Tag Archives: dastar

Pandemic art kit didn’t infringe artist’s rights

Posted on May 2, 2023 by rtushnet

 Keck v. Mix Creative Learning Center, LLC, No. 4:21-CV-00430, 2022 WL 19691177 (S.D. Tex. Dec. 19, 2022) Technically, the trademark analysis here is weird (the parties agreed that the copyright fair use analysis would determine the trademark fair use analysis; … Continue reading →

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(c) ownership claim allows both (c) and Lanham Act claims on motion to dismiss

Posted on March 31, 2023 by rtushnet

Estate of Henry Joseph Darger v. Lerner, 2023 WL 2664341, No. 22 C 03911 (N.D. Ill. Mar. 28, 2023) Darger “was an artist who died in obscurity but whose work received significant posthumous acclaim.” The Estate alleged that his copyrights … Continue reading →

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Dastar prevents misrepresentation of source of IP from being material

Posted on October 4, 2021 by rtushnet

Restellini v. Wildenstein Plattner Inst., Inc., 2021 WL 4340824, No. 20 Civ. 4388 (AT) (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 22, 2021) This is an interesting application of Dastar to preclude certain theories of falsity–I’m not sure materiality is really the right characterization, but … Continue reading →

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false designation claim doesn’t require distinctiveness, court wrongly holds

Posted on August 26, 2021 by rtushnet

Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc. v. MiTek Inc., 2021 WL 1253803, No. 20-cv-06957-VKD (N.D. Cal. Apr. 5, 2021) The plaintiff benefits from very generous treatment of its false designation and copyright claims, in the process stripping false designation of anything other … Continue reading →

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What Dastar took, does 1202 give back?

Posted on December 14, 2020 by rtushnet

Another older case found in my year-end roundup. Pilla v. Gilat, 2020 WL 1309086, No. 19-CV-2255 (KMK) (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 19, 2020) Pilla provides “professional architectural services to various construction projects.” Defendants own a “luxury construction project” at 324–326 West 108th … Continue reading →

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Copyright preempts/Dastar precludes lawsuit based on Fortnite’s copying of a dance move

Posted on June 1, 2020 by rtushnet

Brantley v. Epic Games, Inc., No. v. 19-cv-594-PWG (D. Md. May 29, 2020)  Plaintiffs Brantley and Nickens alleged that in 2016 they created, named, and popularized a dance move, which they titled the “Running Man,” and which subsequently went viral … Continue reading →

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11th Circuit protects (at least some) truthful references to product creation

Posted on April 20, 2020 by rtushnet

Webster v. Dean Guitars, — F.3d —-, 2020 WL 1887783, No. 19-10013 (11th Cir. Apr. 16, 2020) Buddy Webster (pka Buddy Blaze), a successful guitar maker and technician, in the mid-1980s modified a Dean guitar and commissioned someone to paint … Continue reading →

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Lack of personal jurisdiction leads to fee award in (c)/false advertising case

Posted on October 31, 2019 by rtushnet

International Inst. of Management v. Organization for Econ. Cooperation & Development, No. 2:18-cv-01748-JCM-GWF, 2019 WL 5578485 (D. Nev. Oct. 29, 2019) Not gonna lie, I’m here for the defendants, the OECD and Joseph Stiglitz.   IIM, a small Nevada think tank, … Continue reading →

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Dastar bars Lanham Act claims against unauthorized copying of photo for album cover

Posted on August 27, 2019 by rtushnet

Patterson v. Diggs, No. 18-CV-03142 (NSR), 2019 WL 3996493 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 23, 2019) Patterson is “an internationally known photographer” who took photos of “a nickel-silver casing created by nonparty Moroccan company Yahya Creation” without a written contract and without being … Continue reading →

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CopyrightX: UGC panel

Posted on May 14, 2019 by rtushnet

Panel One: User-generated Content, Digital Labor, and Collaborative Authorship Moderator: Bethany Rabe Rebecca Tushnet: Fanworks, Fair Use, and Self-Actualization Through Transformative Expression Title assigned a few months ago is a little misleading because I actually wanted to take the opportunity … Continue reading →

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