Question 1

Which Disney character entered the U.S. public domain on January 1, 2024?

Accepted Answer

Steamboat Willie Mickey

Question 2

In 2022, Winnie-the-Pooh entered the public domain in the U.S. The first horror film adaptation was titled:

Accepted Answer

Blood and Honey

Question 3

Which author’s estate opposed David Bowie’s attempt to adapt 1984 into a stage musical?

Accepted Answer

George Orwell

Question 4

In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the Andy Warhol Foundation in a case involving portraits of which musician?

Accepted Answer

Prince

Question 5

Which luxury fashion house won a 2023 lawsuit against the creator of “MetaBirkins” NFTs?

Accepted Answer

Hermès

Question 6

Which video game franchise faced lawsuits for depicting players’ tattoos without permission from tattoo artists?

Accepted Answer

NBA 2K

Question 7

In a landmark case for sampling, rapper Biz Markie had an album pulled from shelves after a lawsuit from Gilbert O'Sullivan over the song "Alone Again." What precedent did this case famously set?

Accepted Answer

All samples require a license, or else it’s infringement.

Question 8

The phrase "You're Fired!" from The Apprentice became so associated with Donald Trump that he attempted to trademark it. Why was his trademark application ultimately unsuccessful?

Accepted Answer

It was merely an informational phrase common to employment.

Question 9

Which Beatle was found guilty of "subconscious plagiarism” over his song "My Sweet Lord" sounding too similar to The Chiffons "He's So Fine"?

Accepted Answer

George Harrison

Question 10

The iconic "Happy Birthday to You" song was under copyright protection until 2016. What company famously enforced this copyright for years?

Accepted Answer

Warner/Chappell Music

Question 11

The band "The Slants" won a Supreme Court case that allowed them to trademark their name, which was considered a disparaging term. What legal doctrine did this case invalidate?

Accepted Answer

The Disparagement Clause

Question 12

The famous "I ♥ NY" logo is a registered trademark. What New York state agency owns and vigorously enforces it?

Accepted Answer

Empire State Development Corporation

Question 13

Gwen Stefani was successful in convincing a California appeals court that Activision’s exploitation of her image in what video game was not transformative fair use.

Accepted Answer

Band Hero

Question 14

In the world of streaming, a "mechanical license" is required to legally reproduce and distribute a copyrighted song. Which service was sued for not having these licenses when it first started?

Accepted Answer

Spotify

Question 15

The video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" was sued by which musician who claimed the game included an unauthorized likeness of him?

Accepted Answer

Michael "Shagg" Washington

Question 16

The distinctive sound of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine exhaust was the subject of a long-running, and ultimately abandoned, trademark application. Why was it ultimately withdrawn?

Accepted Answer

Competitors argued the sound was a common mechanical sound

Question 17

The "Red Sole" of a high-fashion shoe is a famous trademark. Which designer owns it?

Accepted Answer

Christian Louboutin

Question 18

The movie “The Shape of Water” was accused of plagiarizing Paul Zindel's 1969 play, Let Me Hear You Whisper, as both works share plot and character elements. What was the central issue?

Accepted Answer

The Idea-Expression Dichotomy

Question 19

T-Mobile has trademarked their signature Magenta color.

Accepted Answer

True

Question 20

The creators of _____ were sued for allegedly plagiarizing the concept for their Netflix show from a short film about the Montauk Project.

Accepted Answer

Stranger Things

Question 21

The estate of which famous novelist sued the publisher of the novel "The Wind Done Gone," claiming it was an unauthorized sequel to "Gone with the Wind"?

Accepted Answer

Margaret Mitchell

Question 22

The John Deere green and yellow color scheme are registered trademarks. In a famous case, they sued a rival company for painting its agricultural equipment a similar shade. Who was the competitor?

Accepted Answer

FIMCO

Question 23

The South Park episode “Canada on Strike” features a famous example of Fair Use after it parodied ______ owned by Brownmark Films. What did the show use that was protected by copyright?

Accepted Answer

An entire music video

Question 24

Actors/martial artists Philip Ahn, Elizabeth Malecki, and Katalin Zamiar sued this video game, alleging infringement of the right of publicity and false association under the Lanham Act.

Accepted Answer

Mortal Kombat

Question 25

The "Bird Box" challenge, inspired by the Netflix film, led to real-world injuries. What was the primary legal tool Netflix used to try to stop people from participating?

Accepted Answer

They issued takedown notices on social media platforms

Question 26

The creators of the Friday the 13th films faced a famous lawsuit from the writer of the original screenplay, who claimed he was owed royalties from the franchise. What was the core of his claim?

Accepted Answer

The film's ending was his copyrighted plot twist.

Question 27

The band Led Zeppelin successfully defended their classic song "Stairway to Heaven" against an infringement claim. What was the critical legal argument the plaintiffs had to prove?

Accepted Answer

That the selection and arrangement of common musical elements was original

Question 28

Which famous author successfully lobbied Parliament to extend copyright protection to their works, leading to the Copyright Act of 1842?

Accepted Answer

Charles Dickens

Question 29

In the 1999 copyright infringement case Miller v. Miramax, two authors sued the makers of Shakespeare in Love, claiming it copied their screenplay The Dark Lady. What defense did the defendants use?

Accepted Answer

Scenes à Faire

Question 30

What does the DMCA stand for?

Accepted Answer

Digital Millenium Copyright Act

Question 31

Mark Zuckerberg holds a trademark for the word "face"

Accepted Answer

True

Question 32

In 2014, a group of fans crowdfunded a film, Axanar, which attracted a lawsuit from Paramount CBS asserting the production had made use of “innumerable copyrighted elements" from this famous franchise

Accepted Answer

Star Trek

Question 33

Which Kardashian-Jenner was sued in 2017 for releasing T-shirts with unlicensed images of iconic musicians like Tupac Shakur and Ozzy Osbourne?

Accepted Answer

Kylie & Kendall Jenner

Question 34

The video game company Bethesda Softworks famously sued a company called Mojang (the creators of Minecraft) to block a game title. What was the name of Mojang's game that sparked the lawsuit?

Accepted Answer

Scrolls

Question 35

John Fogerty, the former frontman for Creedence Clearwater Revival, was sued for copyright infringement by Fantasy Records for what ironic reason?

Accepted Answer

His solo song plagiarized a song he wrote earlier with CCR.

Question 36

Steven Vander Ark is the author of the fan-created encyclopedia behind the famous copyright case Warner Brothers v. RDR Books.  Which famous franchise does the encyclopedia cover?

Accepted Answer

Harry Potter

Question 37

The "McDonald's" trademark was at the center of a famous "Mc" prefix case in Malaysia. What was the name of the competing business that led to the lawsuit?

Accepted Answer

McCurry Restaurant

Question 38

A famous lawsuit between Apple Corps (The Beatles' record company) and Apple Inc. (the tech giant) was settled with a specific agreement (which was later breached) about what?

Accepted Answer

Apple Inc. can't be in the music biz, Apple Corps can't be in computer biz

Question 39

This insulated thermos brand is currently being sued by a Connecticut-based toolmaker brand with a similar name.

Accepted Answer

Stanley

Question 40

The "Kylie" trademark case involved two famous celebrities disputing ownership of the name. Which two celebrities were involved?

Accepted Answer

Kylie Jenner & Kylie Minogue

Question 41

Which 2011 comedy film sparked a lawsuit by tattoo artist S. Victor Whitmill, who claimed the filmmakers had copied Mike Tyson’s tattoo design?

Accepted Answer

The Hangover Part II

Question 42

Which YouTube star-turned-boxer was sued in 2021 for using copyrighted music in his viral fight videos?

Accepted Answer

Jake Paul

Question 43

In the early 2000s, which file-sharing website was shut down due to a copyright lawsuit by major record labels?

Accepted Answer

Napster

Question 44

Queen and David Bowie sued which artist who claimed that their song was not a direct copy of “Under Pressure” because they “added an extra beat”?

Accepted Answer

Vanilla Ice

Question 45

In general, what is the duration of copyright protection in the US?

Accepted Answer

Life of author + 70 years

Pop Culture Copyright & Trademark Trivia

2) In 2022, Winnie-the-Pooh entered the public domain in the U.S. The first horror film adaptation was titled:

3) Which author’s estate opposed David Bowie’s attempt to adapt 1984 into a stage musical?

4) In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the Andy Warhol Foundation in a case involving portraits of which musician?

5) Which luxury fashion house won a 2023 lawsuit against the creator of “MetaBirkins” NFTs?

6) Which video game franchise faced lawsuits for depicting players’ tattoos without permission from tattoo artists?

7) In a landmark case for sampling, rapper Biz Markie had an album pulled from shelves after a lawsuit from Gilbert O'Sullivan over the song "Alone Again." What precedent did this case famously set?

8) The phrase "You're Fired!" from The Apprentice became so associated with Donald Trump that he attempted to trademark it. Why was his trademark application ultimately unsuccessful?

9) Which Beatle was found guilty of "subconscious plagiarism” over his song "My Sweet Lord" sounding too similar to The Chiffons "He's So Fine"?

10) The iconic "Happy Birthday to You" song was under copyright protection until 2016. What company famously enforced this copyright for years?

11) The band "The Slants" won a Supreme Court case that allowed them to trademark their name, which was considered a disparaging term. What legal doctrine did this case invalidate?

12) The famous "I ♥ NY" logo is a registered trademark. What New York state agency owns and vigorously enforces it?

13) Gwen Stefani was successful in convincing a California appeals court that Activision’s exploitation of her image in what video game was not transformative fair use.

14) In the world of streaming, a "mechanical license" is required to legally reproduce and distribute a copyrighted song. Which service was sued for not having these licenses when it first started?

15) The video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" was sued by which musician who claimed the game included an unauthorized likeness of him?

16) The distinctive sound of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine exhaust was the subject of a long-running, and ultimately abandoned, trademark application. Why was it ultimately withdrawn?

17) The "Red Sole" of a high-fashion shoe is a famous trademark. Which designer owns it?

18) The movie “The Shape of Water” was accused of plagiarizing Paul Zindel's 1969 play, Let Me Hear You Whisper, as both works share plot and character elements. What was the central issue?

19) T-Mobile has trademarked their signature Magenta color.

20) The creators of _____ were sued for allegedly plagiarizing the concept for their Netflix show from a short film about the Montauk Project.

21) The estate of which famous novelist sued the publisher of the novel "The Wind Done Gone," claiming it was an unauthorized sequel to "Gone with the Wind"?

22) The John Deere green and yellow color scheme are registered trademarks. In a famous case, they sued a rival company for painting its agricultural equipment a similar shade. Who was the competitor?

23) The South Park episode “Canada on Strike” features a famous example of Fair Use after it parodied ______ owned by Brownmark Films. What did the show use that was protected by copyright?

24) Actors/martial artists Philip Ahn, Elizabeth Malecki, and Katalin Zamiar sued this video game, alleging infringement of the right of publicity and false association under the Lanham Act.

25) The "Bird Box" challenge, inspired by the Netflix film, led to real-world injuries. What was the primary legal tool Netflix used to try to stop people from participating?

26) The creators of the Friday the 13th films faced a famous lawsuit from the writer of the original screenplay, who claimed he was owed royalties from the franchise. What was the core of his claim?

27) The band Led Zeppelin successfully defended their classic song "Stairway to Heaven" against an infringement claim. What was the critical legal argument the plaintiffs had to prove?

28) Which famous author successfully lobbied Parliament to extend copyright protection to their works, leading to the Copyright Act of 1842?

29) In the 1999 copyright infringement case Miller v. Miramax, two authors sued the makers of Shakespeare in Love, claiming it copied their screenplay The Dark Lady. What defense did the defendants use?

30) What does the DMCA stand for?

31) Mark Zuckerberg holds a trademark for the word "face"

32) In 2014, a group of fans crowdfunded a film, Axanar, which attracted a lawsuit from Paramount CBS asserting the production had made use of “innumerable copyrighted elements" from this famous franchise

33) Which Kardashian-Jenner was sued in 2017 for releasing T-shirts with unlicensed images of iconic musicians like Tupac Shakur and Ozzy Osbourne?

34) The video game company Bethesda Softworks famously sued a company called Mojang (the creators of Minecraft) to block a game title. What was the name of Mojang's game that sparked the lawsuit?

35) John Fogerty, the former frontman for Creedence Clearwater Revival, was sued for copyright infringement by Fantasy Records for what ironic reason?

36) Steven Vander Ark is the author of the fan-created encyclopedia behind the famous copyright case Warner Brothers v. RDR Books. Which famous franchise does the encyclopedia cover?

37) The "McDonald's" trademark was at the center of a famous "Mc" prefix case in Malaysia. What was the name of the competing business that led to the lawsuit?

38) A famous lawsuit between Apple Corps (The Beatles' record company) and Apple Inc. (the tech giant) was settled with a specific agreement (which was later breached) about what?

39) This insulated thermos brand is currently being sued by a Connecticut-based toolmaker brand with a similar name.

40) The "Kylie" trademark case involved two famous celebrities disputing ownership of the name. Which two celebrities were involved?

41) Which 2011 comedy film sparked a lawsuit by tattoo artist S. Victor Whitmill, who claimed the filmmakers had copied Mike Tyson’s tattoo design?

42) Which YouTube star-turned-boxer was sued in 2021 for using copyrighted music in his viral fight videos?

43) In the early 2000s, which file-sharing website was shut down due to a copyright lawsuit by major record labels?

44) Queen and David Bowie sued which artist who claimed that their song was not a direct copy of “Under Pressure” because they “added an extra beat”?

45) In general, what is the duration of copyright protection in the US?