Guides: Researching Copyright Law: Blaw, Lexis+, VitalLaw & Westlaw

Bloomberg Law

Note: BLS students, faculty and administrators self-register for Bloomberg Law accounts (no access code required). Please use your BLS email to register. Bloomberg Law will send an email response.

Bloomberg Law includes:

Legal News:

Bloomberg Law > Practice Center: Trademarks & Copyrights > Copyrights
Box: "Tracker" includes: Supreme Court Today: Copyrights.
Box: "News" includes: Bloomberg Law IP News, Bloomberg Law IP Analysis + Bloomberg Terminal News.
Box: "Law Firm Client Alerts" highlights current copyright law developments.
Bloomberg Law > IP Law News
This page highlights current IP law news.
Click: "Search IP Law News Stories." On left, scan the filters. Can check a topic (example: Copyright Infringement) and/or a specific federal statute (example: Copyright Act of 1976). Click: "Create Alert" to run a search for news on a daily or weekly basis.

Primary Sources:

U.S. Code
Link to Title 17 of the U.S.C.
Bloomberg Law > Practice Center: Trademarks & Copyrights > Copyrights
Box: "Dockets" links to: U.S. District Court Copyright Dockets; U.S. Circuit Court Copyright Dockets + ITC Section 337 Dockets.
Box: "Opinions & Decisions" includes searchable collections of copyright opinions + USPQ opinions/decisions.

Lexis+

Note: Lexis+ requires an individual's username + password.

Lexis+ provides many sources on copyright law. To view the list of sources, select: Legal Research > Practice Area: Copyright Law.

Includes: targeted case databases, statutes (U.S.C.S. or statute search page), administrative materials, legal news and treatises.

Lexis+ includes:

Legal News:

Copyright: Mealey's Litigation Report
Reports on copyright litigation. Provides case summaries + many links to full-text court documents. Includes coverage of court decisions, new suits, settlements + trials (supported by court documents).

Practitioners' Guides:

Associate's Guide to the Practice of Copyright Law by Meaghan H. Kent (updated through Dec. 2024, updated annually)
Excerpt from source description: "[G]uides associates through what is typically the most challenging part of their job: knowing where to find information and what specifically they need to complete a particular task or assignment. Written by a partner, the author rein in the work process for associates and give practice-oriented advice on important topics such as what questions to ask a client, what research to conduct, what elements must be met for various causes of action, the potential repercussions for various actions and the proper alternatives to be considered. The book also includes sample documents and pleadings, references to secondary sources and key cases in copyright law."
Copyright and the Public Domain (first published: 2009; coverage" "through Feb. 2025")
This Law Journal Press publication discusses how, and why, works of authorship enter the public domain. Covers: "copyright requirements; the duration of copyright; copyright forfeiture and abandonment; the 'publication' requirement; non-protectable elements within a copyrighted work; restoration of copyrights to foreign works under GATT; conducting copyright renewal searches; non-copyright restrictions that may protect works in the public domain; and many other important issues."

Treatise:

Nimmer on Copyright by Melville B. Nimmer (author 1963-85) & David Nimmer (revision author 1986-present), current ed. updated 3 times/year
Lexis+ describes this treatise as "the definitive work on copyright law" and states that many courts have cited to this treatise. Lexis+ states this treatise "provides comprehensive insights into copyright protection in the digital age as well as exhaustive discussions of traditional issues." Also provides litigation + transactional forms regarding copyright practice. Appendices provide the text of copyright treaties, U.S. laws, U.S. regulations + selected U.S. legislative histories.

VitalLaw

Note: BLS now uses OpenAthens to support remote access to sources in Wolters Kluwer's VitalLaw database. See: BLS Library Technology: Remote Access: Signing In. In BLS Library's catalog record for any VitalLaw source, click line: ACCESS ONLINE VERSION.- (WOLTERS KLUWER).

VitalLaw > practice area: Intellectual Property includes these highly useful legal treatises:

Goldstein on Copyright by Paul Goldstein (3rd ed., updated June 1, 2025) - Digital treatise on U.S. copyright law.
Kohn on Music Licensing by Bob Kohn (last updated Dec. 2018) - Detailed digital treatise on music licensing..

Westlaw

Note: Westlaw requires an individual's username + password.

Westlaw provides many sources on copyright law. To see the full list, select Intellectual Property > tab: Copyright.
- Includes statutes, targeted case databases, International Trade Commission decisions, secondary sources, trial court documents, + agency materials.
Westlaw also provides overviews, practice notes, case trackers, standard documents/clauses, checklists + toolkits through: Westlaw > Practical Law > Intellectual Property and Technology. Westlaw groups these practice-focused tools by topic, including: Copyright + Entertainment.
- Copyright includes: Fashion Law Overview + Fashion Law Tookit.
- Copyright includes: Music Licensing practice note, Music Licensing Chart + some "standard documents," e.g., Composer Agreement (Work Made for Hire).

Westlaw includes:

Primary Sources:

U.S. Copyrights
Materials sent to the U.S. Copyright Office for registering and recording. Coverage begins in January 1978.
Federal Copyright Cases
Cases regarding copyrights from the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeals, U.S. District Courts, U.S. Bankruptcy Courts, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, U.S. Tax Court, U.S. military courts, and territorial courts regarding copyrights.
Intellectual Property Briefs
Selected briefs filed with the U.S. Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals that relate to intangible property rights such as copyright, trademark, patent, and trade secret. Coverage begins in 1989 - includes selected older briefs.
Legislative History: General Revision of Copyright Law, 1976
Comprehensive legislative history of the Act for the General Revision of the Copyright Law (Title 17 of the United States Code), Pub. L. No. 94-553 (1976), compiled by Arnold & Porter, including the text of bills, committee reports, transcripts of hearings + other documents.

Practitioners' Guides:

Copyright Law in Business & Practice by John W. Hazard, Jr. (June 2025 update)
Excerpt from highlights: "[C]overs all aspects of copyright issues, from protection afforded first-time authors to protection of business logos, computer programs, databases, and semiconductor chip products."
Copyright Litigation Handbook by Raymond J. Dowd (Nov. 2024 update)
Guide to the copyright litigation process, from the prospective client's initial call to the calculation of costs and attorney's fees. [C]ontains sample forms, pleadings, motions, checklists + practice tips.
Corporate Counsel's Guide to Copyright Law by Malla Pollack (July 2025 update)
Source hIghlights: "[P]rovides a basic overview of copyright law and includes sample agreements."

Treatises:

Law of Copyright by Howard B. Abrams & Tyler T. Ochoa (Oct. 2024 update)
Treatise analyzing copyright law's history and arguments concerning specific copyright issues.
Patry on Copyright by William F. Patry (Sept. 2025 update)
Multi-volume digital treatise on U.S. copyright law