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 […]
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? […]
This week, the United States Supreme Court issued an opinion of great importance to those wishing to enforce their copyrights. In Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc., the Supreme Court clarified confusion among lower courts about whether the doctrine of laches (also known as unreasonable delay) could bar a lawsuit for copyright infringement. While the court’s opinion […]
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 […]
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 […]
You may already know by reading this newsletter that utilitarian objects are typically not protected by copyright law. Fashion designs are but one controversial example. Here’s a little more history. In the 1950’s, the Supreme Court of the United States in Mazer v. Stein, held that statuettes incorporated into lamps – unarguably utilitarian objects – […]
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 […]
Dear Doc: I hear that soon, many Internet users will start getting warning notices if they illegally share copyrighted materials. Is this true? What happens if I get, say, 6 of these? How do they know? Signed, MovieAddict Dear Addict: The “Doc” has been watching this gathering storm for some time now. The “Copyright […]
Dear Doc: Well, 2013 has come and gone! Did anything happen in copyright law this year? Signed, Way too much time on my hands. Dear Sir: How DARE you! Have you not been reading the “Doc” every issue of this wonderful and scholarly newsletter? So much happened this year that the “Doc” has scarcely had […]
It’s been decades since the British Invasion and believe it or not, the Beatles are still releasing music. Well, it’s not “new” music but familiar tracks, which had not seen the light of day (although many have been available for years as bootlegs). These include four extra versions of “She Loves You,” five versions of […]
