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The United States Copyright Office (USCO) has issued a ruling on a previously copyrighted comic book that was created using “A.I. art,” and the results were a bit of a split decision. While the story for the comic and the specific compilation of the story with the images within the comic both remained under copyright, the copyright for the individual images within the comic book has been revoked. This ruling has set a precedent for how the USCO views A.I. art and copyrights involving its use.

The comic book in question is Zarya of the Dawn, created by Kris Kashtanova using the text-to-image engine Midjourney. While the comic book was initially copyrighted, the USCO discovered through Kashtanova’s social media postings that the images for the comic were created using A.I. art. The Office requested further information on the matter and tentatively determined it would revoke the copyright protection on the art in the comic at the end of last year. Kashtanova and her attorneys had a month to appeal the decision, but the final ruling has now been issued.

The USCO laid out its general position on copyrights involving A.I., stating that it will not register works produced by a machine or mere mechanical process that operates randomly or automatically without any creative input or intervention from a human author. In this specific instance, the USCO notes that Midjourney generates images in an unpredictable way, and users are not the “authors” for copyright purposes of the images the technology generates. The USCO believes that Kashtanova never had direct control over what images would be created, but rather they just picked through the randomly generated images until they found images they felt worked for the comic.

During Sony’s State of Play February livestream, Rocksteady Studios revealed the first gameplay for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, confirming that it will be a live-service game focused on single-player and co-op gameplay. Playing as one of four members of the Suicide Squad, the players must stop Brainiac’s invasion of Metropolis and confront possessed members of the Justice League. The game blends the Batman: Arkham Knight’s framework with the flow and action of the likes of Sunset Overdrive. The game also includes RPG-style gear systems and live-service elements with a battle pass focusing on cosmetics. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is scheduled to be released on May 26 on PS5, Windows, and Xbox Series X|S.

Warner Bros. Discovery announced during its earnings call that more Lord of the Rings movies are in development, as the studios strike a multi-year deal with Embracer Group AB. The deal includes “multiple” films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s series, giving WB and New Line the opportunity to invest in one of their most successful franchises once again.

The original Lord of the Rings trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson, was released between 2001-2003 and grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide. It also won 17 Oscars, including Best Picture for Return of the King. With the success of the films, it’s no surprise that WB wants to continue investing in the series.

However, rights have been an issue for any studio trying to adapt Tolkien’s works. Amazon currently owns the TV rights and released the first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power last year. Additionally, an anime film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, is set to be released in April 2024.

Despite the challenges, WB seems to be committed to expanding the Lord of the Rings universe. CEO David Zaslav previously hinted at moving forward with the franchise during an earnings call last year, even mentioning the possibility of making more Harry Potter movies. With the multi-year deal with Embracer Group AB in place, fans can expect to see more adventures in Middle-earth in the future.

Valve has banned over 40,000 accounts in Dota for using third-party software to cheat. The software was able to access information not visible during gameplay, giving cheaters an unfair advantage.

Tom Hardy is gearing up for another season of playing Eddie Brock, also known as Venom, in the upcoming third installment of the Venom film franchise. In a recent Instagram post, the actor shared a behind-the-scenes video from a previous Venom movie and announced that the third film has entered pre-production.

Hardy first played the character in the original 2018 film, where he faced off against the Riot symbiote and its host, Carlton Drake. In addition to playing Eddie Brock, Hardy also voiced the Venom symbiote, creating a hilarious dynamic between the two characters.

Fans have been eagerly awaiting the return of Venom ever since the release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage in the fall of 2021. The character was also seen in the post-credits scene for Spider-Man: No Way Home, leaving a small piece of the Venom symbiote in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While it’s unclear if he will appear in future MCU films, the fact that the third Venom film is entering pre-production suggests that Sony still has more stories to tell about the character.

Sony has been expanding their Spider-Man Universe with upcoming projects like Kraven the Hunter, which stars Aaron Taylor Johnson as the titular character. In the comics, Kraven is the world’s best hunter and becomes obsessed with hunting Spider-Man after believing him to be the world’s most dangerous predator. It’s unknown if Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will appear in Kraven’s origin story.

With the third Venom film entering pre-production, it’s possible that filming could begin later this year. Fans will have to wait and see what adventures Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote will embark on next, but one thing’s for sure: Tom Hardy is ready for another season of playing this iconic character.

Hasbro has unveiled a new Marvel Legends figure for Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which features the character with a pair of wooden wings. It’s unknown how the wings will play into the upcoming movie’s storyline, which follows the team on a mission to save Rocket.

Amazon Games’ New World is preparing to make a big change. The popular MMORPG is moving to a seasonal model and introducing a free and premium Season Pass to enhance the gameplay experience.

Fans of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise were thrilled when Orlando Bloom, who played the role of Will Turner in the first three films, recently expressed his interest in returning for the sixth film of the swashbuckling adventure franchise.

During a recent interview with Parade, Bloom shared his thoughts on potentially revisiting the character of Will Turner, saying, “I wouldn’t mind seeing what Will looked like today in some ways, because he was such this earnest guy, but after rumbling around the bottom of the ocean for as long as he would have done at this point, it’d be interesting to see how he surfaces and what he’s like.”

Bloom first portrayed the character in the franchise’s first film, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” in 2003. The character was initially depicted in the film as a blacksmith’s apprentice working in Port Royal, Jamaica, who embarks on a life-changing adventure with Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp, after the love of his life, Elizabeth Swann, played by Keira Knightley, is kidnapped by pirates.

Bloom returned as Will Turner in the franchise’s second and third films, “Dead Man’s Chest” and “At World’s End,” respectively. In these films, Will replaces Davy Jones as the immortal captain of the Flying Dutchman. This plot point was revisited in the franchise’s fifth film, “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” in which Will and Elizabeth’s son, Henry, played by Brenton Thwaites, seeks the Trident of Poseidon to destroy it and break all curses imposed by the sea, including the one that binds his father to the Dutchman.

Bloom also made a brief cameo in the franchise’s fifth film, including the film’s post-credits scene, which teased a potential sixth film involving the return of Davy Jones.

Should Disney move forward with “Pirates of the Caribbean 6,” which has been in various stages of development since 2011, it could be a family affair with Brenton Thwaites also expressing interest in returning for a sixth film or spinoff.

“Pirates of the Caribbean” remains one of Disney’s most successful film franchises, with all installments grossing over $650 million worldwide. It was also the first franchise to have two films, “Dead Man’s Chest” and “On Stranger Tides,” gross over $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

The franchise even crossed over with the open-world video game “Sea of Thieves” in 2021 with a free expansion that included a new original story featuring Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones. The original 1967 theme park from which the films are derived continues to operate at Disneyland.

As fans eagerly await the return of the beloved “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, the potential return of Orlando Bloom as Will Turner has only added to the excitement surrounding the upcoming sixth film.

Firaxis Games has announced the development of a new Civilization game, which may be called Civilization VII. The upcoming game will be the first new mainline entry in the series since Civilization VI was released in 2016.

Heather Hazen, the incoming studio head at Firaxis, said in a press release, “I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to carry on the studio’s storied legacy, beginning with the announcement that Firaxis is in development on the next iteration of the legendary Civilization franchise. I’m lucky to be working with some of the best developers in our industry, and we have plans to take the Civilization franchise to exciting new heights for our millions of players around the world.”

Although the game’s release date is unclear, it is exciting news for fans of the series. Civilization games are turn-based strategy games where players lead a civilization from the Stone Age to the Modern Era, developing technologies, exploring the world, and engaging in diplomacy and warfare with other civilizations.

Firaxis has a reputation for releasing high-quality strategy games, and the Civilization series is one of its most successful franchises. The games have sold over 50 million copies worldwide, and Civilization VI has received numerous awards and critical acclaim.

While Ed Beach will continue to serve as creative director on the new Civilization, the company has also announced some key staffing changes. Longtime studio head Steve Martin and creative director Jake Solomon are leaving the company. It is unclear what impact this will have on the development of the game.

It will be interesting to see what new features and improvements the new Civilization game will bring to the series. Civilization VI introduced new mechanics like unstacked cities, districts, and an updated research tree. The game was also praised for its graphics, music, and modding support.

It’s unclear what the new game will be called, what new features it will introduce, and when it will be released. However, the news that a new Civilization game is in development is exciting for fans of the series. It’s a testament to the enduring appeal of the franchise that a new game is still highly anticipated even six years after the release of the last mainline entry.

Source: The Verge

Microsoft has signed a 10-year contract to bring Xbox games to Nintendo consoles, which includes offering the game Call of Duty on the same day as Xbox and PlayStation with full feature and content parity. The move may be aimed at addressing antitrust concerns about Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Microsoft has also announced it will bring Xbox games and Call of Duty to Nvidia’s GeForce Now streaming service. The deals come as Microsoft’s $68.7bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard faces opposition from regulators. The Federal Trade Commission filed suit in January to halt the deal, while the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority has come out strongly against it, citing concerns about competition and quality parity across systems.

The latest Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, is finally out in theaters worldwide. The movie gives us a glimpse of what's to come in the MCU, introducing Kang the Conqueror as the primary villain for Phases 5 and 6. As we gear up for Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars, there's a rumor going around that Tom Holland's Spider-Man will lead the team in Avengers 5 and that Spider-Man 4 may premiere before Avengers 6.

Although we've been waiting for Sony and Marvel to announce Spider-Man 4, it's no surprise that they plan to continue using the popular superhero. However, the events of No Way Home erased much of the character's history, leaving him isolated and without access to Stark tech. Meanwhile, the Avengers are no longer a group, and Spider-Man's friends don't recognize him, but they remember fighting alongside him.

According to an insider, Spider-Man is likely to be part of Captain America's new Avengers team in New World Order, set to fight against Kang in Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars. The insider also claims that Holland has signed his contract and will lead the team in Kang Dynasty, but it's unlikely that he will be the only superhero in charge.

While Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is set to premiere in May 2025, and Secret Wars a year later, Marvel may still have plenty of time to squeeze in more movies between them as they haven't announced many Phase 6 titles yet.