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This series highlights the legal complexities of co-ownership of intellectual property — copyrights, trademarks and patents. The assets involved can be as varied as brand names, trademarks and logos, as well as creative works such as songs, artwork, plays, films, music, symbols, inventions and written materials. Co-ownership issues span all industries and affect individuals, c [ ... ]

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What is Co-Ownership?

In the Supreme Court’s seminal 1884 copyright case, the Court held that an author is the individual who originates, makes and produces the work. Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony, 111 U.S. 53, 61 (1884). A joint work is a work created by two or more authors who intend that their contributions form a unified work. 17 USC § 101. The author of a [ ... ]

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A trademark is a word, symbol or device used by an entity or an individual capable of indicating a source of goods or services. 15 U.S.C. § 1127. A trademark functions as a source indicator of reputation and reduces consumer deception. Park 'n Fly v. Dollar Park & Fly, 469 U.S. 189, 198 (1985). Trademarks are powerful tools in commerce, enabling consumers to efficiently identify a [ ... ]

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In April 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) published amendments to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which is intended to safeguard the digital privacy of children under 13. These amendments became effective June 23, 2025. The amendments aim to strengthen personal data protections as children’s use of digital platforms has grown exponentially since C [ ... ]

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On June 11, 2025, film studios — including Disney, Universal and Marvel — filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against AI image generator Midjourney in the Central District of California. Compl., Disney Enterprises, Inc., et al. v. Midjourney, Inc., No. 2:25cv5275 (C.D. Cal. June 11, 2025). This litigation is notable for several reasons.

This is the first time that [ ... ]

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On July 21, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California held that Open Artificial Intelligence, Inc. (OAI) infringed OpenAI, Inc.’s trademark due to the similarity of their names, differing only by a space.

OpenAI, one of today’s most prominent AI companies, was founded in December 2015. Ravine, the owner of OAI, purchased the domain “open [ ... ]

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