Dear Doc: What’s new in your neck of the woods? Signed, Laurent Nom de Plume Dear Monsieur de Plume: It’s been a slow month for copyright law. Trademarks, however, have been a hotbed of ridiculosity. Exhibit One: John Wayne’s heirs have filed a law suit against Duke University (which was Trinity College until 1924 when […]
Ask Dr. Copyright
Ask Dr. Copyright is a monthly column that tackles common misconceptions in the areas of intellectual property law especially, copyright.
Aero TV Faces Additional Hurdles to Survive
October 30, 2014
Ask Dr. Copyright, Copyright
Ask Dr. Copyright … Dear Doc: Since you wrote about Aereo, that company with the millions of TV antennas that was going to free us from the tyranny of Comcast, Verizon, Time-Warner, Cox, and all of the other blood-sucking video vampires, and the fact that Aereo lost big-time in the Supreme Court, we have been […]
Ask Dr. Copyright …
August 29, 2014
Ask Dr. Copyright, Copyright
Dear Doc: What do an elephant, a monkey, and the United States Federal Government have in common? Signed, The Riddler Dear Riddler: The answer to your query is: none of them can own copyrights! (Bet you didn’t see that one coming! BIFF! POW! BAM!!) Under federal copyright law (17 U.S.C. §101 et seq.) works created […]
Ask Dr. Copyright …
July 31, 2014
Ask Dr. Copyright, Copyright
Dear Doc: Seems to me that us vegetarians don’t get no respect in court. I heard that “Lettuce Turnip the Beet” got ripped off by that infamous pirate and parachute flapping no-good Gymboree Corporation, and the judge wouldn’t lift a finger to help. What gives? Signed, Rootin’ for the Little Guy Dear Little Root: Since […]
Ask Dr. Copyright …
June 28, 2014
Ask Dr. Copyright, Copyright
Dear Doc: Ever since you wrote about Aereo, the company with bazillions of tiny TV antennas and video recorders, I have been waiting for them to come to my town, so that I could get a decent television picture (no more of that digital BRAAAAP every 16 seconds unless I stand next to the TV […]
Ask Dr. Copyright …
May 30, 2014
Ask Dr. Copyright, Copyright
Dear Doc: I have heard that the music and movie industries want Congress to add a new part to the Copyright Law, one that would say that it is a violation of a copyright owner’s rights to “make available” a copy of a work, even if the copy is never accessed by anyone. What gives? […]
Ask Dr. Copyright …
April 30, 2014
Ask Dr. Copyright, Copyright
Ask Dr. Copyright … Dear Doc: I write the songs that make the whole world sing. Unfortunately, with all that songwriting, I really don’t have the time to listen to every radio station that plays my songs, every online store that sells them, and every band, chorus, glee club, and lounge act that covers them […]
Ask Dr. Copyright …
March 30, 2014
Ask Dr. Copyright, Copyright
Dear Doc: A magazine editor has told me that if a magazine releases an issue before its copyright date, the magazine will lose its rights. I can’t believe that this is the law. Please tell me who’s right. Signed, Confused Author Dear Confused: You’re less confused than your editor! Under international copyright law, known as […]
Ask Dr. Copyright …Patent Trolls and Extortion
February 28, 2014
Ask Dr. Copyright, Patent
Dear Doc: Last month, you promised that you’d continue your explanation of patents and copyrights with a rant about patents and trolls. So…? What, exactly, do you have against trolls, other than the fact that they live under bridges and threaten goats? Signed, Been Waiting a Month Dear BWaM: OK. So as not to disappoint, […]
Dear Doc: It seems that over the years, patents and copyrights have been in some kind of “Freaky Friday” accident, and have switched bodies. It used to be that patent was the big dog in intellectual property, but now, even big companies like Apple that win patent law suits can’t get the courts to stop […]