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What Winnie-the-Pooh Lapsing into the Public Domain Really Means

Plagiarism Today

On January 1, 2022, works that were first published in the year 1926 lapsed into the public domain. Winnie-the-Pooh is likely the most culturally relevant character to enter the public domain since 2019, when works started entering the public domain again in the United States due to the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act.

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Public Domain Day 2024 is Coming: Here’s What to Know

Copyright Lately

Oh Mickey, you’re so fine—but you’re not alone: An avalanche of copyrighted works will enter the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2024. public domain on January 1, 2024—and that’s a shame. public domain for failure to comply with the various formalities (e.g., copyright terms.

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U.S. Supreme Court Alert: If you copy an unpatented furniture design, does that help prove that the design was iconic and protected as a trademark?

JD Supra Law

Furniture manufacturer admits intentionally copying designs, asks Supreme Court, What does copying really say about trademark status of design? While offering a new design for sale without obtaining a patent often means the design is now in the public domain, copyright and trademark laws could mean otherwise.

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5 Spooky Articles About Copyright and Halloween

Plagiarism Today

Night of the Living Dead is possibly one of the most famous public domain movies of all time. This prompted Florence Stoker to sue, a case she won handily with an order that all copies of the film be destroyed. However, at least one copy made it to the United States, where the original book was already in public domain.

Copyright 255
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Court Rules Lego Creation Based on Religious Texts is Eligible for Copyright Protection

The IP Law Blog

The plaintiff also consulted with various rabbis as part of the design process for the Second Holy Temple Product. Thus, here, given that the plaintiff has Copyright Registrations, the burden shifts to Defendants to come forward with “evidence that the work[s] [were] copied from the public domain.”

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Copyright in Registered Designs

Biswajit Sarkar Copyright Blog

Copyright in registered designs means that the author has the exclusive rights to apply a design to any article in any class. The proprietor of a registered design has the exclusive right to apply such design to all such classes. The exclusive right to import for sale any article in which the design is registered.

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E.D. Va. Affirms TTAB: Timberland Boot Design is Functional and Lacks Acquired Distinctiveness

The TTABlog

District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia upheld the TTAB's decision [ TTABlogged here ] affirming a refusal to register certain features of Timberland's boot design on the ground that the proposed mark for "footwear, namely, lace-up boots" lacked acquired distinctiveness.

Designs 96