ResearchGate and ACS & Elsevier have settled the copyright lawsuits the publishers filed in Germany and the US. The gist of the settlement: At the point of upload, the ResearchGate platform will check rights information for ACS and Elsevier published content. ResearchGate will then immediately determine how the content can
Good news today regarding posting technical standards incorporated into law — a unanimous 5th circuit opinion holding that disseminating such standards is not copyright infringement. ASTM v. Public.Resource.org, full opinion at: https://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/internet/opinions.nsf/5A2E1191A4B2D49785258A28004F2532/$file/22-7063-2016393.pdf
“For the reasons explained below, defendants are correct that human authorship is an essential part of a valid copyright claim, and therefore plaintiff’s pending motion for summary judgment is denied and defendants’ pending cross-motion for summary judgment is granted.” Thaler v. Perlmutter [US Copyright Register], D.D.C. (Aug. 18, 2023) In other
The District Court’s order in Hachette v. Internet Archive was released yesterday (August 14). It marks a sad moment when publishers’ attacks on libraries have prevailed over common sense, the public interest, and the best interests of authors and readers alike. Who won? Publishers. How often do publishers’ economic wins
For those interested in reading on their own, the Supreme Court has posted the opinion on its website.
Every year in February, we celebrate Fair Use / Fair Dealing Week. This year, from February 20-24, libraries are hosting programs covering what’s new and what’s true about fair use. The Association of Research Libraries hosts FairUseWeek.org, and is a great place to get started finding fair use activities or
On January 1 each year, the world gets a little freer as many creative, historical, and scientific works — some famous, many more out of print and little known — come out of the copyright closet and enter the public domain. On January 1, 2022, these will include all the
On January 1 each year, the world gets a little freer as many creative, historical, and scientific works — some famous, many more out of print and little known — come out of the copyright closet and enter the public domain. On January 1, 2021, these will include all the
This note is not “legal advice”, but my informed assessment of the particular case. Any librarian or education official should assess the opinion in light of their own situation and legal environment. I hesitate to say it, after 12 years and numerous orders, decisions, and appeals, but it looks like
The US Copyright Office was asked by Sens. Tillis and Leahy, in the wake of the Allen v. Cooper decision earlier this year, to study the question of state sovereign immunity in the copyright context. A number of university and library entities, and practitioners in the field, have weighed in: