When you hear a song on the radio, what sorts of intellectual property law does that evoke? And if a radio station plays a song without obtaining the proper permission, what kind of trouble can that spell for the station? We are currently seeing this play out in a...
Copyrights
Banksy Defends His Art Against Guess Copyright Infringement
If an artist’s message revolves around anti-commercialist values, is it hypocritical for them to employ copyright law to protect their own work? A swirl of questions like this surrounds a recent copyright infringement case involving Banksy and Guess. The mysterious,...
Livestream Loophole Leads to Retroactive Infringement of Copyright Licensing
Does it ever pay to use intellectual property loopholes to save a few bucks? If you wish to remain disentangled from legal action, the answer is likely “No.” This is especially true in a complex area of copyright licensing like live televised events, since there may...
When “Unofficial” Does Not Excuse Copyright Infringement – Netflix Sues Over Unofficial Bridgerton Musical
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...
Why is Disney So Placid About Mickey Mouse Entering the Public Domain in 2024?
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...
New Platform Should Make Copyright Ownership Transfers Faster
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...
Christmas in August: Lawsuit Brought Against Mariah Carey
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. ...
The Copyright Struggle Over Lakota Written Language
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...