Welcome to the February 2025 edition of “IP Five in 5,” your concise roundup of the top five intellectual property news stories from the past month. In this edition, we are covering a landmark AI copyright ruling, growing artist protests against AI firms, and more.
1. Federal Court Issues Landmark AI Copyright Decision
On February 11, 2025, a Delaware federal court ruled in favor of Thomson Reuters in a significant AI-related copyright case. The court found that ROSS Intelligence infringed on Thomson Reuters’ copyrights by using Westlaw’s headnotes to train its AI-driven legal research tool. This decision marks one of the first major U.S. court judgments addressing the intersection of AI and intellectual property rights.
2. Artists Protest Unauthorized Use of Works by AI Firms
A collective of over 1,000 artists released a silent album titled “Is This What We Want?” on Spotify to protest the unauthorized use of their works by AI companies. This action highlights the growing tension between creative professionals and technology firms over intellectual property rights in the age of AI.
3. Pokémon Company Settles Lawsuit with Chinese Developers
The Pokémon Company reached a settlement with Chinese developers Guangzhou Maichi Network Technology and Khorgos Fangchi Network Technology over the mobile game “Pocket Monster: Remake.” The game, released in 2015, was found to infringe on Pokémon’s intellectual property rights, generating over $40 million in revenue. As part of the settlement, the developers issued a public apology and acknowledged their copyright violations.
4. UK Government Proposes Reforms to AI and Copyright Laws
The UK government has acknowledged that existing rules on AI and copyright are insufficient in the face of rapidly advancing technology. A recent government consultation proposes a text and data mining (TDM) exception with an opt-out mechanism for rightsholders who “reserve their rights.” This approach aims to balance enabling “world-leading AI models” with preserving creators’ control over their works.
5. ‘Skibidi Toilet’ Creators File Lawsuit Against Alleged Infringers
Invisible Narratives, the company behind the popular “Skibidi Toilet” web series, has filed a lawsuit in California against Next Level, accusing them of fraudulently attempting to claim the “Skibidi Toilet” intellectual property. The lawsuit alleges that Next Level registered copyrights and filed trademarks for the series’ characters without authorization, aiming to extort the rightful creators. Invisible Narratives seeks legal recognition of their ownership and substantial financial damages.
Stay tuned for more updates in the ever-evolving world of intellectual property.
