Do you remember the Turtles? They were the originators of such memorable hits as “Happy Together,” “It Ain’t Me Babe,” and “She’d Rather Be with Me.” The band was formed in 1965 and by 1970 was on the decline. You may think that when the Turtle’s hits were recorded they were protected by U.S. copyright […]
Tag Archives: copyright
Ask Dr. Copyright … Dear Doc: Can you explain what’s protected by copyright when a newspaper or television or radio station reports facts about the news? How can we expect the news to be balanced and fair unless certain broadcasters get to own some of the facts that they investigate and report? After all, running […]
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 […]
Fixed in a Tangible Medium … Tattoo Art
October 30, 2014
Copyright
Now that sporting a tattoo has gone mainstream, it would only stand to reason – – given that tattoos are creative expressions fixed in a tangible medium (skin) – – that tattoo artists seek protection of their designs under copyright law. To date, few copyright cases involving tattoos have been filed but we’ve learned that […]
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, […]
Ask Dr. Copyright…The “Copyright Alert System”
January 23, 2014
Ask Dr. Copyright, Copyright
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 […]
Ask Dr. Copyright – What’s Fair Use?
July 31, 2013
Ask Dr. Copyright, Copyright
Dear Doc: I know you’ve explained the legal concept of “fair use” before, but I have a question about that. Does it infringe an author’s copyright in a book to paraphrase one sentence from the book in a movie, if you give credit to the author, or is it fair use? Sincerely, Absolom Absolom, Mississippi […]
Dear Doc: I took my daughter out to dinner for her birthday at a local eatery (that’s what they call a restaurant when they want to charge more for the same old burritos) and at the end of the meal, all of the servers gathered around, slapped a sombrero on her head, and sang some […]
(Dr. Copyright is off this month – although some might say that he’s always been a bit off – so our very own Dr. Trademark has stepped to the plate to hit more of your burning legal questions out of the park.) Dear Doc.: I was given a prescription for Noroxin to treat a UTI, […]
Ask Dr. Copyright…Aero Inc.
April 30, 2013
Ask Dr. Copyright, Copyright
Dear Doc: I used to have “rabbit ears” on my TV. On stormy nights, I had to stand “just so” near the left ear to see channel 17, but other than that, it worked just fine. Then the electronics companies and the gub’ment told me that I needed “digital” TV or cable. Now, I like […]