After more than a decade in court, an underwater photographer’s legal battle over images of Blackbeard’s shipwreck — and whether states can be held liable for copyright infringement — may finally be over. Then, in 2015, North Carolina passed “Blackbeard’s Law,” which allowed state agencies to freely use materials related to shipwrecks in their possession. Allen contends the state used this law to continue publishing his images, including in a film shown at a state maritime museum. However, on Friday, a federal appeals court ruled that Allen can’t continue to sue the state over his images of Blackbeard’s shipwreck. The news outlet says that the ruling may end the photographer’s lengthy dispute over the images and the law which shielded U.S. states from copyright claims.