What Will Dominate Copyright Law in 2026: California Brief

A trio of critical issues primed to dominate the copyright landscape in 2026 will test music-piracy liability, President Donald Trump’s authority over the Copyright Office, and the evolution of AI:

AI and Copyright: Discovery will continue in dozens of generative-AI suits. A pair of judges in California validated fair-use defenses for using certain works to train AI. One California federal judge said copying from pirate sites isn’t fair, while another added that he doubted training inherently passes muster.

Also, the first appeal of a fair-use decision in an AI copyright case — albeit involving non-generative AI — will likely ...