive summaries" of their reporting.
copyrightlately.com
November 17, 2025 at 6:09 AM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
President Trump just raised tariffs on Canada over a Reagan ad quoting Reagan's anti-tariff views.

Is there a copyright issue?

The answer may depend which side of the border you're on.

Full story up now on Copyright Lately:

copyrightlately.com/reagan-found...
Can the Reagan Foundation Sue Ontario for Copyright Infringement over Tariff Ad?
Thanks to international copyright treaties, Reagan's public domain speech may be protected in Canada—even as Canada gets tariffed for using it here.
copyrightlately.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:10 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
French Montana just won a six-year lawsuit because a teenage producer supposedly registered only a sound recording copyright—not the underlying composition.

But what if his registration covered both—and nobody realized it?

Full story on Copyright Lately⬇️

copyrightlately.com/how-french-m...
How French Montana Won on a Copyright Technicality
7th Circuit: register the right copyright or risk losing even when tracks sound identical. But what if the artist did—and nobody noticed?
copyrightlately.com
October 20, 2025 at 5:03 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
FWIW, it looks like they're actually going EXTRA restrictive at the moment. Example: I just asked Sora 2 to "Show me a funny video of a yellow cartoon dad that likes beer and donuts" and I got back "This content may violate our guardrails concerning similarity to third-party content."
bcmerchant.bsky.social Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · Oct 6
I'm also skeptical that this opt-in method will work all that well, aside from in the more obvious cases that pose the greatest risk of litigation like Disney. All of these materials are clearly already in the training data!
October 6, 2025 at 10:13 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
Facing backlash, OpenAI reverses course: rightsholders will decide whether their characters can appear in Sora 2, with revenue sharing for those who opt in. But will copyright owners hand over their IP to be freely manipulated for a slice of ad revenue? copyrightlately.com/openai-backt...
Sora, Not Sorry: OpenAI Backtracks on Opt-Out Copyright Policy
OpenAI, facing backlash, will now let rightsholders decide whether their characters appear in Sora 2, with revenue sharing for those who opt in.
copyrightlately.com
October 5, 2025 at 8:32 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
What a wild week in AI and copyright. Just three days after launching its new Sora 2 AI video app with a brazen policy that let users create videos featuring copyrighted characters unless rightsholders explicitly opted out, OpenAI has slammed the brakes.
October 5, 2025 at 1:08 AM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
My Q&A with Puck's Matt Belloni, and why OpenAI's Sora 2 might be Hollywood's biggest copyright test since YouTube. Up now on Copyright Lately:
copyrightlately.com/sora-2-copyr...

@mattbelloni.bsky.social
Is Sora 2 the Entertainment Industry's Next "Lazy Sunday" Moment?
My Q&A with Puck's Matt Belloni on why OpenAI's Sora 2 could be Hollywood's biggest copyright test since YouTube
copyrightlately.com
October 3, 2025 at 4:30 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
I tested OpenAI’s new Sora 2 video app. Within minutes I was generating branded cartoon clips. Hollywood’s AI headache just got animated.

copyrightlately.com/new-sora-ai-...
New Sora AI App Forces Hollywood to Opt Out or Get Played
I tested OpenAI's new Sora 2 video app. Within minutes I was generating branded cartoon clips. Hollywood's AI headache just got animated.
copyrightlately.com
October 1, 2025 at 8:45 AM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
An artist claimed concept art for Disney's new Lion King ride infringed her concept art for a new Lion King ride—which was itself based on Disney's Lion King.

It didn't work out so well.

Full story up now on Copyright Lately:

copyrightlately.com/pride-rock-p...
Pride Rock Plunge: Theme Park Dreams Meet Copyright Reality
A judge dismissed an artist's lawsuit over a 'Lion King' ride concept, finding no substantial similarity after filtering out Disney's own IP.
copyrightlately.com
September 29, 2025 at 5:02 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
Fair use wins, exclusivity loses, the Ninth Circuit finally publishes, and the future of a psychic network’s lawsuit looks hazy. Time to catch up.
copyrightlately.com/whats-up-wit...
What’s Up With Copyright Lately?: Sweater Weather Edition
Fair use wins, exclusivity loses, the 9th Circuit finally publishes, and the future of a psychic network's lawsuit looks hazy. Time to catch up.
copyrightlately.com
September 21, 2025 at 10:25 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
Anthropic's $1.5 billion copyright settlement is simultaneously groundbreaking and trivial, a paradox that reveals how AI has fundamentally altered the economics of copyright infringement.
Full story up now on Copyright Lately:
copyrightlately.com/anthropic-se...
Anthropic’s $1.5 Billion Speeding Ticket
It’s the largest copyright settlement in history. But for Anthropic, it’s a toll booth, not a stop sign.
copyrightlately.com
September 8, 2025 at 12:42 AM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
Trump just lost a copyright lawsuit claiming ownership over his own recorded words in the Woodward interviews. Full story, up now on Copyright Lately:
copyrightlately.com/trump-loses-copyright-fight-over-woodward-interview-recordings/
July 21, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Aaron Moss
brianlfrye.bsky.social
Great @copyrightlately.bsky.social essay on the different approaches taken in last week's AI copyright infringement opinions by Alsup & Chhabria. copyrightlately.com/apprentice-o...
Apprentice or Adversary? Judges Split on AI and Copyright
Two wins for AI companies mask a deeper divide: Is artificial intelligence a creative tool or an existential threat?
copyrightlately.com
July 1, 2025 at 4:45 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
Should copyright protect creative output—or the humans who create it? Two judges just revealed the philosophical fault line that will define AI's legal future. Full story, up now on Copyright Lately:
copyrightlately.com/apprentice-o...
Apprentice or Adversary? Judges Split on AI and Copyright
Two wins for AI companies mask a deeper divide: Is artificial intelligence a creative tool or an existential threat?
copyrightlately.com
June 30, 2025 at 2:22 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
Ethan Klein once defended reaction videos as fair use. Now he’s suing Twitch streamers for barely reacting at all. Bong rips, blank stares, and bathroom breaks take center stage in the year's most ironic copyright lawsuit. Up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/ethan-klein-...
Ethan Klein Files Copyright Lawsuits Over 'Lazy' Reaction Videos
Ethan Klein helped establish fair use protections for reaction videos. Now he's suing to prove that not all reactions are created equal.
copyrightlately.com
June 23, 2025 at 2:52 AM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
"Show, Don't Tell" takes center stage in Disney & Universal's lawsuit against Midjourney. After 40+ AI copyright cases got stuck on training data, this one puts the outputs front and center. Full story and why it matters, up now on @copyrightlately:
copyrightlately.com/why-the-stud...
#copyright #AI
Why the Studios’ Midjourney Lawsuit Is Different
Hollywood knows the power of visuals. In their lawsuit against Midjourney, the studios aren't just alleging infringement—they're showing it.
copyrightlately.com
June 16, 2025 at 5:46 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
A constitutional showdown over who controls the Copyright Office heads to court tomorrow. Full story now on Copyright Lately. copyrightlately.com/perlmutters-...
Perlmutter's Lawsuit Is About More Than Just Getting Her Job Back
Can the White House remove the Register of Copyrights? Shira Perlmutter says no—and warns the stakes go far beyond her job.
copyrightlately.com
May 27, 2025 at 5:33 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
The day before Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter was fired, the Copyright Office quickly and quietly dropped a major report on AI and fair use. I break down the timing, the fallout, and my 5 biggest takeaways—up now on Copyright Lately:
copyrightlately.com/copyright-of...
Five Takeaways from the Copyright Office’s Controversial New AI Report
The Copyright Office released its AI fair use report a day before its leader was dismissed: the timing, the fallout, and what it all means.
copyrightlately.com
May 11, 2025 at 10:52 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
With tariffs, trade wars, and treaty tensions dominating the headlines, it’s only fitting that an international copyright flare-up has landed in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Check out my “amicus blog” on why the court needs to reverse Vetter v. Resnik.

copyrightlately.com/fifth-circui...
Dear Fifth Circuit: It's Time to Reverse Vetter v. Resnik
In Vetter v. Resnik, a district court treated U.S. termination rights as a global eraser. Now, on appeal, it's time to set things straight.
copyrightlately.com
April 28, 2025 at 4:31 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
NEW: A high-stakes copyright battle over To Kill a Mockingbird is quietly unfolding in the 2nd and 7th Circuits, testing the limits of the important but rarely litigated “derivative works exception” to copyright termination. Up now on Copyright Lately: 🔗 copyrightlately.com/to-kill-a-te...
To Kill a Termination Right? 'Mockingbird' Battle Heats Up
A dispute over 'To Kill a Mockingbird' stage rights is testing the limits of copyright termination—and has drawn the Copyright Office into the fray.
copyrightlately.com
April 21, 2025 at 2:38 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
I was busy switching firms. The courts were busy issuing copyright rulings. Here's everything I missed over the past 3 weeks—Rule 11 sanctions, AI lawsuits, disco flashbacks, and more—all tidied up in one place before I sweep them behind the couch.

copyrightlately.com/whats-up-spr...

#copyright
What’s Up With Copyright Lately?: Spring Cleaning Edition
I’m back. The courts never left. From AI to Mariah, here’s everything I missed, rounded up and casually swept behind the couch.
copyrightlately.com
April 7, 2025 at 5:56 AM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
An LA jury needed less than 3 hours to clear Disney’s Buena Vista unit of copyright infringement—so why did it take 5 years and millions in legal fees to get there? With another no-access verdict in the books, it’s time for a more efficient approach. copyrightlately.com/moana-verdic...
‘Moana’ Verdict Delivers Another No-Access Reality Check for Courts
A jury needed less than 3 hours to clear Disney of copyright infringement—so why did it take 5 years and millions in legal fees to get there?
copyrightlately.com
March 17, 2025 at 2:11 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
After five years of litigation, a jury in LA will decide whether Disney’s 'Moana' infringed an unproduced project called 'Bucky the Surfer Boy.' Here’s what to expect as another copyright trial begins—and why it’s happening at all. Up now on Copyright Lately:
copyrightlately.com/disneys-moan...
Disney’s 'Moana' Is on Trial—But Should It Be?
A 5 year copyright battle heads to trial—despite only broad thematic similarities between the works. Here’s why, and what you need to know.
copyrightlately.com
February 24, 2025 at 4:07 PM
copyrightlately.bsky.social
Judge Bibas reverses course in the first copyright case on AI training and fair use. What happened—and what does it mean for gen AI, copyright, and the legal battles ahead? Some thoughts on Thomson Reuters v. Ross Intelligence, up now on Copyright Lately. copyrightlately.com/ai-training-...
AI Training, Fair Use, and the Burdens of Being First
Judge Bibas’s second take in Thomson Reuters v. Ross Intelligence will get second looks from courts deciding fair use in generative AI cases.
copyrightlately.com
February 17, 2025 at 8:59 PM