In surprise move, Copyright Office can decide Copyright Infringement Cases

Posted on December 22, 2020December 23, 2020 by Arthur

COVID Relief includes Copyright provisions Last night, as part of the latest round of COVID relief, Congress enacted new intellectual property regulations within the proposed legislation. There are almost 100 pages of new intellectual property regulations within the COVID-19 appropriations bill. The new legislation has not yet been signed by the President. Based on the Read more about In surprise move, Copyright Office can decide Copyright Infringement Cases[…]

Intersection between Copyright and Trade Secret Protection

Posted on July 22, 2020July 22, 2020 by Arthur

When protecting computer code, your failure to properly protect the trade secret can result in a loss of IP rights. If you wish to protect a trade secret, the copyright office allows you to keep portions of the computer code a secre.

Because of Blackbeard, States free to Loot

Posted on April 2, 2020April 2, 2020 by Arthur

On March 23, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a state cannot be sued for copyright infringement. The basis for the Court’s ruling dates back to 1718 and involves the pirate, Edward Teach (aka Blackbeard). In 1718, Blackbeard’s ship sank off the coast of North Carolina. The wreckage was discovered 300 years later, in 1996. Read more about Because of Blackbeard, States free to Loot[…]

New Copyright Court

Posted on July 23, 2019July 23, 2019 by Arthur

New Copyright Court Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Senate version of the Copyright Small Claims Bill. That bill, known as the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019 now moves out of committee and will go the floor to be voted on by the full Senate. An identical companion bill, H.R. Read more about New Copyright Court[…]

Intellectual Property Updates

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Arthur

Intellectual Property Law Update Patent Congress released a draft of proposed patent legislation to address the ongoing problem with Subject Matter Rejections, namely, 101 Rejections. The proposed new patent law proposes that patents should be awarded to: Whoever invents or discovers any useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any useful improvement thereof, may Read more about Intellectual Property Updates[…]

Will Artificial Intelligence Impact Inventors and Artists?

Posted on May 30, 2019May 31, 2019 by Arthur

Robots as Artists and Inventors Traditional Intellectual Property relies on the notion that humans are the source of innovation and artwork. What happens when a computerized robot becomes an inventor, an author or an artist? What happens when a human uses a computer with artificial intelligence to develop an invention or work of art? Is Read more about Will Artificial Intelligence Impact Inventors and Artists?[…]

Green Light on Apple Class Action Suits

Posted on May 20, 2019May 22, 2019 by Arthur

On May 13th, the U.S. Supreme Court, agreed that consumers could participate in Apple Class Action lawsuits based on claims that Apple monopolized the after-market in its sales of iPhone Apps. Apple apparently charges App developers a 30% fee for selling apps through the Appstore. This increased fee caused a higher fee for sellers who Read more about Green Light on Apple Class Action Suits[…]

Intellectual Property Law Update

Posted on May 20, 2019May 23, 2019 by Arthur

In today’s intellectual property law update, the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) announced that their electronic system will again be down for maintenance for the entire weekend. Strike 3 Holdings, a prolific adult movie producer, who filed almost 2,000 copyright infringement lawsuits last year, has seen more of its copyright lawsuits dismissed for Read more about Intellectual Property Law Update[…]

Who wins, Batman or Copyright?

Posted on May 16, 2019May 16, 2019 by Arthur

One of my favorite quotes goes something like this, “always be yourself, unless you can be Batman, then be Batman.” Well, when it comes to copyrighting weeds, I would rather be Batman. Copyright Lawsuit In a recent Copyright Case, an artist sued the Batman actor, Val Kilmer, for stealing his golden weeds. Specifically, tumbleweeds. The Read more about Who wins, Batman or Copyright?[…]

Flickr Photo Not Fair Use Images

Posted on May 2, 2019May 7, 2019 by Arthur

In today’s online world, photographers often promote their work on the internet, using website and social media pages to help generate publicity and interest in their photographs. Some of these websites show amazing photographs which demonstrate the talent of the photographer. However, because these websites are on the internet, potential customers simply copy the images Read more about Flickr Photo Not Fair Use Images[…]