Copyright Tasks to Complete Before Next Year – Part 2
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Dec 21, 2017 in Copyrights
There is no shortage of things to get done before the end of the year, so don’t let your copyright concerns fall by the wayside. In my last post, I shared one important task for companies with DMCA agents to complete before year-end: re-file your registration with the U.S. Copyright Office. There is one more important task to complete if it is relevant to your business. Task 2: Complete a Year-End Review of Your Original […]
Continue ReadingCopyright Tasks to Complete Before Next Year – Part 1
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Dec 14, 2017 in Copyrights
When preparing to-do lists this holiday season, don’t forget to include protecting your business from infringement liability and securing copyright assets. In particular, there are two tasks you should complete before 2017 ends. Task 1: Re-file Your DMCA Agent Registration Does your company operate a website where third-parties can post their own content, including text, picture, or video? You could be liable for copyright infringement if any content is posted without the copyright owner’s permission. […]
Continue ReadingA Right That Artists May Not Be Aware They Have
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Dec 7, 2017 in Copyrights
Why Estate Planning and Copyrights Can Get Complicated Fast Many are aware that the 1976 Copyright Act grants copyright protection for an artist’s lifetime plus 70 years. However, it also grants a less commonly known form of protection, which only became available in 2013: the right to terminate transferred copyrights. If an artist transfers a copyright by gift, sale, or to a trust, the artist or the artist’s statutory heirs can regain those transferred rights […]
Continue ReadingCan You Copyright a Tattoo?
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Oct 26, 2017 in Copyrights
The copyright for a tattoo design is often owned by the artist. But once that design is inked on the body, does that artist own the copyright of that image, too? In the popular NBA 2K video game series, players such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kenyon Martin, and DeAndre Jordan are depicted with their real-world tattoos. The copyrights to those tattoo designs are owned by Solid Oak Sketches, and the company is suing video […]
Continue ReadingCopyright Tip: When There’s No © Symbol
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Aug 3, 2017 in Basics of Intellectual Property
All original works of authorship are protected by copyright as soon as they are created and placed in a fixed format. This is true even if there is no © symbol used. Be safe. Always obtain permission before: Reproducing the work Distributing copies of the work Preparing derivative materials based upon the work Displaying or performing the work publicly
Continue ReadingCopyright FAQ: Internet Images and Articles
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Jul 6, 2017 in Copyrights
If an image or article is free and publicly available on the web, can I use it with attribution? Not without permission from the appropriate copyright holders. If it is an original work of authorship, it is covered by copyright – no matter where you found the material, and even if you include the source.
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