You may have heard that the generational battle between “millennials” and “baby boomers” now has a catch phrase: “OK Boomer”. It’s a dismissive phrase by those darn youngsters who are loitering on your lawn and forgetting to pull up their pants. I’m kidding about the loitering and the pants, but the catchphrase is a real […]

Dear Doc: I’ve heard that politicians who use music at their campaign appearances and in their Internet postings (Tweets, Memes, and other stuff) need to get permission from the music artists, and that sometimes, they don’t. What happens then? Signed,Dazed and Confused   Dear D&C:The basic rule of copyright is that unless use of a […]

The term “fake news” has entered our political lexicon as an epithet directed at journalists and news organizations. Professional journalists, who take great pride in their profession and the role they have historically played in our democracy, are offended by the tone of civil discourse on this issue. Now, one group of journalists, The Florida […]

How far can businesses go to protect their intellectual property, and what is the minimum that they need to do to protect it? Two cases highlight the boundaries of trade secret law. This past February, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals held that the trade secret owner’s own lack of trade secret policies did not […]

Imagine the following: You were very sick.  It was touch and go for a while, but you’ve just awakened and feel much better.  You open your eyes and see… nothing. It’s absolutely, completely black, like the deepest cave.  ‘Am I blind?’ you ask yourself out loud, but the sounds of your own voice are all wrong. […]

Dear Doc: I have heard that Congress is considering a new law that would create a small claims court for copyright infringement cases, particularly those that stem from infringement on the Internet. That sure sounds like it would help to stop unauthorized copying! Whaddya think? Signed,Well-intentioned.   Dear Well:   Have you ever shared a […]