Hobby or Business?
Posted Dec 14, 2024 | Financial Matters,
By Sue Greenberg, executive director For tax purposes, activities earning profits in three out of the last five consecutive years are normally presumed to be businesses rather than hobbies. Creatives who meet the requirement can deduct their business expenses when they file their Schedule C Profit or Loss from...
Are Game Streamers Infringers?
Posted Oct 20, 2024 | Law Student Blog,
By Kevin Xu, Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, Juris Doctor Candidate, 2026 Video game streaming is a thriving business. With a computer, or even a cell phone, anyone can stream and play all kinds of video games. Twitch, the world’s leading live stream platform for gamers,...
The Right to Prevent Artwork Destruction
Posted Aug 09, 2024 | Law Student Blog,
By Z’necia Hall, Saint Louis University School of Law, Juris Doctor Candidate, 2025 Who has the right to destroy artwork? Artwork is usually made to be shared. Whether that is through selling pieces of artwork for private use or installing pieces as public art, the purpose is for others...
The Role of Copyright Law in Fanfiction
Posted Aug 07, 2024 | Law Student Blog,
By Madison Kennedy, Washington University School of Law, Juris Doctor Candidate, 2025 Fanfiction is a type of creative fictional writing typically done on an amateur level by fans and is based on already existing media. Popular choices of media inspiration for fanfiction are novels, movies, TV shows, comic books,...
Protecting Creativity in the Fashion Industry
Posted Aug 05, 2024 | Law Student Blog,
By Matthew Cook, Saint Louis University School of Law, Juris Doctor Candidate, 2026 The fashion industry thrives on creativity and innovation with designers continually pushing the boundaries of aesthetics and functionality. Protecting these innovations is crucial to maintaining the integrity and profitability of fashion brands. Various legal mechanisms exist...
Navigating Copyright Disputes: Is the Copyright Claims Board Right for You?
Posted Jul 18, 2024 | Law Student Blog,
By Zoe Qiu, Washington University School of Law, Juris Scientiae Doctor Candidate, 2026 When considering copyright-related legal action, where do you turn for resolution? Historically, the answer was straightforward: federal courts. Regardless of the dispute’s size or amount involved, federal courts were the sole venue for handling all copyright...
The Complexities and Consequences of Fashion Knockoffs
Posted Jul 18, 2024 | Law Student Blog,
By Matthew Cook, Saint Louis University School of Law, Juris Doctor Candidate, 2026 The fashion industry, a billion-dollar global enterprise, is often plagued by the persistent issue of knockoffs. These are unauthorized replicas of high-end designer products, typically sold at a fraction of the original cost. While knockoffs may...
AI, Identity, and the Right of Publicity
Posted Jul 11, 2024 | Law Student Blog,
By Zoe Qiu, Washington University School of Law, Juris Scientiae Doctor Candidate, 2026 If you’re interested in artificial intelligence and follow updates from major AI tech companies, you might have heard about the dispute between OpenAI and actress Scarlett Johansson. In May 2024, OpenAI introduced its latest AI model,...
Copyright and its Place in Film
Posted Jul 11, 2024 | Law Student Blog,
By Z’necia Hall, Saint Louis University School of Law, Juris Doctor Candidate, 2025 Copyright law protects original works fixed in any tangible medium of expression which includes but is not limited to literary works, musical works, dramatic works, pictorial works, motion pictures and other audiovisual works. Copyright is very...
