The Statue of Liberty, officially named Liberty Enlightening the World, is one of the most recognized sculptures ever registered for copyright, and a reminder of the power of copyright-protected works and the inspiration they can provide to all of us.
June is Pride Month, and this year is the 50th anniversary of the first pride parade in New York City. What do copyright and pride have in common? Quite a bit, actually. Where would our celebrations, our heroes, and our increasing understanding of advocacy and allyship be without posters and speeches? Literature? Zines? Given that, …
The music industry in the 1920s was forever changed with the introduction of the radio. Radio enabled music dissemination at an unprecedented rate and allowed live performers to reach millions of people at home, thereby fundamentally altering pre-existing business models. In the 2020s, one hundred years later, the industry is yet again facing a potentially industry-changing new technology. This time, however, it is the force of artificial intelligence (AI) that will transform the way in which business models and the music creation processes work.
To celebrate women's history month, I wanted to write about the five women who have served (and are serving) as leaders of the U.S. Copyright Office. Women have led this Office consecutively since November 1993, and their accomplishments are nothing short of incredible. These five lawyers (who all attended either Columbia Law School or George Washington Law) have contributed over 100 years of public service to the Copyright Office, counting all their roles. This blog shows just a snapshot of their accomplishments and contributions to copyright.
The following is a guest post by David Welkowitz, attorney-advisor in the Office of the General Counsel. As the spread of COVID-19 causes schools—particularly colleges and universities—to switch to distance education, it is a good time to review an important part of the educational landscape: copyright. Don’t let the word copyright alarm you; copyright law …
As we celebrated the rich cultural contributions of African Americans throughout history, I started exploring creative works inspired by African Americans. Here, three Copyright Office staff members share their stories of creating their own works inspired by works of African Americans.
You may have heard that the Supreme Court recently confirmed that you are required to register a U.S. work before you can file a lawsuit alleging that someone has infringed the copyright in the work. But what do you do if you applied to register the work and the Copyright Office refused your application?
On January 1, thousands of 1924 works entered the public domain. An important part of the copyright lifecycle, you can use works in the public domain freely to inspire your own creativity. Explore some of the notable additions from George and Ira Gershwin, Buster Keaton, W. E. B. Du Bois, and more.