Legal Pad:
Back in March, the D.C. Circuit handed down a landmark ruling in Thaler v. Perlmutter: works created entirely by AI, without any human input, cannot be copyrighted. The court affirmed what Judge Beryl Howell first said in 2023 — that human authorship is the bedrock of copyright law.
So why is it back in the news now? Because the ripple effects are catching up. This month, policymakers and industry groups are citing the decision as they debate how Congress should regulate AI-generated content. Tech companies are pushing for clarity, artists are demanding protection, and courts are being asked where to draw the line between tool and author.
The ruling may not have come down this week, but the questions it raised are only getting louder. And that’s often how law works: one decision plants the seed, and the real growth — and conflict — happens in the seasons after.
Sidebar:
The churn inside ‘Big Law’ is telling a story of its own. More and more top-shelf litigators are leaving the glass towers behind. Some cite burnout from relentless billing demands, others a longing for cases that feel like they matter beyond the balance sheet.
We’re seeing a trend of these lawyers moving into boutique practices, in-house roles, or even launching their own firms. The draw? Autonomy, creativity, and the chance to steer their work toward clients and causes they actually believe in.
It’s a reminder that law, like so many other professions, isn’t just a career ladder — it’s a vocation. And the most powerful credential isn’t the name on the building, but the work you choose to put your name behind.
Closing Arguments:
Lots of happenings here in Upstate SC this weekend. One thing that’s not? Clemson football. For Clemson players and fans alike, it’s blissfully a bye-week and a much-needed opportunity to lick wounds, reset, and refocus. The Tigers are experiencing adversity early this season which provides a familiar fork in life’s road: lay down and accept defeat, or get back up and stay in the fight? The latter, even if ultimately unsuccessful, is often the difference between those who fade quietly into the background and those who leave a mark worth remembering. Resilience doesn’t always guarantee a win, but it always guarantees growth. Like in trial, you either win or you learn.
Whether you wear orange or not, it reminds me of a poignant quote from President Teddy Rosevelt about being the Man in the Arena: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Court is in recess- see you next Friday.
