Understanding our nation’s copyright law is important, but also complex. The below glossary of key copyright terms is a resource to help promote informed discussions about copyright policy.  The US Copyright Office: Housed within the Library of Congress, the US Copyright Office (USCO) is the United States government body that creates and maintains records of copyright registrations and other transactions, provides deposit…

Register of Copyrights: The Register of Copyrights is the head of the U.S. Copyright Office and is charged with “All administrative functions and duties” under the Copyright Act, most importantly administering the copyright registration system. Additionally, the Register is tasked with advising Congress, Federal departments and agencies, and the Judiciary on national and international issues relating to copyright, participating in…

Whether you call it the Italian plumber problem or the Snoopy problem may depend on which character dominated your own childhood imagination. In the latest AI lawsuit, brought by Disney and Comcast against image generator Midjourney, it’s a Minions problem, a Vader problem, a Spider-Man problem, and even a little bit of an Elsa-from-Frozen problem. But what’s the problem? In…

It’s #FairUseFriday, where each week we celebrate how fair use is essential to everyday life and culture. From writing an essay to interacting with Instagram Reels to using a search engine, fair use enhances our daily lives. Learn more about our fair use resources below.  What is Fair Use? Fair use is a critical right that permits the public to…

Re:Create and Allies sent a letter to California’s Assembly Judiciary Committee to voice opposition to AB 412.

Last week saw the release of a new fair use opinion from Judge Pierre N. Leval, an esteemed jurist on the Second Circuit who has perhaps done more than any other judge to chart a course for fair use in the public interest. There is nothing remarkable about the facts of Romanova v. Amilus, Inc.: a photographer sued a website…

Earlier this month, The American Law Institute (ALI), an organization that was founded in 1923 and works to clarify, modernize, and improve the law, approved and adopted its latest Restatement, addressing copyright law. Like its other Restatements, the ALI’s Restatement of the Law, Copyright is meant to provide guidance for judges in a complex area of law where important concepts…

Take a Big Step Back: A Brief History of Fair Use & Why Everyone’s Talking About Fair Use and AI  Fair use is the legal right to use copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder when the use serves the goals of copyright itself by enabling new creativity, new insight, and new knowledge. Fair use embraces uses that are…