Category Archives: Copyrights

New,York,,Ny,,Usa,-,December,13,,2019:,Taylor,Swift
Taylor Swift Teaches Copyright Law

You can learn a lot from her! Taylor Swift is red hot, and in the news with her new songs and tour. A couple of years ago she was in the news because her songs were sold without her consent. You may not even remember her very public fight with Scooter Braun and his purchase […]

Fair,Use,Word,On,Road,Sign,And,Blue,Sky
What Is Copyright Fair Use?

Copyright law is complicated, and often misunderstood. The concept of Fair Use is often asserted by someone accused of infringement. Fair use is a defense to copyright infringement and, when properly applied, can allow use of copyrighted works without first obtaining permission from the copyright holder. The fair use doctrine states that the limited use […]

Copyright,Concept.,Chart,With,Keywords,And,Icons,On,White,Background
What Is Copyright?

Originally Posted December 7, 2021 Updated February 3, 2023 Copyright is a type of IP that gives owners the exclusive right to make copies of a creative work. Protection of copyrights attaches as soon as an idea is expressed in a form that can be reproduced under the Copyright Act. Copyrightable materials include literary or […]

Copyright
How to Copyright Your Creative Work

Copyright protection is important to your business Copyrights are everywhere in business. They include your logos, website, marketing content, images, PowerPoint presentations, and even your product assembly instructions. Copyright protection attaches upon the expression of an idea in tangible form. Basically, if you can give someone a copy, then it’s automatically protected. You don’t have […]

Can You Post Your Own Photo?
Can You Post Your Own Photo?

Originally Posted March 16, 2022 Updated November 14, 2022 Depends on who took it. The person who pressed the button on the camera when they took the picture automatically owns the copyright on that picture. If it’s a selfie, you’re safe. If not, you’re infringing the photographer’s copyright. Many celebrities are learning this the hard […]

Trademark vs Copyright
Trademark vs. Copyright

Which Do I Choose? They’re both valuable to business Trademarks Trademarks protect the reputation of a business. They also identify the source of goods for consumers. Intellectual property law can be confusing. The USPTO website defines a trademark as “a word, phrase, symbol, and/or design that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of […]

Friday the 13th Copyright
An IP Horror Story – Friday the 13th

A 40-year-old horror story comes to life by Intellectual Property Attorney Bill Honaker, the IP Guy   Who’d believe that IP Law would have its own scary story? And just before Halloween! Victor Miller wrote the story for the horror movie Friday the 13th. The movie was a landmark success and resulted in numerous sequels. […]

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Copyright Infringement of Internet Images

Originally Posted June 9, 2021 Updated October 20, 2022   Are you using images on your website that you clipped from the Internet? Do you know for sure? Did you leave these decisions to your webmaster? Are you certain you have the rights to use these images? You might get a terrible shock. Copyright infringement […]

woman wearing a bikini holding a skull in her right hand. Mean to be similar to Deadly Doll image.
Russian Doll Copyright as a Defense

The Curious Case of Russian Doll Copyright as a Defense The recent case of Carlos Vila v. Deadly Doll is an amazing example of Russian Doll Copyright Infringement that involves a fictitious Deadly Doll and an actual Russian “doll”, Irina Shayk, a Russian model. It also involves the use of Russian Doll Copyright infringement as […]