The Rubik’s Cube has confounded millions of people, including myself since discovering it in my uncle’s house as a child. And now the iconic three-dimensional puzzle has been the subject of an EU ruling…
Rumours are flying that the government will introduce legislation before Christmas aimed at blocking certain websites, such as The Pirate Bay and Kickass Torrents, as part of a range of efforts to reduce…
Congress has recently stepped up its efforts to reform the copyright system, which is woefully inadequate to deal with today’s rapidly evolving communication technologies. These efforts began early last…
Ten years on from the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement, Australia is entering another round of negotiations towards the new and controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership. In this Free Trade Scorecard series…
Converse is taking action to protect its famous All Star sneakers from alleged imitators. The product in question is the All Star Chuck Taylor shoe that was first marketed by Converse in 1917. The trainers…
Painting over Banksy’s latest work has proved an embarrassment for the local council responsible. Council officials had to admit that they hadn’t realised the work was by Banksy and, more pertinently…
You probably don’t think much about the derivation of that lovely shelving in your living room, or that sleek, stylish lamp. But many of them will be copies of designs from the 20s, 60s, 80s. And despite…
While legal sales of recorded music continue to suffer from widespread music piracy, the popularity of live music appears to be enjoying an unprecedented boom, particularly in the UK where new stadiums…
Manchester United supporters lucky enough to see high-profile signings Radamel Falcao and Angel di Maria in action for the first time at Old Trafford at the weekend may have done well to remember we look…
Mark Skilton, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick
As a new football season starts, the Premier League has stated its intent to stop fans from posting unofficial videos of goals online. The Premier League has pointed out that the videos of goals and other…
Graffiti is sometimes considered a lesser art as it is either produced illegally or just displayed on the streets and therefore outside the official art gallery circuit. Yet graffiti, and street art more…
Whilst visiting a national park in North Sulawesi wildlife photographer David Slater had his camera stolen – not by a thief, but by an inquisitive crested black macaque. The resulting selfies are causing…
Dan Hunter, Queensland University of Technology et Nicolas Suzor, Queensland University of Technology
Attorney-General George Brandis is at loggerheads with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull over proposed reforms to the Copyright Act. Brandis wants ISPs to take more responsibility for copyright…
Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court dismissed a plea from the Conan Doyle Estate, which was trying to stop the publication of a new book based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective Sherlock…
Nicolas Suzor, Queensland University of Technology et Eleanor Angel, Queensland University of Technology
The latest case of a popular YouTube blogger being sued for using music by other artists in her videos without permission raises the question of who really benefits from the re-use of music. In a claim…
The Australian Government has proposed Internet Service Providers (ISPs) monitor and punish Australians who download and infringe copyright. In a discussion paper circulated by Attorney-General George…
Nicolas Suzor, Queensland University of Technology et Suzannah Wood, Queensland University of Technology
An estimated 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired. Some 90% of those live in developing nations, where less than 1% of the world’s books are available in a form they can read. In developed…
Nicolas Suzor, Queensland University of Technology et Eleanor Angel, Queensland University of Technology
More than 40 years after the release of Stairway to Heaven, English rock band Led Zeppelin are facing allegations that its iconic guitar riff was stolen from Taurus, a song released in 1968 by the American…
Copyright has been firmly back on the agenda in recent months. We’ve seen the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) release its report on copyright which recommended that Australia adopt a “fair use…
The legal drama that has followed the online publication of the “Innocence of Muslims” film may be worthy of being used as the plot for a movie in its own right. And, given a recent judgement by Chief…