Dear Doc: Lately I have been reading a lot about “deep fakes”, which seem to be photos and videos that have been edited for propaganda purposes. Isn’t it against the law to do that? Why don’t the copyright police put an end to such deceptions so that the public may once again be able to […]
Did you know that there has been a spate of lawsuits filed against celebrities for using unlicensed photographs of themselves? It’s true. The list of defendants is a Who’s Who of social media, including Deshaun Watson, Justin Bieber, Emily Ratajkowski, Lebron James, Gigi Hadid, Katy Perry, Khloe Kardashian, and the list goes on. With the […]
Dear Doc: If something, a photo, music, a video, is in the “public domain,” then why must I pay for a license from Getty Images to use it? Shouldn’t it be free? Signed,Concerned Confused Citizen Dear CCC: You are, indeed, confused. You see, being in the “public domain” just means that there are no legal […]
A Kinder Approach to Cease and Desist Letters In the world of intellectual property, the “Cease and Desist” letter is king. These are letters from attorneys for the owner of a work or invention, sent to an alleged infringer of the owner’s intellectual property rights. The letters cite the legal basis for the owner’s claim, […]
The Long-Arm Reach of U.S. Trademark Law – We’ll Soon Learn Just How Long It Is One may correctly assume that United States trademark law under the Lanham Act applies to conduct in the United States. That, of course, makes sense. But what if you are a U.S. company exporting goods abroad and your trademark is infringed […]
Dear Doc: It seems to me that every time I try to find out about intellectual property licensing, I end up more confused than ever. Are you able to help? Signed, Bothered and Bewildered Dear B&B: You are correct. Licensing is a complex area of business and of the law. Unfortunately, it is in the […]
“There is not a sexual relationship.” … “It depends on what the meaning of ‘is’ is.” President Bill Clinton Ah, the meaning of words, particularly simple words. Words you thought that you were intimately familiar with, words that you thought you understood. Words that can damage your presidency or even wreck your patent. Wait. A simple word can wreck your […]
Dozens of times over the past 10 years, we have written about the “fair use” exception to copyright infringement. You may recall that “fair use” under the U.S. Copyright Act permits limited use of copyrighted works for purposes of “criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research.” It’s a complex area and one that is continuously […]
Two thousand years ago, the Roman historian Tacticus said that “victory is claimed by all, failure to one alone.” Such is the fate of successful creative works, whether they are music, art, or television shows. In recent years, the Star Trek universe has expanded to include several new shows, including the successful Star Trek: Discovery. […]
Dear Doc: All this new artificial intelligence on the Internet looks like it can make life easier for authors. Why not have some help writing a first draft? Does the use of a system like ChatGPT have any effect on legal rights? Signed,Not an AI Dear NAAI: You sure stepped into the middle of a […]
