Greenberg v. National Geographic Society: The Eleventh Circuit Clarifies the Privileged Revision Doctrine of the Copyright Act

This case comment discusses the landmark decision of the Eleventh Circuit, Greenberg v. National Geographic Society, in which the court clarified the privileged revision doctrine of the Copyright Act. This case comment specifically discusses the many implications resulting from this decision and navigates the reader through the current doctrinal landscape pertaining to privileged revisions of published works under Section 201(c) of the Copyright Act. Unlike existing commentary pieces announcing the result of this case, this piece examines the underlying legal doctrines and complicated procedural backstory to the case because of the extensive research gathered from copies of unpublished opinions and the parties' briefs from the trial court file and appellate docket.