AI Art Copyright Supreme Court Ruling

ai art copyright supreme court ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from computer scientist Stephen Thaler, effectively upholding lower court rulings that AI-generated artwork cannot be copyrighted. The case centered on a 2012 digital work titled "A Recent Entrance to Paradise," which Thaler claimed was created autonomously by his AI system, DABUS. By refusing the case, the court leaves in place the U.S. Copyright Office's stance that copyright protection requires "traditional human authorship."

california revives nazi looted pissarro cassirer case

California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a motion on November 17 to intervene in the Cassirer family's two-decade-long restitution case for a Camille Pissarro painting stolen by the Nazis. The artwork, *Rue Saint Honore, Apres Midi, Effet De Pluie* (1897), is owned by Spain's Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit had previously ruled that Spanish law applied, allowing the museum to keep the painting, but California's Assembly Bill 2867, signed into law in September, now seeks to apply California law to protect victims of art theft. The case has been sent back to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California for reconsideration.

kaws victory counterfeit art lawsuit

Artist Brian Donnelly, known as KAWS, won a $900,000 damages award from a U.S. District Court on May 2 against Dylan Joy An Leong Yi Zhi and two Singapore-based companies, the Penthouse Theory and the Penthouse Collective, for counterfeiting replicas of KAWS's signature "Companion" figure, toys, skateboards, and artworks. The court also ordered the defendants to stop producing the knockoffs, with KAWS's attorney Aaron Richard Golub calling it a significant international case that can now be enforced globally, including in Singapore.

justin sun maurizio cattelan comedian bloomberg news lawsuit

Justin Sun, the billionaire founder of TRON and buyer of Maurizio Cattelan's "Comedian," filed a lawsuit against Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Inc. on August 11 in the U.S. District Court in Delaware. He seeks a temporary restraining order and injunctions to prevent Bloomberg from publishing his highly confidential financial information, including specific cryptocurrency holdings, which he claims would cause irreparable harm, risk of theft, hacking, and physical danger to him and his family. Bloomberg's attorney argued the application is moot because the article had already been published hours before Sun's lawyers gave notice. The Bloomberg profile estimated Sun's net worth at $12.4 billion, detailing his ownership of over 60 billion Tronix, 17,000 Bitcoin, 224,000 Ether, and 700,000 Tether.

french artist invader lawsuit julien auctions street art

French artist Invader, whose real name is Franck Slama, sued the parent company of Julien Auctions for copyright infringement, theft, and violations of the Visual Artists Rights Act. The lawsuit claims 15 of his original mosaic artworks were stolen from their installation sites worldwide—including Tokyo, Paris, and other French locations—damaged or distorted, and then offered in the auction house's "Street Art: Paint & Pavement" sale on September 25. Invader demanded the works be removed, and a U.S. District Court in California granted a restraining order halting the auction of those pieces. The auction house's co-founder Martin Nolan defended the sale, arguing that street art created in public spaces transfers ownership to those who lawfully acquire it.

dc judge orders stop trump ballroom project

A U.S. District Court judge has issued a ruling to halt the construction of a massive 90,000-square-foot ballroom on the site of the White House's former East Wing. Judge Richard J. Leon rejected the Trump administration's claims that the President has the unilateral authority to demolish historic structures and build new ones using private funds. The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argued that the project violated federal statutes and disrupted the architectural integrity of the historic site.

nonprofits sue trump administration national parks

Six national nonprofit organizations have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging the illegal censorship and removal of educational signage across U.S. national parks. The legal challenge, filed in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts, targets the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service for stripping displays related to climate change, slavery, and the history of marginalized groups. The plaintiffs argue these actions violate federal mandates requiring parks to reflect diverse cultural backgrounds and current scientific research.

institute of museum and library services restraining order overturned

A federal judge has declined to extend a temporary restraining order that would have prevented the Trump administration from dismantling the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The ruling, issued on Friday, allows the administration to proceed with mass layoffs and budget cuts that have already placed the agency's entire 75-person staff on leave. The IMLS, which distributes federal grants to museums and libraries nationwide, was targeted by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in April. The case, ALA v. Sonderling, was brought by the American Library Association and AFSCME, and will continue in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

institute of museum and library services shutdown stopped in federal court

A federal court issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump Administration's dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The order came in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Library Association (ALA) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), who sought to prevent the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from laying off nearly all of IMLS's 75-person staff. The layoffs were scheduled to take effect on May 4, 2025, following an executive order by President Trump that deemed IMLS "unnecessary."

veterans sue over trump arch

A group of military veterans and a historical preservationist have filed a lawsuit to block the construction of the proposed 'Independence Arch' in Washington, D.C. The legal challenge, filed by Public Citizen, argues that the 250-foot structure would obstruct the symbolic views from Arlington National Cemetery toward the capital's historic monuments. The plaintiffs contend the Trump administration is attempting to bypass necessary congressional approvals and federal review processes for the project.

legal injunction pauses imls funding cuts

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday blocking President Trump's executive order to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). District Court Judge John J. McConnell Jr., appointed by President Obama, ruled that the dismantling violated the Administrative Procedure Act and Congress's constitutional power over appropriations. The injunction follows a lawsuit by the American Library Association and AFSCME, and a temporary restraining order last week. Trump's March 14 executive order had declared IMLS "unnecessary," placing staff on leave, terminating grants, and dismissing board members.