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The Art of Not Letting Go: The Mondrian Trust claims a 1930 painting is still protected—citing "dual copyrights," Spanish law, and the Uruguay Round Agreements Act.
Familiar playbook. None of it holds up.
Full story, up now on Copyright Lately:
https://copyrightlately.com/mondrian-public-domain-controversy/
Attention, foreign nations: the U.S. is coming for your copyrights.
The Fifth Circuit just held in Vetter v. Resnik that copyright termination and renewal recapture ownership worldwide.
The court is wrong—and I explain why. Up now on Copyright Lately.
https://copyrightlately.com/vetter-resnik-fifth-circuit-ruling/
Top Gun: Maverick just notched two copyright wins, issued days apart on opposite coasts.
Together, they show where copyright stops helping you—and where it stops you cold.
Full story up now on Copyright Lately:
https://copyrightlately.com/two-new-top-gun-copyright-rulings/
The Ninth Circuit just affirmed Kat Von D’s win in the Miles Davis tattoo case—but two judges questioned whether the court’s longstanding “total concept and feel” test should survive at all. Is en banc next?
Full story up now on Copyright Lately:
https://copyrightlately.com/kat-von-d-tattoo-case-total-concept-and-feel/
Before you close the books on 2025, here’s one more year-end list: my annual countdown of the year’s worst copyright decisions.
Five cases. No spoilers.
Let the debates begin.
Up now on Copyright Lately:
https://copyrightlately.com/the-5-worst-copyright-decisions-of-2025/
Public Domain Day 2026 is almost here. On January 1, a new crop of works become free to use in the U.S.—ready to remix, recycle, or repurpose into B-grade horror films and ill-advised erotica. My annual roundup covers 150+ of them:
Public Domain Day 2026 is almost here. On January 1, works from 1930—including Miss Marple, Animal Crackers, and The Little Engine That Could—enter the U.S. public domain. Expect celebration, confusion, and at least one Betty Boop slasher film. Sorry in advance.
Up now on Copyright Lately:
https://copyrightlately.com/public-domain-2026/
#copyright #publicdomain #publicdomain2026 #publicdomainday2026
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:
https://copyrightlately.com/court-rules-ai-news-summaries-may-infringe-copyright/
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:
https://copyrightlately.com/reagan-foundation-copyright-infringement-ontario-canada-tariff-ad/
