Dear Doc: I just had a lovely night at the theater, where I saw the musical “Vape.” The show was a copy of “Grease,” but with changed lyrics for nine songs and dialog that exposed just how sexist Grease is. Vape advertises that it is, “A live musical parody of Grease!” Vape doesn’t pay the […]
Copyright
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently handed down an important opinion for the Cannabis world. Before we get into the weeds (so to speak), let’s start with some basics. Possession and use of cannabis on the federal level is illegal. It is referred to as a Schedule 1 drug under […]
Dear Doc: My new company paid $500 to a designer in Bulgaria for a company logo. The invoice we received says that we have “the right to use the logo in any way, forever.” We good? Signed,A Bit Worried Dear Bit: A recent case filed in both federal and state courts in Georgia should have […]
Ask Dr. Copyright © About the Copyright Claims Board
December 16, 2021
Ask Dr. Copyright, Copyright
Dear Doc: Last month, you promised to follow up with some of the rules under which the new Copyright Claims Board (CCB) plans to hear “small claims” copyright cases. So? Signed,Still Sick of Being Ripped Off Dear SSoBRO: As the Doc said last month, the Copyright Claims Board (CCB) will be a three-judge panel within […]
Ask Dr. Copyright © About the Copyright Claims Board
November 18, 2021
Ask Dr. Copyright, Copyright
Dear Doc: I’ve heard that copyright cases are going to be tried in the Copyright Office, and not in federal district courts. What gives? Is this good for authors, songwriters, artists and other creative folks? Signed,Sick of Being Ripped Off Dear Victim: What you have heard is partially correct. Big changes are on the way […]
Dear Doc: What’s the difference between an “Intellectual Property Attorney” and a “Patent Attorney”?Signed,Thinking of Applying Dear Thinker: You may not know it, but the Doc is BOTH! Under the Patent Law (37 U.S.C. §11.5), a person who wishes to represent others before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in patent matters (a […]
Ask Dr. Copyright © About Online Linking
September 23, 2021
Copyright, Internet Law
Dear Doc: I heard that it’s now illegal to put links to photos and videos on your webpages and in social media posts? Really? Won’t that just destroy the entire Internet? Asking for a friend. Signed,Every Internet User, Ever Dear Every: Yup. You heard right, at least as far as New York Federal District […]
What happens when Congress is unable – for almost 50 years – to figure out how to protect recorded music? Specifically, music recorded before 1972? Messy litigation involving the Turtles is what happens. First, some background. Almost 50 years ago, Congress passed the Sound Recording Amendment to the 1909 Copyright Act, which provided copyright protection […]
Where Have All the Soundtracks Gone?
May 6, 2021
Copyright
When fans of the TV show “Dawson’s Creek” watch it on Netflix, it will sound very different. This is because the theme song (Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want to Wait”) has been replaced by Jann Arden’s “Run Like Mad” due to lack of streaming and DVD rights to the Paula Cole song. Dawson’s Creek has plenty of company […]
Dear Doc: It’s a year into the pandemic, and it seems that most “information workers” are working virtually, while most “essential workers” are still bravely showing up every day. Apart from the unfairness in that, and the fact that if we had all just locked down for several weeks at the start we could have […]