3 Count: Cowardly Lion

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1: DC Circuit Rules AI-Generated Work Ineligible for Copyright

First off today, Megan Butler at Courthouse News Service reports that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that an AI-generated image does not qualify for copyright protection under US law.

Artist Stephen Thaler filed the case. He attempted to register an AI-generated image entitled Creativity Machine with the United States Copyright Office (USCO). However, the USCO rejected the claim, saying that it lacked human authorship.

Thaler then filed a lawsuit with the D.C. Circuit panel, which ruled in favor of the USCO. Thaler then appealed that case and now a panel of judges at the Appeals Court has upheld the lower court decision.

2: News Corp Sued by Brave Software, a Google Search Engine Rival

Next up today, Jonathan Stempel at Reuters reports that Brave Software has filed a lawsuit against News Corp, seeking a court decision that its use of News Corp content is non-infringing.

Brave Software is best known for its browser, Brave. However, the company also operates a search engine and its own AI system, both of which are at issue in this case.

According to Brave, News Corp sent them several legal notices regarding their scraping of News Corp content for both search and AI uses. They are asking the court to rule that their use of News Corp content is fair use and non-infringing. News Corp has not responded to the lawsuit.

3: Soulja Boy Takes Victory Lap After Plies Drops Copyright Lawsuit

Finally today, Marc Griffin at Vibe reports that rapper Plies has dismissed his lawsuit against Soulja Boy and others, prompting Soulja Boy to take a “victory lap” on social media.

Plies filed the lawsuit in November 2024 alleging that Soulja Boy, along with other artists, had infringed his song Me & My Goons. However, Plies recently filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, bringing an end to the case for now.

While most of the defendants refused to comment, Soulja Boy, opted for a different approach. Instead, he took to Instagram where he posted an expletive-filled message targeted at Plies that accused him of being broke and filing the lawsuit for attention.

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