The Greek philosopher Heraclitus noted, “The only constant in life is change.” Right now, this could be the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) motto. In addition to getting new leaders, the USPTO has been tasked by Congress with updating some of its core functions.
What New Leadership...Can’t We All Just Get Along? Artist Name Dispute Is Bad PR for the Band Formerly Known as Lady Antebellum. Co-Existence is Likely Outcome.
In an attempt to lend support to the Black Lives Matter movement, the well known country artists formerly known as Lady Antebellum announced in June 2020 that they would be changing their name to Lady A. In the process, they have stepped further into controversy as the Lady A name has been used as...
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Florida Student Athletes Will Now Get More Than Nil for NIL (Name, Image, Likeness)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has one-upped the left coast by signing a bill into law that clears the way for student athletes at Florida colleges and universities (public and private) to earn money from endorsement deals and to be paid for the use of their name,...
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Celebrities Continue to Face Paparazzi Lawsuits for Using Photos of Themselves
Celebrities Can’t Simply Re-Post Photos of Themselves
Sounds crazy, but there is yet another lawsuit on the docket because a celebrity posted a picture of…HERSELF…on social media! Mandy Moore is the latest celebrity to face the wrath of an angered paparazzi; however, this paparazzi has federal copyright protection on his side. For the past few...
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Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 (VARA)
Graffiti Earns Millions
A staple of the New York City Skyline – well, maybe just an old warehouse building in Long Island City is torn down. Why does that matter – well the building featured graffiti art from hundreds of artists from all over the world representing over twenty years of artistic expression! All this...
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Drake Plays Fair (Use)
Although the music industry is always evolving with new music being created, many artists will look back to music of the past and incorporate it in their new works. Many artists, particularly in hip-hop and electronic often use pieces of music from older songs to reinvent them in their new songs. Whether this is...
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Don’t do the Crime if you Can’t Pay the Ten Billion Dimes
On Thursday December 19th, 2019, Cox Communications, Inc. (“Cox Communications”) was found liable for copyright infringement of over 10,000 recordings and compositions. Each individual infringement will cost them over $99,000 adding up to a one-billion-dollar verdict. Yes, that is $1,000,000,000.
The Lawsuit Itself
This suit was brought by 53 music companies including...
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Protecting the Playas
History of the Players
If you’ve heard of pop-phenomenon singer-songwriter TAYLOR SWIFT then you surely have heard of her song “Shake It Off” released back in 2014. The song is certified 9x platinum. Well, the anthem has caused some controversy over the years. Swift is the author of the song and...
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YouTube Has Your Back
Safe Harbors Save YouTube
Recently, a YouTuber – Chris Brady (not related to the Bunch) – allegedly used his YouTube page and the protections of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to extort money out of fellow subscribers. YouTube found out and indicated that it will not stand for this abuse of its platform or...
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A U.S. Trademark Application Requires a U.S. Attorney
What’s New?
As of August 3rd, 2019 all foreign-domiciled trademark applicants, registrants and parties to Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceedings - yes Canada this includes you with limited exceptions - will be required to be represented by an attorney licensed and practicing law in the United States. Check out the...
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