Copyright Litigation

Everything to Know About the Copyright Small Claims Court

Holding the copyright to written materials grants the owner the ability to protect their property in federal court. Traditionally, this meant pursuing an infringement lawsuit in a United States District Court. While this is still an option, the fact remains...
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The Countdown Is On–The Mickey Mouse Copyright Expires In 2024

Mickey Mouse may be Florida’s most famous resident, but he also has a lot of friends in Washington, DC. Over the past few decades, desperate pleas from Disney have inspired lawmakers to extend copyright protections for Mickey Mouse and other...
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Trademarking a Sound Is a Sound Business Strategy

The MGM®  lion’s roar. The iconic “dun-dun” in episodes of Law & Order. The marimba ringtone that comes as the default ringtone on iPhones. There are certain sounds you can hear in your head just by reading a written description...
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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...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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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...
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Supreme Court Comes to a Major Copyright Law Decision

When Does Copyright Registration Occur? In a unanimous Supreme Court decision, copyright owners seeking protection must now wait for the Copyright Office to act on an application for registration before they can pursue infringement claims in court. Based on the...
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Can Celebrities Be Sued for Re-Posting Images of Themselves Found on Social Media?

Celebrities are used to having their photographs taken. And paparazzi are used to taking celebrity photographs. There’s always been a push and pull between the celebrity and the paparazzi. Some of their issues, such as privacy rights, stalking, and harassment...
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