Tag Archives: Copyright
Copyright Concerto for Campaigning
Way back in the paleolithic era, also known as September 1984, I was driving cross-country to a Congressional internship. I was listening to a local radio station that was broadcasting live from a campaign event for then-President Reagan. To warm up the crowd, the campaign played Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.,” and in the […]
Expensive Waffles
Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles used to have a restaurant near the Bay Oak Law offices in Oakland; an assistant used to visit nearly every weekend with her fiancé. Unfortunately, the Oakland branch closed a few years ago, and Roscoe’s is currently only in Southern California. Unfortunately, Roscoe’s was in the legal news today because it […]
A Wellness Program — For Your Business
Just as your body needs annual wellness checkups, your business does, too. Much of the simple matters can be done by your office, without an lawyer – but if issues turn up, it may be time to check with counsel. Corporate Status ❏ Corporate Status. Is your business in good standing with the state? In […]
Don’t Let Your Company Be a Software Theft Ring
Would you encourage your employees take a five-fingered discount from the office supply store? Probably not. Would you cheat a hard-working employee by not paying her? Of course not. However, in the press of the Great Recession, software piracy is still prevalent, and lax controls on software may be jeopardizing your company. When buying new […]
Bit Torrent File Sharing Lawsuits
You have received a notice from your Internet Service Provider, or “ISP,” indicating that you have been sued as a “Doe” in a bit torrent file sharing lawsuit. What now? Now you need to make some choices about how you want to handle this. But first, some information. What does this even mean? This means […]
When Cease-and-Desist Means Start Right Now
Confronting claims in a cease-and-desist letter head-on will be cheaper in the long-run than burying your head in the sand. A cease-and-desist letter is a code for starting things right away.
The Guardians of Origami
The Guardian newspaper in London reported on our lawsuit on behalf of the origami artists. One of the joys of working this case is the quality of our clients. They are always polite, encouraging, and engaged, even though we sometimes need to use four different languages (English, Japanese, Spanish, and Italian). Their creativity and good […]
Secure Your Routers! Redux
Without giving away too many details, we have been contacted by potential clients whose internet protocol information is being sought because it has been connected with illegal downloads of movies. However, these people only owned the wireless routers that were used to receive the movie; they did not download the movie themselves. Someone else downloaded […]
Unfair? Maybe. But a Fair Use. And Fun.
Regardless of what you may feel about the intent, the execution of this remix is a fantastic illustration of how copyright’s fair use doctrine enlivens free speech today:
Client Question: Copyrighting Pictures of Buildings
The copyright in an architectural work that has been constructed does not include the right to prevent the making, distributing, or public display of pictures, paintings, photographs, or other pictorial representations of the work, if the building in which the work is embodied is located in or ordinarily visible from a public place.
