The Big Fat Copyright Quiz of the Year: Home Edition

On Friday 8th December, the creme de la creme of copyright enthusiasts gathered to pit their wits against quizmaster extraordinaire Matt Voigts. 24 mind-boggling questions tested the limits of their knowledge and patience before one victor emerged. And all she got for her efforts was to be serenaded by a couple of suspicious-looking Christmas elves.

If you missed the Big Fat Copyright News Quiz of the Year, fear not! You can still play along (or play again) by revisiting the original broadcast recording – or testing yourself, your friends, and annoyed pub-goers with the questions below. Thanks to Matt for compiling them into this post.

The answers are at the end – along with links so you can revisit the biggest copyright news stories of the year. Any links in the questions shouldn’t have spoilers!

Questions

1. This July, the fast food chains Taco Bell and Taco John’s settled a trademark dispute. Now everyone in America* is free to advertise which Mexican food on a particular day of the week with a phrase most people probably assumed was generic? *Every state except New Jersey.

1. Mole Monday
2. Taco Tuesday
3. Fajita Friday
4. Salsa Saturday

2. While the initial, low court ruling in Hachette v. Internet Archive (currently being appealed) sided with the publishers against the Archive’s COVID-era digital lending project, the judge later issued a much more modest permanent injunction only against on sharing eBooks with a commercial version in circulation. Of the 1.4 million titles the Archive made available, how many does this apply to?

1. 17
2. 33,000
3. 520,000
4. 1.39 million

3. The Marrakesh Treaty turned 10 this year this, which helps libraries and other authorized entities internationally share books accessible by persons with visual impairment and other print disabilities. Whose promise to play a concert helped motivate delegates during the tense negotiations?

1. Stevie Wonder
2. Ray Charles
3. Andrea Bocelli
4. Jose Feliciano

4.   While critics derided Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood & Honey (2023), expired copyright means you’re ALSO free to adapt the character into a cheap horror film. However, which of these iconic Pooh elements is still the property of Disney?

1. Piglet
2. Insatiable love of honey
3. The Hundred Acre Wood
4. Pooh’s red T-shirt

5. Oh me, oh my! Not only did Disney lose exclusive rights to Pooh in 2023, but on 1 January, 2024 the earliest version of Mickey Mouse – Steamboat Willie – enters the public domain. Some, however, have speculated that the famously litigious company is attempting to keep the Mouse under its control through trademark. How?

1. A suspiciously high volume of IP filings
2. Incorporating Steamboat Willie into its logo
3. Repainting its theme parks black & white
4. Suing yet another daycare

6.      In 2023, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s final Sherlock Holmes book, The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes (written 1923-7), entered the public domain.  In 2020, Doyle’s estate (unsuccessfully) sued Netflix over a film adaptation, claiming WHICH element associated with the character had NOT been introduced until Casebook, in any of Doyle’s prior 44 short stories and 4 novels – and therefore were STILL subject to its control?

1. Holmes’ deerstalker hat and pipe
2. His heroin habit
3. The phrase, “Elementary, my dear Watson.”
4. Showing emotions and character growth

7. What is the name of the IFLA book that Chris and Jane wrote a chapter for which featured on a number of webinars earlier this year?

1. Making Sense of Copyright for Librarians: Chapter and Verse
2. Navigating Copyright for Libraries: Purpose and Scope
3. So, Copyright: what’s all that about then?
4. Copyright and Online Learning: A Guide for Practitioners

8.   Other works to enter the public domain in 2023 included the influential 1927 science fiction epic Metropolis. The film has been released in a number of versions and adaptions, including with an alternative rock soundtrack from Georgio Morodor and a major restoration following the discovery of missing footage in an Argentine film archive in 2008. What British actor played the lead role, however, as the titular city’s despotic ruler John Freeman in the 1989 West End musical production?

1. Oliver Reed
2. Laurence Olivier
3. Brian Blessed
4. Patrick Stewart

9.       In September of this year, graphic novelist Bill Willingham – noting his advancing age (67), fed up over his treatment by publisher DC, and citing a desire for copyright reform (“The current laws are a mishmash of unethical backroom deals to keep trademarks and copyrights in the hands of large corporations”), put a comic book series he created and wrote in the public domain (or at least attempted to – DC claims it still “reserves all rights”). What is the series? 

1. Fables
2. Watchmen
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
4. Dream of the Rarebit Fiend

10.   The US Supreme Court decision in Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith – involving images made by the defendant based on photos by the plaintiff -is controversial, with many observers worrying it will seriously complicate American copyright law. What was the Warhol foundation’s unsuccessful defence?

1. Fair / transformative use
2. Licensing agreement produced under prior law
3. Quotation exception
4. Finders keepers

11. How long – to the nearest hour – did it take for OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to be reinstated after he was removed from duties by the company’s Board of Directors in November?

1. 63
2. 99
3. 107
4. 124

12.  In April, Belgian customs crushed 2,352 cans of the American beer Miller High Life featuring an advertising slogan (in use since 1906) that violated EU regional protection laws (in force since 2005). What was the slogan?

1. “Pair it with Parmesan”
2. “The Champagne of Beers”
3. “Better than Pilsner”
4. “Indistinguishable from Evian”

13. Which of the following was not created by a member of the ALT CoOL SIG community this year?

1. Copyright Heights
2. The Copyright Escape Room
3. Copyright Sucks!

14. Between 2021 and 2023, several authors’ estates released new versions of old books with minor edits that reflect present-day norms around body image, race and gender. Which of the following authors did NOT see such an edit?

1. Roald Dahl
2. Ian Fleming
3. Agatha Christie
4. Dr. Seuss

15.   In February 2023, science fiction magazine Clarkesworld temporarily stopped accepting submissions when it found itself in a scenario that, a few years ago, would have seemed straight out of science fiction. Why?

1. Too many AI-written submissions
2. Their AI software crafted better stories than the submissions
3. To cut the carbon output of their servers
4. The editors looked at the world & decided the dystopia was here

16.   In January, Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast attracted controversy when it made changes to its Open License system, which outlines the terms by which players can freely share the content they create while playing the games.  What part of the tabletop roleplaying game can the Wizards NOT assert IP rights over?

1. Character designs, monsters, and other artwork
2. The rules of the game
3. Backstory
4. Content from the out-of-print 1st edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1981)

17. Which of the following activities is not addressed by the Code of Fair Practice in the Use of Audiovisual Works in film education?

1. Allowing Students Equitable Access to a Diverse Range of Films
2. Allowing Students to Critically Analyse Films
3. Adapting Films for Teaching and Learning Purposes
4. Giving Students Popcorn and a Nice Comfy Chair
5. Format Shifting of Film Content

18.   In November, courts ruled that AI-assisted copies can infringe on AI-assisted artwork in a case involving the following pictures. Which country made the decision?

Image from aibuinsess.com (link in answers)

1. China
2. Japan
3. South Korea
4. North Korea

19.   This image merged an original photograph with Van Gogh’s Starry Night. The US ruled in 2023 it is not copyrightable – but in 2021, another country ruled it is protected. Which country?

1. Canada
2. India
3. France
4. The Netherlands
5. Bolivia

20.   Following Elon Musk’s chaotic takeover of Twitter (now X), and its own reclassification as ‘state owned media’, the US’ National Public Radio (NPR) left the platform. What percentage of traffic reduction did NPR subsequently see to its website?

1. 1%
2. 12%
3. 17%
4. 23%

21.  Which long-running publication – owned by Disney – canceled contracts for its staff writers in June and will no longer be sold on North American newsstands in 2024?

1. People
2. Harper’s Bazaar
3. Popular Mechanics
4. National Geographic

22. Who of the following has not been a guest on the podcast ‘Copyright Waffle’?

1. Richard Ovenden – Bodley’s Librarian
2. Emily Drabinski – ALA President
3. Kyle K Courtney – Harvard University’s Copyright Advisor
4. Mark Lewisohn – Beatles historian

23. According to a study released in June that surveyed 4,000 titles, what percentage of video games (out of all that have ever been released) are currently commercially available?

1. 7%
2. 13%
3. 21%
4. 25%

24.   In June, a US federal judge sanctioned two attorneys for using AI to write a filing on behalf of their client, who was suing an airline. In part, how did the courts know something was wrong?

1. It cited Canadian case law
2. It cited EU case law
3. It cited non-existent case law
4. Repeated use of the phrase “KILL ALL HUMANS”

Answers

1. B: Taco Tuesday (*except in New Jersey, where the trademark is held by Gregory’s Bar)
2. B: 33,000 titles were commercially released (according to Kyle Courtney at Icepops 2023)
3. A: Stevie Wonder played a concert on conclusion of the Marrakesh treaty
4. D: Pooh’s red T-shirt is still owned by Disney
5. B: Disney may have incorporated Steamboat Willie into its logo to try to retain trademark rights
6. D: The Doyle estate argued it had a monopoly on Holmes showing emotions and character growth, an argument which lost in court and is moot now that the emotive, warm and respectful detective depicted in the Casebook of Sherlock Holmes is in the public domain
7. B:  Navigating Copyright for Libraries: Purpose and Scope is open access. Give it a read!
8. C. Brian Blessed starred in the 1989 West End musical version of Metropolis
9. A: Bill Willingham put Fables in the public domain (or at least, has tried to)
10. A: The Warhol estate argued fair / transformative use
11. C. Sam Altman was exiled from OpenAI for 107 hours
12. B. Miller High Life is The Champagne of Beers
13. C. Copyright Sucks! doesn’t exist, but you can play Copyright Heights and the Copyright Escape Room at the links)
14. D. In 2021, Dr. Seuss’ estate left six titles out of print but did not publish them in edited form; Fleming, Christie, and Dahl recently saw edited versions of their books released
15. A. Clarkesworld temporarily shut down over too many AI-written submissions
16. B. Wizards of the Coast can’t protect the rules of the game or other processes or sets of instructions
17. D. Sadly, the UK Film Guidelines do not address Giving Students Popcorn and a Nice Comfy Chair
18. A. China ruled that the first image – generated with substantial use of AI – is protected
19. A. In 2021 India ruled the image – called ‘Suryast’ – is protected by copyright; in 2023, the US ruled it was not protected in America
20. A. After leaving the platform formerly known as Twitter, NPR saw a paltry 1% drop in website traffic
21. D. As of 2024, National Geographic will no longer have paid staff writers or be sold on North American newsstands
22. C. Kyle K Courtney – Harvard University’s Copyright Advisor – has not been a guest on the Copyright Waffle – yet.
23. B. Only 13% of video games are currently in commercial release; 87% are at risk of being lost
24. C. The lawyers’ brief cited non-existent case law (long, detailed version of what happened available here)