Franklin Graves

Should the USCO update the application process to account for technological advancements for machine-generated works? If it does, the question remains as to where on a so-called ‘creation-generation spectrum’ the line is drawn for whether or not a work is eligible for registration.

An NFT collection is a digital art collection released by an artist, or group of artists, containing a limited number of individual NFTs. There are usually several stages of a release, after which time the NFTs trade on the open market. It’s most common to see cartoon, or vector, style NFT collections of 10,000 pieces that can be used as an avatar or pfp. One may be left wondering how an artist, or even a group of 1,000 artists, could generate 10,000 individual, unique NFTs so quickly. In a… Show more

An NFT collection is a digital art collection released by an artist, or group of artists, containing a limited number of individual NFTs. There are usually several stages of a release, after which time the NFTs trade on the open market. It’s most common to see cartoon, or vector, style NFT collections of 10,000 pieces that can be used as an avatar or pfp. One may be left wondering how an artist, or even a group of 1,000 artists, could generate 10,000 individual, unique NFTs so quickly. In a way, they don’t. That’s where computer software, sometimes with an underlying artificial intelligence or machine learning component, comes into the mix. Show less

Access to data plays a crucial role in how society consumes entertainment. The realms of entertainment, media, and sports law traditionally rely on a bundle of privacy and publicity rights that, when taken together, form a protective legal shield for celebrities. These rights range from invasion of privacy to libel and slander to misappropriation of name, image, and likeness. Public figures are now looking to the ongoing advent of groundbreaking privacy regulations around the world to add more… Show more

Access to data plays a crucial role in how society consumes entertainment. The realms of entertainment, media, and sports law traditionally rely on a bundle of privacy and publicity rights that, when taken together, form a protective legal shield for celebrities. These rights range from invasion of privacy to libel and slander to misappropriation of name, image, and likeness. Public figures are now looking to the ongoing advent of groundbreaking privacy regulations around the world to add more tools to their legal arsenal. However, to what extent have they given up, or signed away, such rights? Show less

YouTube dominates online video consumption and helped foster a financial ecosystem for the rise of the next generation of content creators. How do attorneys best serve this new client base?

At this year’s Consumer Electronic Show (“CES”), the Internet of Things (“IoT”) took over the show floors - pushing aside 3D printers and pulling ears away from Sony’s hi-res audio initiative. The IoT is all about leveraging wireless technologies to enhance the interoperability of objects and items that consumers interact with on a daily basis. Single-use coffee pods, cars, smoke detectors, power outlets, light bulbs and more have all been transformed to communicate both with each other on a… Show more

At this year’s Consumer Electronic Show (“CES”), the Internet of Things (“IoT”) took over the show floors - pushing aside 3D printers and pulling ears away from Sony’s hi-res audio initiative. The IoT is all about leveraging wireless technologies to enhance the interoperability of objects and items that consumers interact with on a daily basis. Single-use coffee pods, cars, smoke detectors, power outlets, light bulbs and more have all been transformed to communicate both with each other on a local level and across networks miles apart.

Along with this idea of open communication has come corporate opportunity to utilize copyright laws to lockdown consumer devices and hardware in an effort for financial gain. Copyright provides an opportunity to wrap computer code and functionalities in legal protections that, combined with end-user license agreements, can prevent tampering and reverse engineering by consumers and third parties. The result places consumers in a situation where they are unable to “tinker” with their cars or brew their own choice coffees.

Through vocal backlash and steady profit losses, numerous corporations have been forced to retreat in their decisions to utilize copyright laws in an effort to close ecosystems. This article will examine the initial efforts of corporations, the legal foundation in those efforts, how those efforts were received, and the ultimate outcome once implemented and lessons to be learned for the future. Show less