Matthew McConaughey secured eight federal trademark registrations covering his voice and iconic catchphrases in a novel legal strategy aimed at combating AI’s unauthorized use of his voice and likeness. The move signals an important evolution in the power dynamics between talent/brands and the companies providing generative AI tools.
Artificial intelligence tools powered by large language models have become valuable resources in the trademark process. Despite incredible progress in natural-language reasoning, AI tools still face fundamental limitations when it comes to performing even basic trademark searches. Here are five important reasons why.
For rights holders, platforms and brands, the Disney-Open AI licensing deal illustrates an emerging blueprint for commercializing iconic IP in AI-native formats while attempting to manage legal, regulatory, and reputational risk.
The TAKE IT DOWN Act is the first federal legislation to address both unadulterated non-consensual intimate imagery and digital forgeries, marking a significant milestone in U.S. content regulation.
The patent world is at a moment of change. A tremendous amount of thought, financial investment, and political capital is being devoted to transforming patents into assets that are central to the economy, international trade, and national defense. The incentives for obtaining and aggressively monetizing patents are increasing. In contrast, defending a patent litigation is becoming more difficult and the stakes are higher. Companies that take steps now to navigate these changes may be rewarded with significant competitive advantages.
This two-part article discusses the proof required for information to be considered a trade secret under U.S. statutory law, and includes detailed insight into the six-factor test outlined in the Restatement of Torts. Part One includes the evolving tests for determining a trade secret.
The D.C. Circuit affirmed that AI cannot be the sole author on a copyright-registered work, but left questions about the future of AI authorship in copyright for Congress to resolve.
Protection against unauthorized model distillation is an emerging issue within the longstanding theme of safeguarding IP. Existing countermeasures have primarily focused on technical solutions. This article will examine the legal protections available under the current legal framework and explore why patents may serve as a crucial safeguard against unauthorized distillation.
The Patent Eligibility Restoration Act (PERA) proposes a solution to a complex debate: What can be patented, and when do nature and thoughts become property? This article provides an overview of the PERA bill, examines the current issues with Section 101 of the Patent Act, the specific proposals of PERA, and the existing pros and cons of the bill.
This article highlights some of the challenges GenAI presents, and recent developments in copyright law and trademark law in this quickly evolving space.
