Ed Sheeran wins Marvin Gaye copyright case
UK singer Ed Sheeran was cleared of copyright infringement yesterday, May 4, following a US trial that accused his hit song ‘Thinking Out Loud’ of copying Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’.
A jury at the District Court for the Southern District of New York came to a unanimous decision after deliberating for three hours.
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Via Licensing combines with MPEG LA
Patent pools Via Licensing and MPEG LA have combined to form Via Licensing Alliance, it was announced on Tuesday, May 2.
The combined company will consolidate dozens of patent pools into one organisation.
General Electric, Philips, and Mitsubishi Electric, which all had partial ownership in MPEG LA, will have a stake in the combined entity.
Click here to read the full article.
Exclusive: US Copyright Office refuses AI-assisted ‘derivative’ work
The US Copyright Office has refused an appeal that sought copyright protection for an artificial intelligence-assisted artwork, Managing IP revealed this week.
The applicant, Ankit Sahni, had listed the AI tool 'RAGHAV Artificial Intelligence Painting App' as a co-author of an artwork called 'Suryast'.
Click here to read the full article.
Introducing a special report on IP and tax
For many intellectual property lawyers, tax is probably not something they often think about during their work hours.
The truth is, however, that IP and tax are much more closely related than many lawyers care to realise. This is particularly true when it comes to IP licensing; transfer pricing of intangible assets; and patent boxes, to give just three examples.
Managing IP and its sister publication International Tax Review have co-published a special report on IP and BEPS (base erosion and profit shifting), which is a core part of global tax.
Click here to read the full article.
Other articles published by Managing IP this week include:
USPTO’s PTAB proposals under Congress microscope
China’s IP-friendly AI guidelines divide counsel
Revised EU SEP reforms fail to please either side
Weekly take: SCOTUS should have accepted Novartis plea after judge change
Elsewhere in IP
UPC prep
The EPO announced on Tuesday, May 2, that it had published a unitary patent-focused edition of its Official Journal (OJ). The journal will list decisions and notices, as well as provide guidance on fees, expenses, and prices in relation to the unitary patent ahead of the new right coming into force on June 1. The OJ is a monthly publication comprising information and official notices from the EPO.
GI expansion
On Tuesday, May 2, the European Council and European Parliament reached a provisional deal on a new regulation to offer geographical indication (GI) protection to craft and industrial products. If the regulation is ultimately approved, craft and industrial products that are linked to the area of production will benefit from GI protection. As it stands, GIs are reserved for food and drink.
Katy v Katie
Singer Katy Perry lost a trademark battle with an Australian fashion designer on Friday, April 28. The designer goes by the name Katie Taylor but uses her birth name, Katie Perry, for her business. The Federal Court of Australia agreed that clothing sold for the singer’s 2014 tour of Australia infringed the designer’s trademark.
ANPRM anger
US organisation Unified Patents wrote to Congress members on Monday, May 1, to criticise the USPTO’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) related to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
The organisation, which often challenges non-practising entity-owned patents at the board, took aim at a proposal in the ANPRM that would allow the office to deny PTAB petitions if they were filed by a for-profit entity that did not produce or invest in the targeted patent’s field. According to Unified Patents, the proposal is an attack on its business.
Ford reversal
Ford secured a reversal of a trade secrets verdict on Monday, May 1, that would have required the carmaker to pay $104.6 million to Versata Software. Judge Matthew Leitman at the District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan said Versata hadn’t produced the required evidence to help the jury calculate damages correctly.
