Category: copyright

ResearchGate litigation settled

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 be shared on its site….Continue Reading ResearchGate litigation settled

a win for access to law: ASTM v. Public.Resource.org

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…Continue Reading a win for access to law: ASTM v. Public.Resource.org

AI works not copyrightable (Thaler case)

“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 words, the Copyright Office was…Continue Reading AI works not copyrightable (Thaler case)

Libraries are lifestreams for authors

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 correlate to authors’ economic benefit?…Continue Reading Libraries are lifestreams for authors

Fair Use Week!

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 basic information. Here are a…Continue Reading Fair Use Week!

Happy Public Domain Day 2022!

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 works first published in the…Continue Reading Happy Public Domain Day 2022!

Happy Public Domain Day 2021

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 works first published in the…Continue Reading Happy Public Domain Day 2021

GSU is … over?

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 Georgia State University case…Continue Reading GSU is … over?

Sovereign Immunity Study

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: Association of Public and Land-Grant…Continue Reading Sovereign Immunity Study