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AI-Created Art Cannot be Copyrighted, US Copyright Office Says

Artificial intelligence has gotten better and better at creating "art" in recent years -- algorithms are now capable of creating convincing "photos" of people and places that do not actually exist. It turns out those AI artworks cannot be copyrighted in the United States with the US Copyright Office.

Judge Rules Images of Enslaved Are Property of Harvard, Not Descendant

A Massachusetts judge has dismissed a woman's lawsuit claiming that she is the rightful owner of the images of an enslaved father and daughter and not Harvard, the New York Times reports. The judge cites common law that the content of an image cannot be used to claim ownership of that image, regardless of the subject.

Photographer Wins Lawsuit Against BuzzFeed, Sets Major DMCA Precedent

Last week, photographer Gregory Mango won an important lawsuit against online publication BuzzFeed; it's important, not because of the payout involved, but because of the precedent set by the court, which ruled that BuzzFeed was liable for 3rd party infringement of his photo because they removed his copyright info from the image.

Media Companies Can’t Just Steal Your Social Media Photos: Judge

With the explosion of social media and photo sharing, personal pictures commonly go viral and make their way onto major news websites, sometimes without the photographers' permission. But a judge has just ruled that media companies can't simply steal social media photos whenever they see fit.

Online Photos Can’t Be Used Without Permission, EU Court Rules

A Virginia federal court sparked quite a controversy among photographers last month when it ruled that copying photos found on the Internet is fair use. Now a European Union court has just issued a landmark ruling that states you can't simply republish a photo because it's freely accessible online -- you need the photographer's permission first.

States Can Force Online Retailers to Collect Sales Tax: Supreme Court

Camera gear is about to get more expensive for most online shoppers in the United States. The Supreme Court just ruled that states may force online retailers to collect sales tax on their behalf. While Amazon already does this -- it has a "nexus" in every state -- camera gear giants like B&H and Adorama will now have to follow suit.

Judge Rules That Monkey Can’t Own Copyright to His Famous Selfie

It seems that there's finally some resolution in the curious legal battle between PETA and a photographer over whether a monkey owns the copyright to the viral selfies he shot back in 2011.

A federal judge in San Francisco said yesterday that he's planning to dismiss the case, ruling that the monkey cannot own the copyright to photos.

German Court Rules That Photographer Must Delete Intimate Photos of His Ex

Germany is known to have some of the strictest privacy laws in Europe, and sometimes the policies trump photography rights and copyright. The country's highest court just ruled that a photographer must delete "intimate" photos of his ex-lover -- pictures that were consented to when they were created and which the man had no intention of sharing.

Court Says Copyright Owners Must Consider Fair Use Before Sending DMCAs

If you find that someone is using your photo online without your permission, one thing you can do is send a DMCA take down request to force the hosting company to remove the image. But be careful, though: you need to make sure the usage doesn't fall under fair use. Otherwise, you could be liable for sending a bad-faith take-down notice.