The Secret Life of Copyright: Intellectual Property and Inequality in the Age of AI

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John Tehranian (Southwestern School of Law (Los Angeles))

The Secret Life of Copyright

Intellectual Property and Inequality in the Age of AI

John Tehranian (Southwestern School of Law (Los Angeles))

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Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Cambridge University Press
31 July 2025

Law & society; Copyright law; Impact of science & technology on society; Ethical & social aspects of computing; Artificial intelligence

In The Secret Life of Copyright, copyright law meets Black Lives Matter and #MeToo as the book examines how copyright law unexpectedly perpetuates inequalities along racial, gender, and socioeconomic lines while undermining progress in the arts. Drawing on numerous case studies, the book argues that, despite their purported neutrality, key doctrines governing copyrights-such as authorship, derivative rights, fair use, and immunity from First Amendment scrutiny-systematically disadvantage individuals from traditionally marginalized communities. The work advocates for a more robust copyright system that better addresses egalitarian concerns and serves the interests of creativity. Given that laws regulating the use of creative content increasingly mediate participation and privilege in the digital world, The Secret Life of Copyright provides a template for a more just and equitable copyright system.

By: John Tehranian (Southwestern School of Law (Los Angeles))
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
ISBN: 9781009347013
ISBN 10: 1009347012
Pages: 252
Publication Date: 31 July 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Introduction; 1. Captured: How Copyright's Authorship Doctrine Empowers the White Male Gaze; 2. Tick Tick . . . Boom!: How Copyright's Law of Collaboration and Crediting Privileges Might Over Right; 3. Controlling the Narrative: How Copyright's Derivative Rights Doctrine Creates Sacred Texts; 4. ©ensored: How Copyright's First Amendment Exemption Enables the Powerful to Silence the Powerless; Conclusion.

John Tehranian is the Paul W. Wildman Chair and Professor of Law at Southwestern Law School. A graduate of Harvard University and Yale Law School, he is a noted entertainment and intellectual property litigator, commentator and speaker, and the author of Whitewashed (2009) and Infringement Nation (2011).