May Copyright Reads 2026

28 May 2026

4 mins

I am unsure how we have already arrived at the end of May, and almost halfway through the year. May is called florar in the Romanian calendar, meaning flowers. It started off rather chilly and it seemed to have ended in a record breaking heatwave, or as the Romanians have called it Dome of Fire, although in the UK it is called “heat dome” less dramatic. Whatever we use to describe it, its effects are the same: causing deaths (7 died in France), wildfires and disruption to travel.

If you have to travel during a heatwave, make sure you have water with you, a sun hat, loose and light coloured clothing (linen and cotton), sunscreen and a fan. Before going from an extremely frosty office to the outside, make sure to acclimatize. You see, I am somewhat used to this heat and in my time in the UK I noticed people coming in the pharmacy with blisters on their skin because they did not put any sunscreen on. Before I left Romania 16 years ago, temperatures during Summer reached 32 degrees C at 8:30 am. I do not like extreme heat, as such I will probably be looking to move further North as the temperatures continue to rise.

Anyway, let’s get our teeth stuck into this month’s copyright reads. We continue with AI stuff as usual, but we also look at orphan works, fashion and sustainability, and a very Peanuts court case. Enjoy!

CBS reverses copyright crusade over Colbert’s guerilla public access appearance

Why AI slop is taking over the world

Barriers to licensing out-of-commerce works: new publication

From Signals to Infrastructure: Strengthening the Commons for the AI Era

Orphan Works, Mass-Digitisation of Cultural Heritage, and Licensing Barriers: Lessons from the United Kingdom’s Experience

Plant variety rights and copyright: time to embrace the comparison? [Not OA, requires subscription]

Surprise: Elsevier is Suing Meta For You?

Moral Rights, Sustainability and the Use of Generative AI in the Field of Research and Education: Unfolding a Complex Relationship

Rights Clearance: A guide for independent filmmakers

Rights, Camera, Action! Intellectual property rights and the filmmaking process

International Intellectual Property Law in the Age of AI

Yoko Ono trademark challenge leaves sour taste for John Lemon beer maker

Malta Digitises Ġgantija For Europe’s Digital Heritage Space

The Cambridge Handbook of Intellectual Property and Upcycling [Book]

Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice: Round-up of fashion-related IP decisions 2025

Preserving E-Theses Resource Pack

A Blind Spot at the Heart of EU Copyright and AI Policymaking?

AI filmmaking and streaming giants

Open source and commons ideals are more important than ever

National Workshop on Public Lending Right: Strengthening Moldova’s Path Toward EU Integration

EU Green Week 2026‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ maker sues US government, others over music use

May also tends to be the time that people start planning their holidays. I decided to end this month’s copyright reads with a selection of sustainable travel and eco friendly stays. I do not endorse any of these links nor do I get any money for sharing them.

Discover slow travel [Train travel company, select your slow holiday]

The Man in Seat Sixty-One [Train travel blog]

One journey, one ticket: EU unveils plan to simplify rail travel across borders

Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery [Exhibition, British Library]

Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep [Exhibition, Natural History Museum]

The Bayeux Tapestry [Exhibition, British Museum]

History never looked so good [English Heritage sites]

Special exhibitions [National Trust]

Home of Springwatch 2026 [National Trust]

How to build a wildlife-friendly garden [National Trust tips and tricks]

RHS Gardens and Partner Gardens [RHS]

Eco-Friendly Stays [Eco-friendly vacation stays]