Kat Von D’s Miles Davis Tattoo Draws Copyright Lawsuit — “In the filing, photographer Jeffrey Sedlik claims Von D’s tattoo constitutes copyright infringement of his image and alleges he is the sole and exclusive owner of the copyright of an iconic portrait of Davis . . . Sedlik further claims that Von D, who owns High Voltage Tattoo in Los Angeles, did not request or receive a license to reproduce his work.”
The French Supreme Court rules that Knoll ‘Tulip’ Chair is not protected by copyright — Of note, the French Court applied US law, including the Supreme Court’s Star Athletica decision, in making its ruling.
Copyright Office roundup — Lots from the US Copyright Office this week: (1) The Library of Congress is accepting applications for a new Copyright Office modernization committee that will provide feedback on technology-related aspects of the Office’s modernization initiatives; (2) the Office announced an upcoming roundtable on unclaimed royalties under the Music Modernization Act. The roundtable is scheduled for March 25, and participants have until February 26 to sign up; (3) the Office has invited requests to testify in an upcoming section 1201 rulemaking hearing on proposed exemptions to anticircumvention measures.
Restatements of Statutory Law: The Curious Case of the Restatement of Copyright — Professors Balganesh and Menell explore the American Law Institute’s current copyright restatement project, calling attention to what they see as a mismatch between the form and method of restatment projects and the extensively statutory nature of copyright law.
Google Takes Out YouTube Ripper with WIPO Domain Dispute — Torrentfreak reports, “Google has won its WIPO domain name dispute against Youtubeconverter.io, a site that allowed people to download music and video from YouTube. The WIPO panel concluded that the domain was not used for legitimate purposes and ordered it to be transferred to Google. The owner of the site didn’t put up a defense and simply switched to a new domain.”