Earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court handed its decision in ABC v. Aereo, ruling that Aereo’s service of providing its subscribers with streaming broadcasts obtained through the company’s miniature antennas is illegal. The court ruled that over-the-air broadcasts count as a public performance and that Aereo essentially is no different from cable companies, which are subject to limitations on freely transmitting programming under the Copyright Act.
Continue Reading Supreme Court Rules that Aereo Violated Copyrights

In a recent Forbes article, Brad Newberg discussed in depth the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc., and ways for businesses to adapt in light of the shocking decision. With its decision in Petrella, the U.S. Supreme Court made clear that in the world of copyright infringement litigation, time is not always of the essence. The question presented was simple: “[W]hether the equitable defense of laches (unreasonable, prejudicial delay in commencing suit) may bar relief on a copyright infringement claim brought within § 507(b) [of the Copyright Act]’s three-year statute of limitations period.” And the Court’s answer was clear: “[C]ourts are not at liberty to jettison Congress’ judgment on the timeliness of suit. Laches, we hold, cannot be invoked to preclude adjudication of a claim for damages brought within the three-year window.” Yet, the implications of this case going forward are not quite as simple or clear.
Continue Reading Copyright Owners Go the Distance with ‘Raging Bull’ Victory

This post was written by Andrés Grunewaldt. 

On the World Intellectual Property day, we want to share the following information with you:

After a long and intense congressional debate that began in 2007, the Chilean government has announced the promulgation of a law amending important and sensitive subjects covered in our current Intellectual Property Law

It’s our distinct pleasure to provide you with a Primer on Copyright Law, prepared by John Hines, Jr., a partner in our Chicago office. The primer was developed by John for a Practicing Law Institute (PLI) event this coming November, at which he’s speaking on the topic of Copyright Licensing. The primer is both