I’m happy about the Supreme Court’s 6-2 decision in Google v. Oracle, affirming that Google’s reimplementation of the Java API for Android was a fair use and thus not copyright infringement. Google and Oracle’s competitions can breathe a sigh of relief, since a result that went the other way could have seriously inhibited the ability […]

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in the case of Google v Oracle. In its 2019 brief, Public Knowledge urged the Supreme Court to hold that the Java API is uncopyrightable, in accordance with longstanding tradition, industry practice, and common sense. The Court ruled in favor of Google on fair use grounds, but declined to consider the question of copyrightability.

After recent Black Lives Matter protests, Americans rushed to libraries to request books on history, politics, and anti-racism. There were immediate shortages of certain books, with up to six month waits for commonly recommended titles. This happened throughout the entire system — even electronic books had long queues to check out. This is, in part, […]

Libraries have been central to culture, education, and research for centuries. Libraries have been part of America since the early 18th Century; the most famous early American library, (though not the first), was founded by Benjamin Franklin and others in Philadelphia in 1731. Libraries have taken many shapes — they’ve been public and private; membership-based […]

Yesterday, the Second Circuit upheld a fair use finding in the case of James Oscar Smith v. Drake. The estate of James Oscar Smith sued the artist Drake (among others), claiming that Drake infringed on the estate’s rights when he sampled “Jimmy Smith Rap” for the opening of his track, “Pound Cake.” The trial court disagreed, holding that the sample was a fair use, and the Second Circuit affirmed that finding on appeal.

Today, Public Knowledge, along with R Street Institute, filed an amicus curiae brief in Google v. Oracle before the United States Supreme Court.

Today, the European Parliament voted to amend the Copyright Directive to force platform companies to create content-upload filters and pay media organizations a link tax. Public Knowledge specifically opposes policies like Article 13 and Article 11. Once adopted by Europe, there is a substantial danger that this idea might be adopted around the world.

Recently, the United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer published a summary of the Trump Administration’s objectives for renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Public Knowledge finds that these objectives will harm American consumers and innovators.

Today, Public Knowledge proudly released its new copyright educational video entitled, “Let Them Go.” The video is a parody of the well-known Disney song “Let It Go,” with revised lyrics that educate viewers on important topics in copyright, namely copyright term extension, intermediary liability, and fair use. Clips throughout the video also illustrate numerous fair uses and other adaptations of “Let It Go.”

Today, a jury verdict in the Oracle v. Google case found that Google’s use of elements of the Java programming language was fair use.