ABSTRACT

These collected chapters and interviews explore the current issues and debates about how copyright will or should adapt to meet the practices of 21st-century creators and internet users.

The book begins with an overview of copyright law basics. It is organized by parts that correspond to creative genres: Literary Works, Visual Arts, Fine Art, Music, Video Games and Virtual Worlds, Fashion, and Technology. The chapters and interviews address issues such as copyright ownership in work created by Artificial Intelligence (AI), the musical remix market, whether appropriation is ever a fair use of a copyrighted work or if it is always theft, and whether internet- based platforms should do more to deter piracy of creators’ works. Each part ends with an essay explaining the significance of one or two landmark or trendsetting cases to help the reader understand the practical implications of the law.

Written to be accessible to both lay and legal audiences, this unique collection addresses contemporary legal issues that all creators need to understand and will be essential reading for artists, designers, and musicians as well as the lawyers who represent them.

part I|14 pages

Copyright Basics

chapter 1.1|12 pages

Copyright Basics

What You Think You Know May Not Be True

part II|53 pages

Literary Works

chapter 2.2|10 pages

Is a Picture Really Worth More Than a Thousand Words?

(The Scope of Copyright Protection for Fictional Characters)

chapter 2.3|9 pages

Fair Use

The Judicial Mix-Up over “A Mixed Question of Law and Fact”

chapter 2.4|9 pages

Fair Use

The Linchpin to the Future of the Copyright Act

chapter 2.5|9 pages

Self-Publishing Revolution

Copyright Pitfalls for Writers Who Go It Alone

chapter 2.6|2 pages

Landmark Case

Authors Guild v. Google, Inc., 804 F.3d 202 (2d Cir. 2015)

part III|45 pages

Visual Arts Introduction

chapter 3.1|6 pages

How Close can you Get

Substantial Similarity in the Context of Works of Visual Art

chapter 3.4|14 pages

Social Media

Use It and Lose It?

chapter 3.5|3 pages

Landmark Case

Rentmeester v. Nike, Inc., 883 F.3d 1111 (9th Cir. 2018)

part IV|52 pages

Fine Art

chapter 4.1|18 pages

The Art Collector’s Burden

Guiding a Collection through the Thicket of Copyright Laws

chapter 4.2|10 pages

Protection of Street Art

Has VARA Finally Found Its Métier?

chapter 4.3|6 pages

Appropriation Art

Creating by Taking

chapter 4.4|9 pages

Appropriation Art

Creating by Using

chapter 4.5|3 pages

Authorship and Authenticity

Banksy

chapter 4.6|4 pages

Landmark Case

Mass. Museum of Contemporary Art Found., Inc. v. Buchel, 593 F.3d 38 (1st Cir. 2010)

part V|65 pages

Music

chapter 5.2|6 pages

Sampling

Using Recordings as Musical Instruments

chapter 5.3|6 pages

Subconscious Copying

From George Harrison to Sam Smith, a Song Gets in Your Head and Winds Up in a New Song

chapter 5.4|10 pages

Why Music Should not be Free

The Battle for Survival

chapter 5.6|7 pages

Co-Authorship

A Little Help Can Lead to a Big Headache

chapter 5.7|2 pages

Landmark Case

Williams v. Gaye, 895 F.3d 1106 (9th Cir. 2018)

part VI|32 pages

Video Games and Virtual Worlds

chapter 6.1|9 pages

Video Games and Virtual Worlds

Recreating the World and Fighting a Dragon in It

chapter 6.3|9 pages

Press “X” to Open

Pandora’s Loot Box

chapter 6.4|2 pages

Landmark Case

Hart v. Elec. Arts, Inc., 717 F.3d 141 (3d Cir. 2013)

part VII|21 pages

Fashion

chapter 7.1|6 pages

Buyer Beware

Copyright Issues in the Fashion Industry

chapter 7.2|7 pages

Hermes in Hermès

Searching for Boundaries in Non-Traditional Trademarks and Copyrights

chapter 7.3|4 pages

Idea/Expression Dichotomy

If the Belt Buckle Fits, You Can Copy It

chapter 7.4|2 pages

Landmark Case

Star Athletica, LLC, v. Varsity Brands, Inc., 137 S.Ct. 1002 (2017)

part VIII|51 pages

Technology

chapter 8.1|4 pages

The DMCA Safe Harbor

User-Generated Content

chapter 8.2|5 pages

The DMCA Safe Harbor

Policy and Practice Divided

chapter 8.3|10 pages

Copyright Trolls

When Copyright Litigation Becomes a Business Model

chapter 8.4|14 pages

Virtual Reality

Blending the Real World with Copying

chapter 8.6|3 pages

Landmark Cases

Perfect 10, Inc. v Amazon, Inc., 508 F.3d 1146 (9th Cir. 2007)

part IX|14 pages

Future Copyright

chapter 9.1|8 pages

Future of Copyright

chapter 9.2|4 pages

What’s Next

Predictions from Interviewees and Authors