Motion Pictures Archives | Copyright Lately

The Netflix film "Enola Holmes" was at the center of a copyright lawsuit filed by the Estate of "Sherlock Holmes" author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, which has now been dismissed.

It appears the parties have reached a settlement in a copyright infringement case brought by the Estate of "Sherlock Holmes" author Arthur Conan Doyle.

"The Great Gatsby" and other works first copyrighted in 1925 enter the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2021

LLegislation

“The Great Gatsby” and other 1925 Works Will Soon Enter the Public Domain

byAaron Moss

A new crop of copyrighted works will enter the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2021. Here's what you need to know.

Rin Tin Tin is at the center of a new copyright lawsuit by Scott Duthie, who claims a 50% ownership interest in the character

LLegal Filings

New Rin Tin Tin Copyright Complaint Asks Warner Bros. to Pay Up

byAaron Moss

Scott Duthie claims to own a 50% copyright interest in Rin Tin Tin, but that Warner won't recognize his rights. Is the studio required to account?

All but six Sherlock Holmes stories are now in the public domain.

LLegal Filings

“Enola Holmes” and the Case of the Overreaching Copyright Owner

byAaron Moss

The new Netflix film "Enola Holmes," which features the imagined younger sister of famous literary detective Sherlock Holmes, is at the center of a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle. The estate appears determined to squeeze every last drop of copyright life out of Holmes before the entire series falls into the public domain in 2023. Is the estate overstating its rights?

CCourt Decisions

Ninth Circuit Dismisses “Empire” Copyright Infringement Case — Again

byAaron Moss

While the summer of 2020 may go down as the season we vacationed indoors and tried to avoid breathing on each other, for the Ninth Circuit, it's been the summer of substantial similarity cases.

CCourt Decisions

Inside Out: The Ninth Circuit’s Head-Scratching Approach to Substantial Similarity

byAaron Moss

With yet another unpublished opinion—this time affirming a pleading stage dismissal—the court continues to create more questions than answers.

Pirates of the Caribbean Shape of Water substantial similarity cases

CCourt Decisions

The Ninth Circuit’s Quest to Bring Substantial Similarity Claims Back From the Dead

byAaron Moss

As the court reverses early studio wins in "The Shape of Water" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" cases, are dueling experts and lengthy litigation the shape of things to come?