Explore 25 court opinions on Copyright Infringement. AI-powered plain English summaries, key holdings, and legal analysis.
25 recent cases analyzed in this topic area.
Copyrighted photo in political ad ruled fair use
Marwan Mahajni v. Vu Do, decided by Seventh Circuit on April 13, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a preliminary injunction sought ...
Fifth Circuit: Google's AI training data use likely fair use, denies injunction
In Re: Google, decided by Fifth Circuit on April 7, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a preliminary injunction, holding that the plai...
Supreme Court Clarifies ISP Liability for Copyright Infringement
This case, Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment, originated from a lawsuit filed by Sony Music Entertainment and other music companies against Cox Communications, a major internet serv...
Copyright registration defect invalidates infringement claim
McGucken v. Shutterstock, Inc., decided by Second Circuit on February 10, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a copyright infringement lawsuit broug...
First Circuit: Hasbro's 'Clue' game doesn't infringe manuscript copyright
DeAngelis v. Hasbro, Inc., decided by First Circuit on January 29, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The First Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a lawsuit alleging that Hasbr...
Copyright claim fails; former colleague can use shared software
Nicholas Zemlick v. Brad Burkhart, decided by Seventh Circuit on January 23, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a preliminary injunc...
Copyright claim over software code fails at preliminary injunction stage
Nicholas Zemlick v. Brad Burkhart, decided by Seventh Circuit on January 22, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a preliminary injunc...
VARA Attribution Doesn't Apply to Reproductions, Court Rules
Nicholas Giovannelli v. Pixels.com, LLC, decided by Seventh Circuit on January 22, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a lawsuit a...
Copyright registration prerequisite for infringement suit, 7th Cir. holds
Nicholas Giovannelli v. Stocktrek Images, Inc., decided by Seventh Circuit on January 22, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a co...
Ninth Circuit Affirms Summary Judgment in Defamation Case
Sedlik v. Von Drachenberg, decided by Ninth Circuit on January 2, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment to the defendants...
Ninth Circuit: Visual Effects Lacking Creativity Aren't Copyrightable
Yonay v. Paramount Pictures Corporation, decided by Ninth Circuit on January 2, 2026, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a copyright infr...
Prosecutor's Absolute Immunity Shields from Malicious Prosecution Claims
Khatibi v. Hawkins, decided by Ninth Circuit on December 29, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Ninth Circuit reviewed a district court's grant of summary judgment to the defendant, a form...
Work-for-hire agreement insufficient for copyright transfer of architectural plans
Design Gaps, Inc. v. Distinctive Design & Construction LLC, decided by Fourth Circuit on December 5, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Fourth Circuit addressed whether a "work made for hi...
Copyright Preliminary Injunction Denied Over Lack of Substantial Similarity
Krause v. Kelahan, decided by Second Circuit on December 3, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Second Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a preliminary injunction sought by the...
Fair Use Protects Real Estate Photos in Copyright Case
Storey Mountain v. Carlos C. Del Amo, decided by Eleventh Circuit on November 10, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a preliminary ...
Parody song protected by fair use, preliminary injunction denied
Clark v. Valletta, decided by Second Circuit on October 6, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Second Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a preliminary injunction, holding that ...
Court finds no duty to defend under 'personal and advertising injury' policy provision
Hanover Am. Ins. Co. v. Tattooed Millionaire Ent., decided by Sixth Circuit on September 25, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary...
Ninth Circuit Affirms Dismissal of 'Billions' Copyright Infringement Claim
Biani v. Showtime Networks, Inc., decided by Ninth Circuit on September 8, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit alleging that Showtime Netwo...
Ninth Circuit: Unauthorized Data Scraping is Copyright Infringement
Costar Group, Inc. v. Commercial Real Estate Exchange, Inc., decided by Ninth Circuit on September 5, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant o...
Copyright claim over Sims 4 guide fails on appeal
Burgess v. Whang, decided by Fifth Circuit on August 25, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court's denial of a preliminary injunction sought by the pla...
Second Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Breach of Contract Claim
Atticus Ltd. Liab. Co. v. the Dramatic Publ'g Co., decided by Second Circuit on July 29, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Second Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a brea...
Ninth Circuit: No Access, No Copyright Infringement Claim Against Netflix
Hara v. Netflix, Inc., decided by Ninth Circuit on July 28, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal of a copyright infringement lawsuit aga...
Copyright claim fails due to invalid registration
Benshot, LLC v. 2 Monkey Trading, LLC, decided by Eleventh Circuit on July 9, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment to...
Copyright Infringement Claim for "Silver Bells" Song Fails
Tammy Livingston v. Jay Livingston Music, Inc., decided by Sixth Circuit on July 7, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court's decision, holding that th...
Eighth Circuit: Design Similarity Lacking for Copyright Infringement
Just Funky, LLC v. Think 3 Fold, LLC, decided by Eighth Circuit on July 1, 2025, resulted in a defendant win outcome. The Eighth Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment to Thin...