The Secret Life of Copyright
Intellectual Property and Inequality in the Age of AI

Copyright meets BLM and #MeToo in this analysis of the unexpected ways copyright law perpetuates inequalities while undermining creativity.

John Tehranian (Author)

9781009346993, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 14 August 2025

262 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm, 0.539 kg

In The Secret Life of Copyright, copyright law meets Black Lives Matter and #MeToo as the book examines how copyright law unexpectedly perpetuates inequalities along racial, gender, and socioeconomic lines while undermining progress in the arts. Drawing on numerous case studies, the book argues that, despite their purported neutrality, key doctrines governing copyrights-such as authorship, derivative rights, fair use, and immunity from First Amendment scrutiny-systematically disadvantage individuals from traditionally marginalized communities. The work advocates for a more robust copyright system that better addresses egalitarian concerns and serves the interests of creativity. Given that laws regulating the use of creative content increasingly mediate participation and privilege in the digital world, The Secret Life of Copyright provides a template for a more just and equitable copyright system.

Introduction
1. Captured: How Copyright's Authorship Doctrine Empowers the White Male Gaze
2. Tick Tick . . . Boom!: How Copyright's Law of Collaboration and Crediting Privileges Might Over Right
3. Controlling the Narrative: How Copyright's Derivative Rights Doctrine Creates Sacred Texts
4. ©ensored: How Copyright's First Amendment Exemption Enables the Powerful to Silence the Powerless
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Intellectual property law [LNR]