Copyright

Register Your Copyright Before You Register Your (Infringement) Complaint

There have been several high-profile copyright infringement lawsuits filed in the last few years. Two high profile ones were Marvin Gaye’s estate sued Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, for allegedly appropriating some of Gaye’s famous song “Got to Give It Up”, into their big hit, “Blurred Lines”. Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson were sued twice,…

Read More...

Kylie and Kendall Jenner Don’t Know Wrong from Rights

Earlier this year, Kylie Jenner tried to register a U.S. trademark for “Kylie” as a brand for her celebrity and her branded goods.  For some reason, she or her legal counsel neglected to first find out if that name/brand was available for trademark registration in the trademark classes Kylie sought.  It wasn’t. As early as…

Read More...

No Fake News Here. Your Website or App Content Can Get You Sued for Copyright Infringement, Unless It Complies with New Law

President Trump regularly says you can’t trust the media.  He’s 100% right — if he’s talking about a type of digital media.  This would be the third-party content, such as videos, photos, and posts to chat rooms, bulletin boards, and discussion forums, that are hosted on a site or app (“Site(s)” for purposes of this…

Read More...

Should Musical Works be Entitled to ‘Broad’ or ‘Thin’ Copyright Protection?, The Recorder (June 12, 2018)

In an article for The Recorder, Dr. Dariush Adli examines the hotly disputed legal issue between the majority and dissent in the recent, highly publicized, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit “Blurred Lines” decision.  That decision weighed in on whether Marvin Gaye’s 1976 hit song “Got to Give it Up” was entitled to…

Read More...