Court Rules Descendant of Slaves Depicted in Photos Can Sue Harvard
A court has ruled that Harvard University can be sued over a series of photographs that depict enslaved people by a woman who is a descendent of the subjects.
Supreme Court Ruling Protects Photographers from Registration Errors
Photographers and other creatives scored a big legal win today after the Supreme Court ruled that unintentional mistakes made during copyright registration cannot be used to invalidate copyright.
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.
Christian Photographer Must Accept Gay Weddings, Federal Court Rules
A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Christian wedding photographer who claimed that providing services to same-sex couples goes against her faith and that New York's human rights law violates her First Amendment rights.
Lawsuit Alleges the FAA’s New Drone Rules Violate Constitutional Rights
The drone equipment retailer RaceDayQuads (RDQ) is in the midst of a legal battle with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in a case that has the potential to shake up the commercial drone operations and manufacturing industry.
FTC Approves ‘Right To Repair’ Policy in Huge Win for the Movement
In a colossal win for the Right to Repair movement, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has published a statement where it unanimously approved the prioritization of aggressive action against manufacturers who impose unfair repair restrictions on individuals and independent repair shops.
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.
Dutch Court Orders Woman to Delete Photos of Her Grandchildren from Social Media
A court in the Netherlands has ordered a woman to delete all of the photos of her grandchildren that she's posted on Facebook and Pinterest without their parents permission. The ruling, handed down last week, is calling into question what qualifies as "purely personal" usage in the age of social media.
DJI Drones Could Be Kicked Out of US Market After Losing Patent Suit
A US judge has ruled that Chinese drone juggernaut DJI violated the patent of a smaller drone maker, and he is recommending that most DJI drone models be pulled from store shelves and blocked from being imported.
ALPA Wins Counterfeit Case in China: Cameras Are ‘Objects of Applied Art’
The Swiss camera brand ALPA has won a copyright infringement case in China against counterfeiters who copied the company's designs. In its ruling, the Chinese court acknowledged that ALPA cameras are "objects of applied art" that are worthy of protection.
Court Rules Your Instagram Photos Can Be Embedded Against Your Wishes
A federal court has tossed a photographer's claim of copyright infringement against a major online publication that embedded her Instagram photo against her wishes. The court concluded that the photographer signed over the right of embedding by posting the shot to the photo sharing service.
No, You CAN’T Use Any Internet Photo as ‘Fair Use’: Appeals Court
In July of 2018, a Virginia federal court sparked an uproar among photographers by ruling that finding a photo on the Internet and using it without permission on a commercial website can be fair use. Good news: an appeals court reversed the decision today in a big win for photographers (and other creatives).
RNC Use of Photo Without Permission on Political Mailer is Fair Use: Judge
A federal court judge in Montana has sparked controversy among photographers after he ruled that the Republican National Committee (RNC) didn't infringe a photographer's copyright when it used her photo without permission on a political mailer.
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.
Court Rules Copying Photos Found on Internet is Fair Use
A Virginia federal court has made a decision that photographers won't be happy to hear: the court ruled that finding a photo on the Internet and then using it without permission on a commercial website can be considered fair use.
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.
Photographer Wins Monkey Selfie Copyright Case, Court Slams PETA
Photographer David Slater has won his legal battle over that monkey selfie. A US appeals court ruled Monday that US copyright law doesn't allow animals to file copyright infringement lawsuits.
Bride Ordered to Pay $89,000 After Trashing Wedding Photog Online
An angry bride has been ordered to pay a wedding photographer C$115,000 (~$89,000) by a Supreme Court judge in Canada. The court ruled that the woman had defamed the photographer through her online posts that trashed the wedding photography business.