Patent Office Director Michelle Lee resigns — Unexpected news this week, as Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office Michelle Lee tendered her resignation effective immediately. No reason has been given for the decision. In her place, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has named PTO Associate Solicitor Joseph Matal as Acting Director.
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good on Copyright Office reform — Kristian Stout explains, “In any event, it seems perfectly sensible to address the Register selection process before tackling the other issues, which may require more detailed discussions of policy and cost. And with the Copyright Office currently lacking a permanent Register and discussions underway about finding a new one, addressing any changes Congress deems necessary in the selection process seems like the most pressing issue, if they are to be resolved prior to the next pick being made.”
Disney, VidAngel Weigh Family-Friendly Filtering Against Copyright Protection in the 9th Circuit — On Thursday, a Ninth Circuit panel heard oral arguments in Disney v VidAngel, a case involving an unlicensed on-demand streaming service’s defenses. This past December, a District Court rejected those defenses and granted the plaintiff film studios’ motion for a preliminary injunction.
Copyright Office Launches Online Database of Review Board Decisions — After the Copyright Office rejects an application to register a copyright, the claimant has an opportunity to appeal the decision. Now, the Office has made the written decisions of those reviews publicly available on its web site for the first time.
Afghanistan considers copyright treaty after Mason legal clinic advocates for filmmaker — “When Stephanie Semler volunteered to work for the Arts and Entertainment Advocacy Clinic at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, she had no way of knowing that she would be attempting to encourage a country to join a major international treaty. Semler prepared the groundwork for an effort to encourage the government of Afghanistan to join the Berne Convention, a global copyright agreement created in 1887. Thanks to her legal research and the determined diligence of the client, Virginia-based filmmaker Shabnam Humphrey, it could happen.”
Stranger Things VFX Supervisor on Making Monster Mayhem — “What made Stranger Things possible was also the skill and commitment of the effects team. The Duffer Brothers relied on as many practical effects as they could to make the main monster, the demogorgon, and the parallel universe it inhabits, the Upside Down. Yet what the brothers found was their visual effects team, led by supervisor Marc Kolbe, could let them dream bigger than they initially imagined.”