Copyright

Sophia Stewart didn't attend her June 13 hearing at the U.S. federal court building in downtown Los Angeles. She saw the proceeding as a minor hurdle on the way to an anticipated July 12 trial in her copyright infringement suit against directors Andy and Larry Wachowski, James Cameron and other defendants--a trial she imagined would be "one of the largest suits for damages in the history of the film industry."

Trying to decode rap lyrics, as rich as they often are in regional slang and obscure references, can be like watching a foreign-language movie without subtitles. For instance, on "A Queens Story," what does Nas mean when he raps, "You be starving in Kew Gardens/Bolognas and milk from a small carton"? That's where the Rap Genius website comes in. Users of the site not only have transcribed and uploaded thousands of raps, they annotated them with explanations. For instance, three Rap Genius contributors explained that Kew Gardens is the site of the Queens Criminal Court, and bologna sandwiches with a carton of milk is a typical meal served in jail.

The news accounts, now 70 years old, offer only fragments of the "ghastly drama" that surrounded the marriage of Mary Kenan Flagler Bingham, "the richest woman in America." She was the widow of Standard Oil co-founder Henry Flagler and her estate was worth between $60 million and $100 million. Her bridegroom was Judge Robert Worth Bingham, a Kentucky lawyer without independent means. Their wedding in 1916 made headlines, even in New York. And so did her mysterious death eight months later.

The economic contributions of U.S. copyright industries reached new heights last year, for the first time contributing more than $1 trillion to the gross domestic product and accounting for 6.5% of the nation's economy, according to a new report. The study tracks the economic effect and contributions of U.S. industries engaged in the creation and distribution of computer software, video games, books, newspapers, periodicals and journals, as well as motion pictures, music, radio and television programming.

Nullsoft Inc., maker of the MP3 music player Winamp, has agreed to stop distributing copies of a music-decoding program. The Sedona, Ariz., company is the defendant in a $20-million copyright infringement suit filed by PlayMedia Systems Inc. of Los Angeles. PlayMedia claims that Nullsoft founder Justin Frankel did not pay to use software code PlayMedia developed.

Bruce Stokes of the Council on Foreign Relations made some surprising errors in his commentary about how China ignores U.S. copyright (Opinion, May 26). For example, he states that some movies are available on videocassette in China before they appear on the screen. How? To accomplish this would take a huge conspiracy involving post-production supervisors, processing labs and literally hundreds of technicians. Not likely! What I believe he meant to say was that movies on video often appear in China before the U.S. Regarding the short shrift he gave writers, composers, producers and directors, I can assure you nobody stands for copyrighted property being pirated.

Unlike last year, people hoping to jazz up their Academy Awards viewing parties this weekend with an oversized statuette resembling Oscar are now out of luck. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has settled a lawsuit it brought against an Edwardsville, Ill.-based events rental company for copyright infringement stemming from the alleged renting and selling of eight-foot statues that looked like the Oscar statuettes. The case against TheEventLine.com and its president, Robert Hollingsworth, was settled late last year and dismissed Nov. 19. In a lawsuit filed March 9 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, the Academy had alleged that Hollingsworth continued to market, sell and rent the eight-foot statues after he'd been notified of the alleged infringement in a letter sent in March 2011.

He is the world's most famous personality, better known in this country than anyone living or dead, real or fictional. Market researchers say his 97% recognition rate in the U.S. edges out even Santa Claus. He is the one -- and, for now, only -- Mickey Mouse. As Mickey turns 80 this fall, the most beloved rodent in show business is widely regarded as a national treasure. But he is owned lock, stock and trademark ears by the corporate heirs of his genius creator, Walt Disney.

CBS has dropped its copyright infringement lawsuit againstABC's reality series "The Glass House," which the network had contended was a close copy of its"Big Brother" reality show. Executives maintained the low rating of "Glass House" made the suit unnecessary. "The viewers have spoken and delivered the ultimate form of justice against 'The Glass House,' " said the statement from CBS. "As a result, we filed in federal court this morning a voluntary dismissal without prejudice of our claims against ABC. " However, CBS left open the door for further legal action: "We reserve the right to re-file this claim against ABC/"The Glass House" or any other entity, that goes to such shocking lengths to duplicate our copyright material.

Wonderware Corp. in Irvine announced Wednesday that it has reached an out-of-court settlement ending more than two years of legal disputes over copyright issues with a pair of rival software developers. Terms of the settlements between Wonderware, Cyberlogic Technologies Inc. and Intellution Inc. were not disclosed. None of the companies admitted any wrongdoing or liability.

Joined by a number of top tech companies, the major Hollywood studios and music labels are hoping to enlist a powerful new ally in their fight against online piracy: grade schools. The companies are financing the development of a curriculum for grades K-12 that promotes respect for copyrights. Their interest is understandable, considering how piracy has exploded online and how early in life many kids start looking for free downloads. But it's important that schools not sign on blindly to the agenda of a single industry, that the message be balanced, and that it's just a small part of a broader lesson on how to use the Internet safely and responsibly.

Robin Thicke's “Blurred Lines” will surely go down as one of the biggest songs of 2013. The slinky dance track was No. 1 for 12 weeks, sold more than 6 million copies and served as the soundtrack for one of the most deliciously trainwrecky VMA performances ever. It also has had its share of controversy, including its NSFW video, critics blasting its sexual lyrics and the family of late soul legend Marvin Gaye calling it a blatant rip-off. In August, Thicke, Pharrell Williams and Clifford Harris Jr. (better known as T.I.)

The nation's biggest television companies including ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox are asking the Supreme Court to shut down Aereo Inc., a startup distribution service that they view as a threat to their business. Launched in 2012 and available in a handful of markets including New York City, Aereo transmits the signals of local broadcast stations to consumers via the Internet. Aereo charges its subscribers between $8 and $12 a month for the service, which includes a small antenna to receive the signals and access to a cloud-based digital video recorder that can hold up to 40 hours of programming.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court, preparing for the beginning of its new term, announced Tuesday that it had agreed to decide eight new cases, including a copyright dispute over the 1980 Oscar-winning boxing film "Raging Bull," and a case that will consider what constitutes a crime of violence that could prohibit someone from owning a gun. The court, which has said it will proceed normally despite the government shutdown, is scheduled to hear...

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court announced Tuesday it had agreed to decide eight new cases, including a copyright dispute over the 1980 Oscar-winning film “Raging Bull” and a clash over union fees for home healthcare workers in Illinois. The court has said it planned to proceed as normal this week, despite the government shutdown, and it is due to hear the first round of arguments next week. The justices met behind closed doors Monday to sift through more than 2,000 appeals that piled up over the summer.

Many musicians and wannabe stars have enjoyed posting on YouTube their own versions of singer-songwriter Jason Mraz's first international hit, "I'm Yours. " Trouble was, Mraz had no quick and easy way to find those versions and collect royalties. Now he may have found a solution. Audiam Inc., which launched overseas last month and in the U.S. on Wednesday, searches YouTube for people using Mraz's copyrighted songs and collects part of the advertising revenue generated by those clips, under an agreement with YouTube.

Under pressure from the United States, Thailand amended its copyright law Thursday to tighten control on production of fake designer clothes, books, music tapes and other goods. After days of fierce politicking by opposition politicians, parliament approved by a 183-134 vote an amendment to the 1978 Copyright Act effectively extending its protection to the United States. U.S. Trade Representative Clayton K. Yeutter had set a Dec.

Most art piracy cases never reach the courts because infringement is difficult to prove or artists can't afford expensive lawsuits. Admirers of the late Lorser Feitelson's paintings, for example, have noted a similarity between his "lineform" abstractions and the twisted ribbon-like design on Coca-Cola cans, but the likeness has never been legally challenged. Neither has the similarity between one of Matt Mullican's images and the logo on Max Studio clothing.

Amazon has a plan to monetize fan fiction: It's called Kindle Worlds. On Wednesday, Amazon announced a new scheme in which writers of fan fiction can self-publish and sell that writing with the sanction of the original copyright holder. The idea is that everyone, including Amazon, will profit. The fan fiction authors will get 35% of net revenue for full-length books; Amazon and the original copyright owner will split the other 65%, in terms that the company will not disclose. Until now, fan fiction has largely been available for free; in the cases where it was not, sales definitely fell into a gray area.

A music publisher is suing Facebook and its ad agency for using an Eminem song without permission in an ad for Facebook Home. Eight Mile Style, which oversees Eminem's portfolio, said in the copyright infringement lawsuit that ad agency Wieden + Kennedy included an Eminem song in the commercial “to curry favor with Facebook by catering to [founder Mark] Zuckerberg's personal likes and interests. " The lawsuit alleges that days before the ad premiered at the April 4th Facebook event the agency noticed an old website allegedly belonging to Zuckerberg.