A Copyright Infringement Case that Rose from the Dead
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Oct 22, 2020 in Copyrights
In honor of Halloween, this week I thought I would (if you will forgive the pun) resurrect a case from 2008: that of Dawn of the Dead vs. Dead Rising. Video game or horror movie aficionados may remember that this one was a pretty big deal when it occurred. But for those who are not in the know, here is a recap. Dawn of the Dead is a 1978 film by George Romero that is […]
Continue ReadingTherapist Aid: Helping Mental Health Professionals Improve Their Craft
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Oct 8, 2020 in Copyrights
Each month I have been featuring a small business in Jacksonville and how that business has transitioned during the pandemic in order to survive. This month, I am featuring Therapist Aid. It was created by Woody Schuldt, a licensed mental health counselor. Therapist Aid is dedicated to helping mental health professionals improve their craft by providing free evidence-based education and therapy tools. The organization creates resources with clients in mind — which means avoiding jargon […]
Continue ReadingDid This Cat’s Purr Infringe on a Musician’s Copyright?
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Sep 17, 2020 in Copyrights
In 2015, the publisher of a purring cat video — Digihaven — got into a bit of a complicated situation with EMI Music and YouTube. Why? Because according to YouTube’s automated Content ID system, 12 seconds of Phantom the cat’s purring in the hour-long video infringed upon the copyright of a musical composition called “Focus.” Yes, you read that correctly. A cat was blamed for violating a music copyright. Because of how its purr happened […]
Continue ReadingU.S. Copyright Office Celebrates 150 Years
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Sep 10, 2020 in Copyrights
Happy Birthday to the U.S. Copyright Office! In 1870, all copyright functions were placed within the Library of Congress. Since that time, the U.S. Copyright Office has grown quite a bit in both size and function, and I thought a little history lesson might help in understanding how far we have come in the world of copyrights. Copyright History in the United States The authors of the U.S. Constitution included copyright protections in Article I, […]
Continue ReadingBest Practices for Photos on Your Website
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Aug 20, 2020 in Copyrights
Let’s say you start a business. Naturally, you decide you need a website to market your services or products. Maybe you choose to build the website yourself using a template. Or you hire a third party to create a customized website. In either scenario, you are going to want to use some images to enhance the visual appeal. So you search the internet for photos that you might want to use. Not so fast. You […]
Continue ReadingArtist’s Copyright Claim Against Art Collective May Prove Futile with Nothing in Writing
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Jun 4, 2020 in Copyrights
In 2015, three years after the art collective Meow Wolf initially approached her, artist Lauren Adele Oliver agreed to add her Space Owl to their exhibit House of Eternal Return. According to Oliver, they sold her on the idea by offering her both membership in the group as well as an “artist revenue share”. Over the next few years, the exhibit itself became incredibly successful, earning millions for the collective. It was even named in […]
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