Campbell v Acuff-Rose Music: Summaries of Law Journal Articles

This web page includes hyperlinks and short summaries of three law journal articles related to the Campbell v Acuff-Rose Music legal case.1) "Oh Pretty Parody: Campbell v Acuff-Rose Music, Inc." This is a scholarly article from the Fall 1994 volume of Harvard University’s Journal of Law and Technology (JOLT). In the article, Lisa M. Babiskin chronicles the historical background of fair use and parody and analyzes the case law prior to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision. Babiskin concludes by analyzing the Supreme Court’s decision and what it holds for the future. 2) "Trademark Parody: Lessons From the Copyright Decision in Campbell v Acuff-Rose Music, Inc." This 1996 scholarly article from Duke University’s Law School discusses the importance of Campbell v Acuff-Rose Music in relation to analysis of parodies in trademark legal cases. The author of this article, Gary Myers, concludes by suggesting that the “likelihood of confusion test” that is instrumental in evaluating trademark cases should also be used in evaluating trademark parodies. 3) "Three Years After Campbell v Acuff-Rose Music, Inc: What Is Fair Game For Parodists?" This scholarly article written by Kathryn D. Piele first appeared in 1997 in the Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review. In her article, Piele discusses the fair use clause of the U.S. Copyright Act and how parodies are protected by it. She also discusses how courts applied the fair use doctrine to parody cases prior to Campbell v Acuff-Rose Music.Piele then delves into the Supreme Court ruling for Campbell and how it changed the way the fair use doctrine was applied to parody cases. She then concludes by describing the problems regarding the treatment of parodies by copyright law before finally recommending how courts should change current copyright law.