If you inject the word “unofficial” into the title of a work, does that save you from copyright infringement troubles? Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, the creators of the wildly successful Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, have been learning about this the hard way in...
Who has two ears, two gloves, and lives in the happiest place on earth? Mickey Mouse is one of the most recognizable figures on the planet, and his likeness is owned by Disney. He is a valuable creative and commercial symbol indeed. Since the passage of the Copyright...
Copyright ownership transfers is not something that most people immediately think about where copyright is concerned. They want to know how they get copyright on something they have created. What kinds of protections they have. How to fight back if someone violates...
When an individual artist achieves a certain level of material success and fame, the Piece of the Pie Effect can occur: Smaller artists try to obtain credit and compensation for their part in the success. This is often achieved through intellectual property means. ...
Is there a space for communal ownership in U.S. copyright law? And what purpose would it serve? In May of this year, Standing Rock banned the Lakota Language Consortium (LLC), The Language Conservancy, and their founders, Wilhelm Meya and Jan Ullrich from the...
The Paramount movie Top Gun: Maverick made about $126 million in its opening weekend. You may remember its 1986 predecessor of a similar name, minus the “Maverick.” Rather than celebrate its success, however, Paramount may be dealing with copyright entanglement. The...
Congress established the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in order to help regulate the usage of copyrighted material on the internet. It was meant to increase protection for both copyright holders and create a safe harbor for internet service providers –...
If you use a piece of another artist’s work in your own artwork, can you confidently proceed, knowing that the “fair use” defense under copyright law will save you from a lawsuit? In the current state of American IP law: No. Fair use came about as a way to respect a...