Copyrights Law Blog

One would think that after the Napster ordeal, the explosion of the
internet, and the constant reminders about copyright and trademark
infringement issues with regard to the use of images and logos from
another's website, that a company like Pinterest would have been better
at anticipating the problem with having people "pin" items to their
site.¿¿ For those of you who do not know, Pinterest is an electronic
scrapbook wherein users... Read More

One of my favorite songs to spin to was a remix of Wiz Khalifa's song,
"Black and Yellow."  Now, according to a lawsuit filed by Max Gregory
Warren, the song was not Khalifa's but Warren's.  Warren claims that he
wrote a song entitled "Pink and Yellow," in November, 2007.  In
February, 2008, he obtained a copyright registration for the song. 
Warren seeks over $ 2 million in damages.



An early... Read More

DC Comics sued the owner of Gotham Garage over the look of the
Batmobile.  Apparently, Gotham Garage creates replica Batmobiles to
comic book fans with disposable cash.  DC Comics and its parent company,
Warner Brothers, sued Gotham Garage over these replicas.  DC Comics and
Warner Brothers argues that the replicas violate their copyrights and
trademarks. 



In a preliminary ruling, a Federal judge said that the... Read More

The Supreme Court recently upheld the law granting copyright
protection to several foreign works which were in the public
domain--meaning they were available to the public. The law came about in
order to bring the United States in compliance with the Berne
Convention.  The law granted copyright protection for foreign works that
never received protection in the United States because they were
published in countries that had lacked copyright... Read More

When submitting an idea to a producer, it is always a good idea to get a
non-disclosure agreement and an acknowledgement that the person
understands that the idea is yours.  Too many times, inventors or
authors simply submit their ideas blindly to producers in the hopes of
selling or licensing the idea to an entity with the resources to see it
through to market.  Because of this, many companies will not open and
will return any mail that... Read More

              0;  There
is legislation bouncing around Congress that would increase the powers that the
Justice Department would have to shut down sites which host pirated material
(primarily movies and music).  The
legislation would also allow movie studios, music companies, and other
Copyright holders to seek injunctions against internet companies... Read More

              0;  The
United States Copyright Office ("CR Office") advises Congress
regarding copyright issues.  Recently,
the CR Office proposed phasing out the cable/satellite statutory licenses--an
item which Hollywood wishes to repeal. 
In 1976, Congress amended the Copyright Act.  As part of that amendment, Congress
... Read More