<b><i>Decision of Note</b></i> No Credit Needed For Public Domain Materials

In a major narrowing of the Lanham Act, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that the law allows the copying of public domain material without giving credit to its source. The 8-0 ruling in <i>Dastar Corp. v. 20th Century Fox Film Corp. </i> removes Lanham Act liability from parties that repackage facts or information that originated elsewhere. It could sweep away lawsuits often filed against major studios and publishers by authors and others who claim they were given insufficient credit for their contributions.

3 minute read August 26, 2003 at 10:27 AM
By
Tony Mauro
<b><i>Decision of Note</b></i> No Credit Needed For Public Domain Materials

In a major narrowing of the Lanham Act, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that the law allows the copying of public domain material without giving credit to its source.

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