On February 24th, the US Supreme Court ruled that errors in a copyright application do not automatically invalidate a copyright. The case provided a win for artists avoiding copyright technicality defenses.
The Duchess of Sussex a/k/a Meghan Markle has recently been in the news. In a recent interview with Oprah, the royal family member and American actress aired personal concerns and conversations within Britain’s royal family. The interview provided insight for many Americans into the royal family. However, the Duchess also made the news recently for Read more about Surprising History of Copyright Infringement[…]
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[…]
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.
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[…]
Copyright music, protects two different types of works. Copyright protects the musical composition (the song) and the sound recording. Depending on your artist agreement, you may have the right to re-record and resale your music.
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[…]
Acknowledging Use of a Photograph Many people believe they can use someone else’s work as long at they acknowledge that the work belongs to someone else. However, using someone else’s photo is not permissible just because they provide credit to the photographer. If someone has permission to use a photo, then they have permission. If Read more about Acknowledging Use[…]
When is use of a Photograph Fair-Use? Copyright Infringement Generally, use of someone else’s photograph is infringement, it is not Fair-Use. Copyright Infringement occurs when someone uses a photograph without the permission of the photographer. The use can include use on the internet, on a webpage, social media, media, advertisement or marketing use. Copyright Infringement Read more about Photograph Fair-Use[…]
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[…]