Ah! The beauty of October. The days are drawing in, the air is crisp with just a nice hint of smoke from wood fires in the air, colourful leaves, pumpkin spiced lattes and just general autumnal vibes! Can you tell I love autumn?!

Two attendants are warming sake on a fire of autumn leaves; a woman stands like an apparition between them, holding the sake bottle. Colour woodcut by Kunisada II, 1857. by Kunisada – 1857 – Wellcome Collection, United Kingdom – CC BY.

On a more serious note, and before we move on to this month’s selection of copyright reads, October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is specifically important to me, as my own mother passed away from breast cancer. So if you have breasts, make sure you check them regularly and if you notice anything suspicious see your GP about it. Advise you friends and family to do so as well. Also, if you are called to breast screenings, attend them. Breast cancer is nowadays more survivable than it used to be. Stay safe, and let’s beat cancer!

And now, back to this month’s copyright reads. In the Romanian calendar, October is classed as brumărel, a diminutive from of the word brumă (hoar frost), so in English little hoar frost. Now, you might or might not be aware of the fact that Romanian is a Romance language (derived from the language of the Romans and Latin) and as all Romance languages (Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French) uses diminutives. In general we use them to highlight smallness, affection or disdain. Languages are fun, aren’t they?! However, shall we return to our sheep (Să ne întoarcem la oile noastre!)? (Romanian saying to get back to business)

Image of lambs, sitting under a tree, © Cristina Rusu, 2022

We have some good ones for you this month. We have the final act in Taylor Swift and her Masters Saga, some not so veiled attack on Freedom of Speech in America, all things AI with more lawsuits, some copyright fun the pirate way, and so much more!

Happy reading!

How Swift Got Her Masters Back [Video] – US copyright

Applying a CC licence on YouTube

Jimmy Kimmel taken off air ‘indefinitely’ following Charlie Kirk comments

A Renewed School of Data

Delhi High Court orders Sci-Hub to be blocked in India

Weaponized Copyright: The New Censorship

Movie and TV Copyright Lawsuits Are on the Rise. Very Few Prevail In Court

Blizzard filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against one of World of Warcraft’s biggest private servers, but the team behind it is putting on a brave face: ‘Challenges come to us often, and each time we are prepared to face them’

Uni students are using AI to ‘ask stupid questions’ and get feedback on their work

How to Save My AI Lover? Legal Questions Around AI Companions

Switzerland launches transparent ChatGPT alternative

Against the Uncritical Adoption of ‘AI’ Technologies in Academia

What is AI slop? A technologist explains this new and largely unwelcome form of online content

Decolonizing Fashion

Open Science and Copyright report

How data centre expansion risks derailing climate goals

AI in Libraries – Horizon Scanning Bodleian Libraries

Universities Are Selling Themselves Off Piece by Piece

Bulgaria ranks among EU’s worst-hit countries by forest fires in 2025

Why AI cannot be an inventor: a post-humanist rejection of AI as legal inventor

Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery sue Chinese AI firm as Hollywood’s copyright battles spread

Morgan & Morgan sues Disney over Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse ad

After Fair Use: AI and Copyright

A Comparative Framework For AI Regulatory Policy: Copyright and AI

Are Copyright Anxiety and Legal Chill Hampering Your Work?

Inside the battle to make AI giants pay for content [Australia]

Pirate’s Code of Creative Loot (UK Edition) [Fun quiz to celebrate Pirates Day! Arrr me hearties!]

Using Generative AI in Content Production [Netflix’s new policy on AI content production]

Disney, Universal, Warner Brothers sue MiniMax for Hailuo Agent video generator

Anthropic’s $1.5B Settlement: What Happened and Why It Matters for Professionals Managing Information

The Future of the Movie Industry in the Wake of Generative AI: A Perspective under EU and UK Copyright Law

Beyond the AI-copyright wars: towards European dataset law?

Communication to the public is about to shape the future of AI copyright

Generative AI in fashion design creation: a copyright analysis of AI-assisted designs

Encyclopedia Britannica sues Perplexity over AI ‘answer engine’

Artificial Intelligence and Fundamental Rights: The AI Act of the European Union and its implications for global technology regulation [Open Access book]

Piracy vs. Fair Use: How AI Training Intersects With Copyright Law

We hope you enjoyed this month’s copyright reads. There is a lot happening in the world, so why not take a minute and enjoy the beautiful autumn scenery.

View of Loughborough Campus in Autumn, October 2022, © Cristina Rusu

Note: While at the moment of writing Jimmy Kimmel has been reinstated on all Disney / Hulu and ABC services, who knows what will have happened by the time this post becomes available. To our readers in America, stay safe out there!