Every week, lawyers add sharp, timely commentary to the Library at LexBlog, covering the issues shaping their practices and industries. The Weekly Top Posts highlights the pieces that stood out and drew readers in.
Ninth Circuit Rules Generative AI Outputs Are Not “Stripped Copies” Under the DMCA
On September 16, 2026, the Ninth Circuit held in Doe v. GitHub, Inc. that outputs produced by a generative AI coding tool are newly generated works, not copies of existing works, and therefore fall outside the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s prohibition on removing or altering copyright management information. The ruling turned on how generative tools work, and the court suggested retrieval-based systems could face different treatment.
Teaching a Multiple-Choice Machine to Read 18 Years of 3 Geeks
Nate Jones described Jev, TypeSafe’s new “System One” model, as an LLM that can only talk in multiple choice. “My first reaction was, ‘What good is that?’ My second reaction, about ten minutes later, was, ‘Wait… that’s what a cataloger does all day.’” So he pointed it at every post the blog has ever published.
Too Fast, Too Risky: What a Street Takeover Can Teach Employers About Workplace Investigations
What happens when an employee is told to report safety concerns, but doing so may require breaking another rule? Buckle up. A recent federal court decision highlights the risks of disciplining an employee whose apparent policy violations may also constitute protected safety reporting.
What a Food Safety NTSB Would Have Had to Write Down This Month: Three Outbreak Files, Three Open Questions, and the Case for Frank Yiannas’s Investigation Board
Frank Yiannas has been asking for a National Foodborne Outbreak Investigation Board, modeled on the National Transportation Safety Board. This time I do not want to argue the concept. I want to apply it. Three federal files from the past three weeks each ended, or stalled, with the central answer either missing or sitting somewhere the public was never pointed to.
A Buffet of Wealth & Acrimony
An article in the September 19, 2026 issue of WSJ Magazine suggests that the battle between Jimmy Buffett’s widow and eldest child was squaring off just as the singer was saying his last good-byes in Sag Harbor. The estate seemed well planned in one sense, but if you were a Buffett, you would wonder when this immense wealth will dock at your quay.
1 big thing: Dolly Parton’s legacy sparks a giving wave
Dolly Parton spent her life giving back to children and their communities. Since her passing, her fans have been carrying on that legacy. Across the nation, people are donating their time and money, expanding Dolly’s Imagination Library and starting projects of their own.
What’s a University President Worth?
The University of Florida’s interim president was to be paid a base salary of $2 million for his one-year term, plus a bonus of up to $500,000, plus a $2 million “exit package.” Some of the bonus goals make it sound like he was to get an extra $500,000 for doing his job.
Beyond the Band-Aid: California Overhauls Employers’ First Aid Obligations
The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board has approved long-awaited revisions to California’s workplace first aid requirements. For employers, the changes are just what the doctor ordered, but a standard kit may stop the bleeding without covering every wound.
California Enacts AI Advertising Disclosure Requirement for Synthetic Performers
California has joined New York in regulating the use of AI-generated human performers in advertising. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1050, which requires advertisers to clearly and conspicuously disclose when an advertisement prominently features a “synthetic performer.”
In the Wake of CLARITY Act’s Failure, Agencies Move Forward Without Congressional Action or Certainty
On September 15, 2026, the Senate rejected cloture on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act by a vote of 49-50, 11 votes short of the 60 needed to open floor debate. With the midterms approaching, the bill is effectively dead for the remainder of this Congress. But who needs CLARITY anyway?