All posts by: Lawrence Husick

About Lawrence Husick

 Dear Doc: It seems that all anyone wants to talk about now is artificial intelligence. Are there copyright issues involved in AI? Signed, ChatGPT  Dear Chat: The Doc has been thinking about this question for a long time. Back in the “dark ages” of computers (ca. 1983) we used to call the job of getting […]

 Dear Doc: With the New Year nigh, what fascinating copyright info do you have about the big illuminated sphere that drops in Times Square at midnight? Signed,Tipsy and Frozen Dear T&F: Funny you should ask! The Doc was just perusing the website for the big event. On that site, we can learn many fascinating facts, such […]

Dear Doc: What’s this “Section 230” I keep hearing about, and why should I care? Signed, Poster Child Dear PC: Section 230 refers to a particular part of the Communication Decency Act of 1996. Back then, Congress passed the law as a way to encourage the commercial growth of the Internet, which until the early 1990s […]

*Originally posted on October 20, 2022 Dear Doc: I know (because my attorney keeps reminding me) that transfers of copyright must be in writing and signed by the owner of the rights. How, then, could a recent case in Minnesota find that distributing a photographer’s pictures of Prince (the Artist, not the Ruler Formerly Known […]

Dear Doc: We all hear about the “Rule of Law”, but lawyers seldom discuss the rules of law, you know, the rules about how the system functions. Can you enlighten me? Signed, Nothing Better To Do Dear NBTD: While the “Rule of Law” means that everyone should be equal in the eyes of the law, […]

Dear Doc: I have read your columns about how patent law is now mostly unable to protect inventions that incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning computer applications. So…what’s an aspiring inventor in those fields to do? How may such systems be protected? Is all hope lost? Signed, HAL Dear HAL: No. All is not lost. We […]