Thinking IP Law (Out Loud)

This post highlights recent intellectual property cases and resources for further research on intellectual property law.

“Thinking Out Loud”

Image by Jiwon (Musician) Nahee (Graphic Designer) from Pixabay

British pop star Ed Sheeran was recently brought to federal court for a music copyright lawsuit that accused Sheeran of copying his Grammy-winning song “Thinking Out Loud” from singer Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” The lawsuit was brought by the family of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote “Let’s Get It On.” Jurors ultimately sided with Sheeran. Sheeran has previously faced additional copyright lawsuits over other songs in his catalog.

• Read the United States District Court Southern District of New York’s opinion for Structured Assets, LLC v. Edward Christopher Sheeran

• YouTube recording of Ed Sheeran’s mash-up of “Thinking Out Loud” and “Let’s Get It On”

• For more landmark music copyright cases, check out this list of recent cases provided by the Musicians Institute Library.

Warhol v. Goldsmith

The Supreme Court ruled against the Andy Warhol Foundation in a copyright lawsuit that alleged that the late artist had infringed a photographer’s copyright when he created a series of silk screen artworks based on the photographer’s photograph of the late musician Prince.

• Read the Supreme Court’s opinion for Warhol v. Goldsmith

• Search for more Supreme Court cases using the docket search feature on the SCOTUS website.

• Search for cases from all the courts of the Texas Judicial Branch on the TXCourts.gov website.

Research IP law

Your local law library can help you get started on researching the basics of intellectual property law and connect you to resources to keep up with important current events.

The following resources from law libraries, library associations, legal publishers, and government agencies will get you started on understanding the basics of intellectual property law.

• Introduction to Intellectual Property Law from the Congressional Research Service

• Intellectual Property Basics - Harvard Law School Library

• Intellectual Property Guide - Tarlton Law Library Jamail Center for Legal Research

• Understanding Intellectual Property Law - NOLO

• Library Copyright Alliance

• Why Librarians Care about Intellectual Property Law and Policy - American Library Association (ALA)

• Trademark, patent, or copyright - U.S. Patents & Trademarks Office

Resources @ the Law Library

The following resources are available at the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library:

• Legal databases Westlaw, LexisNexis, and HeinOnline are available for use in-person at the Law Library. Each of these databases allows searching cases, primary sources, and secondary sources by topic, including intellectual property.

• Sign up for one of the Law Library’s remotely accessible databases and continue your research from home using Westlaw for All, EBSCO, or the LexisNexis Digital Library eBook collection.

• Finally, check out other Ex Libris Juris posts on current events and other interesting topics pertaining to intellectual property: https://www.harriscountylawlibrary.org/ex-libris-juris/tag/Intellectual+Property.