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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Originally Posted July 7, 2021 Updated October 6, 2022 Copyrights are everywhere in business: articles, blogs, brochures, catalogues, images, websites, software, manuals, marketing materials, and more. They last for the life of the author plus 70 years, and for businesses, 95 years from the date of publication, or 120 years from creation, whichever comes […]
Graffiti artist Richard Wyrgatsch aka OG Slick is in the middle of a copyright infringement lawsuit. Top Trumps USA Inc. sued Slick on May 4, 2022 because he accused them of infringing his copyright. Top is asking the court to find that they didn’t do anything wrong when they used Slick’s graffiti on a Monopoly […]
Russian Doll copyright infringement is when you infringe a copyright that is within another copyright, like a Russian doll, with one nested inside another, and another, and another. These can sneak up on you, and can have serious consequences. The US Postal Service learned this the hard way, twice. In 2003, the Postal Service released […]
Don’t fall victim to this scheme by opening e-mail attachments! Ransomware is being distributed through copyright infringement notices. An e-mail accuses you of infringing copyrights and threatens litigation unless you immediately respond. The proof of your bad act is in the attachment. Obviously, alarmed recipients open the attachment, and the virus infects their computer. Copyright […]
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 musical work, artwork and computer programs. Since copyright protection […]
