By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief The publisher Puffin will be editing books by Roald Dahl to make them more inclusive, but will also release a version that is unedited. The latter move came after a backlash by freedom of speech advocates who protested the idea of censoring Dahl's books to make them more inclusive. The works of beloved but occasionally … [Read more...] about Analysis: Puffin Walks a Legal Tightrope in Editing Roald Dahl
Licensing Law
Licensing Law: Fashion Giant Lacoste Files Five Metaverse Trademarks
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief The popular fashion brand Lacoste is joining the industry's dive into the metaverse, filing five new trademarks for digital goods. The filings were made for its new Champs-Elysees line of apparel, jewelry, and luggage, which was launched back in July 2022 as a brand intended to be compatible with cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens, or … [Read more...] about Licensing Law: Fashion Giant Lacoste Files Five Metaverse Trademarks
Licensing Survey: We Want to Hear From You For 2023 Licensing Survey
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief The Licensing Letter is launching its annual survey of the licensing industry, and we want to hear from you! So much so, that we're increasing the available rewards for those licensing pros who take the time and trouble to fill out the annual survey. We know your time is valuable, so this year, anyone who fills out the survey and … [Read more...] about Licensing Survey: We Want to Hear From You For 2023 Licensing Survey
Update: Hermès Wins Landmark Lawsuit Over ‘MetaBirkin’ NFTs
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief The luxury brand Hermès has won a landmark case that will help determine the future of NFT artworks in the United States. A nine-person jury emerged from several days of consideration to name Hermès the victor in a copyright infringement trial. NFT artist Mason Rothschild was also ordered to pay $133,000 in damages to Hermès, … [Read more...] about Update: Hermès Wins Landmark Lawsuit Over ‘MetaBirkin’ NFTs
Licensing Law: Black Eyed Peas Suing MGA Over Pooping Unicorn Song
Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief As a journalist, you never think you're going to write a sentence like "The Black Eyed Peas are suing a toy company over a pooping unicorn toy," but such is life. When I saw the news that BMG Rights Management has filed a suit against MGA over their Poopsie Slime Surprise: Dancing Unicorn toy, I had to double check to make sure someone … [Read more...] about Licensing Law: Black Eyed Peas Suing MGA Over Pooping Unicorn Song
Why You Need to Watch the Getty Images Lawsuit Against Stability AI
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief In a world first, Getty Images is suing AI art generator Stability AI for copyright infringement, alleging it processed millions of its images. Stability AI is the company that created the popular art generation tool Stability Diffusion, which has already created millions of images for its users. However, like other similar programs, … [Read more...] about Why You Need to Watch the Getty Images Lawsuit Against Stability AI
Dungeons & Dragons Faces Fan Backlash Over Leaked Licensing Agreement
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief Hasbro’s hugely successful Wizards of the Coast faced a fan revolt this week over its new licensing rules. At one point, as Games Radar reported, so many fans cancelled their subscriptions to the online hub D&D Beyond that it apparently caused the site to crash. So, what touched off this fury among the Dungeons & Dragons … [Read more...] about Dungeons & Dragons Faces Fan Backlash Over Leaked Licensing Agreement
Annual Licensing Royalty Trends Report Available Now
The Licensing Letter has released its annual Licensing Royalty Trends Report on the TLL Bookstore. And this year, the report comes with a major difference. Typically the Licensing Royalty Trends Report covers the differences in royalties and revenue, as well as changes in common licensing contract terms, from one year to the next. This year, however, the TLL team studied … [Read more...] about Annual Licensing Royalty Trends Report Available Now
Video Game Licensing: China Ends 18-Month Freeze On Imported Games
By Allison WatkinsonTLL Reporter China's regulatory agency for video game licensing has approved new games for import for the first time in 18 months. During the month of December 2022, a total of 44 new video games have been approved for import. In addition, 84 games by domestic developers were granted licensing approval by the government-run agency. The NPPA … [Read more...] about Video Game Licensing: China Ends 18-Month Freeze On Imported Games
Opinion: Artists Are Freaking Out Over AI Apps, And So Should You
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief Artificial Intelligence apps like Lensa or ChatGPT offer great promise, but they are also a threat to creators. That's the very real fear sweeping through the artistic community these days, as writers and illustrators cope with AI apps that can create in seconds what takes them hours to do. The technology also poses serious … [Read more...] about Opinion: Artists Are Freaking Out Over AI Apps, And So Should You