Brandon Butler
@bb.usefairuse.com
Copyright lawyer at Jaszi Butler PLLC, Exec Director @recreatecoalition.bsky.social, dad. Press inquiries: [email protected].
Pinned
Brandon Butler
@bb.usefairuse.com
· Feb 5
🖊️As the new administration finalizes its policy agenda, Executive Director @bbutler.bsky.social sent a letter to Congress outlining the best policies to support a balanced copyright system. Read the letter here: www.recreatecoalition.org/advancing-a-...
Advancing a Pro-Innovation, Pro-Creator, Pro-Consumer Copyright Agenda - Re:Create
Re:Create is a coalition founded to engage policymakers and the public on how balanced copyright enables free expression, creativity, and innovation. Collectively, the members of Re:Create represent o...
www.recreatecoalition.org
Our policy priorities for 2025! Read on for a thread with the high points, or follow the link for the full New Congress Letter, released today.
Reposted by Brandon Butler
It’s wild that you can just openly bribe the President of the United States with chunks of gold to get
whatever you want, it’s fine, you don’t have to hide it, just say “I am bribing the President with gold,” zero consequences.
whatever you want, it’s fine, you don’t have to hide it, just say “I am bribing the President with gold,” zero consequences.
"It was tough to beat Apple, but the Swiss did it." said one administration official.
How the Swiss convinced Trump to drop tariffs with gifts of a Rolex desk clock and a 1 kg gold bar.
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
How the Swiss convinced Trump to drop tariffs with gifts of a Rolex desk clock and a 1 kg gold bar.
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
How to lobby Trump with Swiss precision: gifts, gold and gab
How the Swiss broke a diplomatic logjam on tariffs by arriving with tributes fit for a king.
www.axios.com
November 15, 2025 at 2:17 PM
It’s wild that you can just openly bribe the President of the United States with chunks of gold to get
whatever you want, it’s fine, you don’t have to hide it, just say “I am bribing the President with gold,” zero consequences.
whatever you want, it’s fine, you don’t have to hide it, just say “I am bribing the President with gold,” zero consequences.
Never forget, Maxwell is like the father of modern commercial scholarly publishing.
www.theguardian.com/science/2017...
www.theguardian.com/science/2017...
November 15, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Never forget, Maxwell is like the father of modern commercial scholarly publishing.
www.theguardian.com/science/2017...
www.theguardian.com/science/2017...
Reposted by Brandon Butler
"'People who care about the future of an independent U.S. higher-education system must take seriously the authoritarian aims of the federal government,' said Dominique Baker"
This lady seems really concerned about govt overreach & credulous higher ed stakeholders
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
This lady seems really concerned about govt overreach & credulous higher ed stakeholders
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
The Plot Against Jim Ryan
Was his ouster a federal coup — or an opportunistic inside job?
www.chronicle.com
November 15, 2025 at 3:54 PM
"'People who care about the future of an independent U.S. higher-education system must take seriously the authoritarian aims of the federal government,' said Dominique Baker"
This lady seems really concerned about govt overreach & credulous higher ed stakeholders
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
This lady seems really concerned about govt overreach & credulous higher ed stakeholders
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
Reposted by Brandon Butler
I lean into "this is happening / already happened" because there's no point discussing the aesthetics of airplanes with an audience that hates flight
But my actual motive for being interested in language models is that "interactive, tunable libraries" is a dizzyingly attractive idea
But my actual motive for being interested in language models is that "interactive, tunable libraries" is a dizzyingly attractive idea
November 15, 2025 at 4:34 PM
I lean into "this is happening / already happened" because there's no point discussing the aesthetics of airplanes with an audience that hates flight
But my actual motive for being interested in language models is that "interactive, tunable libraries" is a dizzyingly attractive idea
But my actual motive for being interested in language models is that "interactive, tunable libraries" is a dizzyingly attractive idea
Reposted by Brandon Butler
Jim Ryan's letter is not just surreal and troubling; it provides a series of deeply sobering lessons—about the perils facing public universities today; about what it means to "work with" this Department of Justice; & about what leadership does (and doesn't) entail at this especially fraught moment.
Former UVA president Jim Ryan, who resigned over the summer due to pressure from the Trump Administration, just shared this 12-page letter with the Faculty Senate, detailing his experience with the Board of Visitors and DOJ.
It's a surreal--and troubling--read.
drive.google.com/file/d/1Is6x...
It's a surreal--and troubling--read.
drive.google.com/file/d/1Is6x...
November 14, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Jim Ryan's letter is not just surreal and troubling; it provides a series of deeply sobering lessons—about the perils facing public universities today; about what it means to "work with" this Department of Justice; & about what leadership does (and doesn't) entail at this especially fraught moment.
Visual art has been a rich playing field for fair use, and this #fairusefriday we celebrate that impact. Artists who want to flex their rights should check out the CAA Code of Best Practices: www.collegeart.org/pdf/fair-use...
November 14, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Visual art has been a rich playing field for fair use, and this #fairusefriday we celebrate that impact. Artists who want to flex their rights should check out the CAA Code of Best Practices: www.collegeart.org/pdf/fair-use...
As the usual suspects seem intent on manufacturing a controversy over the ALI's Restatement of Copyright, I want to resurface a couple of threads I've written in response to past eruptions of pique from these folks.
November 14, 2025 at 2:00 PM
As the usual suspects seem intent on manufacturing a controversy over the ALI's Restatement of Copyright, I want to resurface a couple of threads I've written in response to past eruptions of pique from these folks.
It's a massive improvement, y'all. Much more readable, well-organized, up-to-date, and check out the gorgeous public domain illustrations!
👀 Exciting news from us at Re:Create, our website has a new look! Check it out and explore the issues important to Re:Create members, @bb.usefairuse.com's insights in blogs, and our new resource section. 🔗 recreatecoalition.org
November 13, 2025 at 4:27 PM
It's a massive improvement, y'all. Much more readable, well-organized, up-to-date, and check out the gorgeous public domain illustrations!
There's a long-running communication breakdown between technologists on the one hand and commercial publishers and creators on the other. Technologists and digital researchers often see creative works as data, while publishers and creators see them as commercial art.
November 12, 2025 at 5:35 PM
There's a long-running communication breakdown between technologists on the one hand and commercial publishers and creators on the other. Technologists and digital researchers often see creative works as data, while publishers and creators see them as commercial art.
Gotta strongly disagree with Professor Tang that fair use is the wrong tool for sorting out copyright questions around AI. It's exactly the right tool. Her reasoning - that fair use is only for small cases, not big, industry-scale questions=just false. VCRs, search, doc film, rely on FU at scale.
November 7, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Gotta strongly disagree with Professor Tang that fair use is the wrong tool for sorting out copyright questions around AI. It's exactly the right tool. Her reasoning - that fair use is only for small cases, not big, industry-scale questions=just false. VCRs, search, doc film, rely on FU at scale.
Lots of interesting stuff at this Silicon Flatirons AI+copyright politics meeting, but what we just heard may be the most interesting to me, so far: the uncopyrightability of AI outputs was the most important factor in the writers' negotiations over AI.
November 7, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Lots of interesting stuff at this Silicon Flatirons AI+copyright politics meeting, but what we just heard may be the most interesting to me, so far: the uncopyrightability of AI outputs was the most important factor in the writers' negotiations over AI.
Tuning in to the CU Boulder Silicon Flatirons event on AI and the Future of Copyright Politics today, with perhaps a little live-tweeting, so stay tuned! siliconflatirons.org/events/ai-a...
November 7, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Tuning in to the CU Boulder Silicon Flatirons event on AI and the Future of Copyright Politics today, with perhaps a little live-tweeting, so stay tuned! siliconflatirons.org/events/ai-a...
I want to highlight a client project, not because it's full of fair use (there's almost none; it's a verité film!), but just because it's full of humanity.
November 7, 2025 at 2:13 PM
I want to highlight a client project, not because it's full of fair use (there's almost none; it's a verité film!), but just because it's full of humanity.
This was a fun conversation, and I want to reiterate that I love Nick from @publicknowledge.bsky.social's sweater! And also, I want to reiterate that libraries and librarians have many valid reasons for concern about AI, but unless we want to abandon a century of policy work, copyright ain't one.
Thank you to Re:Create member @libraryfutures.bsky.social for hosting a panel discussion on the legal and ethical issues in AI. Executive Director @bb.usefairuse.com spoke on the panel and emphasized how library values support fair use for AI training.
November 6, 2025 at 4:21 PM
This was a fun conversation, and I want to reiterate that I love Nick from @publicknowledge.bsky.social's sweater! And also, I want to reiterate that libraries and librarians have many valid reasons for concern about AI, but unless we want to abandon a century of policy work, copyright ain't one.
Reposted by Brandon Butler
Beshear: Let me be clear. The president has both the funding and the authority to fund snap during a shutdown. In fact, every other president in every other shutdown has done so. People going hungry in this instance is a choice that this president has made.
November 5, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Beshear: Let me be clear. The president has both the funding and the authority to fund snap during a shutdown. In fact, every other president in every other shutdown has done so. People going hungry in this instance is a choice that this president has made.
Reposted by Brandon Butler
Wow it turns out the entire country is not permanently reactionary because Trump won an election by 1.5%
November 5, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Wow it turns out the entire country is not permanently reactionary because Trump won an election by 1.5%
I just watched a @copyrightsoc panel on the state of play in AI litigation, and I'm gobsmacked. Three out of four panelists presented a hardcore maximalist position that is completely out of touch with fair use case law. They denigrated (and in one case misrepresented, imo) the
November 4, 2025 at 8:44 PM
I just watched a @copyrightsoc panel on the state of play in AI litigation, and I'm gobsmacked. Three out of four panelists presented a hardcore maximalist position that is completely out of touch with fair use case law. They denigrated (and in one case misrepresented, imo) the
Great new piece from Ashley Belanger from @arstechnica.com about the @archive.org and the future of digital libraries in the aftermath of IA's big copyright settlements. I'm quoted re statutory damages and how they distort incentives for digital projects. arstechnica.com/tech-policy...
Internet Archive’s legal fights are over, but its founder mourns what was lost
“We survived, but it wiped out the library,” Internet Archive’s founder says.
arstechnica.com
November 3, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Great new piece from Ashley Belanger from @arstechnica.com about the @archive.org and the future of digital libraries in the aftermath of IA's big copyright settlements. I'm quoted re statutory damages and how they distort incentives for digital projects. arstechnica.com/tech-policy...
Reposted by Brandon Butler
Lmao literally having a "we're rich" party while they cut SNAP is like cartoon level evil it's like the villain in a Dr. Seuss book
Per Danny Kemp via press pool
Trump is at the Halloween party at MAL
“Official theme is Gatsby and ‘a little party never killed nobody’, we’re told.”
Trump is at the Halloween party at MAL
“Official theme is Gatsby and ‘a little party never killed nobody’, we’re told.”
November 1, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Lmao literally having a "we're rich" party while they cut SNAP is like cartoon level evil it's like the villain in a Dr. Seuss book
I spoke with video journalist/essayist Christophe Haubursin about the boundary between lawful and unlawful copying, and how that maps onto the wild array of videos he found were copying his own work online. Watch to the end—the conclusion is excellent! youtu.be/CFJIVBJYY9M...
They stole my work. I tried to find them
I figured out why I keep getting plagiarized. Thanks to Storyblocks for sponsoring this video! Download unlimited stock media at one set price with Storybloc...
www.youtube.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:25 PM
I spoke with video journalist/essayist Christophe Haubursin about the boundary between lawful and unlawful copying, and how that maps onto the wild array of videos he found were copying his own work online. Watch to the end—the conclusion is excellent! youtu.be/CFJIVBJYY9M...
October 31, 2025 at 2:11 PM
#fairusefriday (yeah yeah the book is public domain...I KNOW!)
October 31, 2025 at 2:07 PM
#fairusefriday (yeah yeah the book is public domain...I KNOW!)
Happy Halloween and Happy #Fairusefriday!! Already seeing some great ones on here! Share your fair use costume with us!!
Happy #Fairusefriday & Happy Halloween! Did you know that fair use allows trick-or-treaters to create parody costumes, like a zombie Wonder Woman or a parody of Progressive’s Flo as “Slo from Depressive,” and even take inspiration from Spider-Man to make a homemade costume?
October 31, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Happy Halloween and Happy #Fairusefriday!! Already seeing some great ones on here! Share your fair use costume with us!!
Yesssss! #fairusefriday
Today's costume: Clark Kent on a Zoom call. "Oops, I forgot to turn on my virtual background and button my shirt."
October 31, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Yesssss! #fairusefriday