Cotton's Law

Cotton's Law states that when courts consider a claim of copyright infringement, they focus on whether the defendant's copying of a work was "substantially similar" to the original. This means the copied work must resemble the original closely enough that an average person would recognize it as similar, but it doesn’t require exact replication. The law balances protecting creators’ rights with allowing some copying, especially in cases like parody or fair use. Essentially, it provides a guideline for courts to determine if the alleged copying crosses the line into infringement.