Aaron Moss

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.

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...

well, they did appeal already. The argument may be waived at this point.

What an incredibly odd case. You'd think someone in SIX YEARS of litigation would have picked up on the fact that a form SR can be (and, to my eyes, was) used to register both the sound recording and the composition when they're authored and owned by the same person.

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?

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...

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."

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.

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.

But that’s a massive if. There’s a world of difference between studios collecting YouTube ad revenue on video clips they produce and control, and handing over their characters for anyone to freely manipulate.
Full story up now on Copyright Lately: copyrightlately.com/openai-backt...

It would be a big win for OpenAI, assuming content owners play along.

If studios become partners rather than adversaries, OpenAI can potentially offset costs while buying legal cover not only for the outputs, but maybe even retroactive blessing for the unauthorized training as well.

Users are generating far more videos than expected, using massive compute resources on content that's often being generated for very small audiences (it is, after all, a social media app).

The reversal came with no apology—just Sam Altman chalking it up to "taking feedback." Meanwhile, he admitted the real issue:

Testing the app this week revealed the strategy: Launch without guardrails. Let Family Guy, South Park and Pikachu videos drive engagement and media coverage. Hit #1 on the App Store (for an invite only app). Then implement restrictions once you've captured the market.

Late Friday, the company announced it will move to an opt-in model requiring permission before copyrighted characters can appear in Sora 2 videos.

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.

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

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

Everything beyond some pretty skeletal prompting was Sora. Wild.

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.

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-...

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.

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...

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.

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...

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.

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...

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/

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?

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?

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...

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.

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-...

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.

"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

Pretty hard one to miss!

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.

A constitutional showdown over who controls the Copyright Office heads to court tomorrow. Full story now on Copyright Lately. copyrightlately.com/perlmutters-...

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.

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...

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.

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...

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.

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...