Womble Perspectives

On May 18, the Supreme Court made a decision regarding the issue of "fair use" in copyright law. The case involved the Andy Warhol Foundation's commercial licensing of a print based on a photograph of the artist Prince taken by Lynn Goldsmith. The Court focused on the first factor of fair use, which considers the purpose and character of the use, including whether it is commercial i...

In a recent personal injury case, a New York attorney learned a hard lesson about the risks of using "generative" artificial intelligence (AI). The attorney, representing Robert Mata, filed a response to a motion to dismiss which cited several cases in Mata's favor. However, it was soon discovered that none of the cited cases actually existed. Avianca, the opposing party, brought th...

In the wake of a viral AI-generated Drake song titled "Heart on My Sleeve," questions regarding the legal ramifications of such creations have emerged. Vice sought the expertise of Chris Mammen, a Partner at Womble Bond Dickinson with expertise in intellectual property law, music, and artificial intelligence, to provide insights into the legal complexities surrounding the song. Mammen ex...

The U.S. Copyright Office has issued formal guidance on the copyrightability of works created using artificial intelligence (AI) tools. The guidance clarifies that using AI does not automatically disqualify a work from copyright protection, as long as it involves human creativity. However, independent AI creations without human involvement still cannot be copyrighted in the United States. The poli...

We are proud to introduce our revamped podcast: Womble Perspectives. In this series, we explore a wide range of topics from the latest legal updates to industry trends to the business of law. Our team of lawyers, professionals and occasional outside guests will take you through the most pressing issues facing businesses today and provide practical and actionable advice to help you navigate the eve...

In this episode, we dive into the potential pitfalls and legal implications of using generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot. We explore the recent incidents of corporate-secret leaks involving ChatGPT at Samsung, where confidential source code information was inadvertently disclosed. We also discuss the class action lawsuit against GitHub, Microsoft, and OpenAI, alleging that Copilot pirated...

Listen to the Line of Defense podcast for analysis and implications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions in Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. FTC and SEC v. Cochran .  Womble Bond Dickinson attorneys Britt Biles, Lee Van Voorhis, and Michael Clark discuss the jurisdictional holding that paves the way for litigants to challenge the constitutionality of federal agency administrative proceedings in federal d...

On the latest episode of Line of Defense , Womble Bond Dickinson Partners David Hamilton and Britt Biles spoke with Dr. Christina DePasquale, an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business School, about the Biden Administration’s priorities in antitrust enforcement and the philosophy behind those priorities.

In April 2022, the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia, along with the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia and the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the District of Columbia, hosted a very special event with Gurbir Grewal, the Director of Enforcement at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).  At that event, Womble Bond Dickinson LLP Partner Br...

Join Womble Bond Dickinson partners Britt Biles and Luke Cass for a conversation on the Department of Justice’s efforts on corporate criminal enforcement, financial fraud and other enforcement areas.  With a 10% increase in white collar crime prosecutions in 2021, what is the current enforcement climate and what’s ahead? 

Join Womble Bond Dickinson partners Britt Biles and Luke Cass for a conversation with Brian Miller, the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery.  In addition to discussing the work his office is doing to oversee COVID-19 economic relief funds, Special Inspector General Miller speaks more broadly about the role of inspectors general, their authorities, and their investigative methods.  He a...