On March 6, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York confirmed that historical events are not subject to copyright protection. 

This is true even if the events were discovered through original research. In Ackerman v. Pink, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 40028 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 6, 2025), the court explained that although copyright protection applies to an artistic expression of historical events, the events themselves are not subject to copyright protection.  

This case began in August 2023, when Plaintiff Daniel Ackerman brought claims for copyright infringement, unfair competition, and tortious interference against individuals and companies that contributed to the production of the 2023 film Tetris. Ackerman alleged that the film contained “glaring similarities” to his own book, The Tetris Effect: The Game That Hypnotized The World, which was copyrighted and published in September 2016. Ackerman further asserted that the creators of the film used his book to create the film without his consent. To substantiate his claims, Ackerman provided the court with an “exhaustive analysis and examination of the film and the book” that outlined “the substantial similarities between the two works.”Continue Reading New York District Court Confirms Limits of Copyright Protection Regarding Historical Events