copyright
-
Check All the Boxes
When we last visited DeliverMed Holdings, LLC v. Schaltenbrand, plaintiff DeliverMed had lost on all claims, including on some copyright and trademark theories. DeliverMed appealed the holdings that it was not the owner of the copyright in this logo and that the copyright registration was invalid. The district court was colorful in its description of… Continue reading
-
How to Do a Copyright Assignment So You Can Sue
I’ve written before about a bunch of copyright infringement lawsuits brought by numerous photo agencies claiming that book publishers exceeded the scope of licenses granted, either by publishing in unlicensed territories or printing more copies than permitted by the license. The photo agency business model presents litigation challenges, though: only the legal or beneficial owner… Continue reading
-
What Doesn’t Work for Copyright Standing
Screen Media Ventures filed a copyright infringement suit against BitTorrent downloaders of the movie “Infected” and sought leave to subpoena internet service providers for subscriber information. Screen Media claimed this language gave it enough ownership interest to have standing for the claim: [Screen Media is authorized] by itself, or in the name of Infected LLC… Continue reading
-
It’s Quiz Time!
This is a copyright case. Here is the sequence of events according to the plaintiffs’ timeline: 1995: Image created by artist Beasley 1997: Image used by defendant with permission 2003: Image used by defendant without permission 2009: Image used by defendant without permission 2009: Assignment of the copyright in the image from Beaseley to his… Continue reading
-
Sometimes You’re Just Stuck With Bad Facts
Sometimes you just have to remind yourself that the facts are the facts, and no amount of sharp lawyering is going to change them. That was the situation for defendant ABN AMRO Bank N.V. (“ABN”). It had hastily negotiated a sale of certain assets to Bank of America (“BAC”) in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid… Continue reading
-
How the Copyright Act Changes Lives
The Vanity Fair issue has been out for awhile now, but for anyone interested in Harper Lee, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” John Steinbeck, publishing, legal intrigue, contracts, copyright termination, or underhanded dealing, there is a lengthy investigative article in the August issue called “To Steal a Mockingbird.” It is the story behind a lawsuit filed… Continue reading
-
It’s Hard to Be a Copyright Troll
I previously reported on a pending case, Contra Piracy v. Does 1-2919, where the court very quickly raised the issue of standing – sua sponte, because it’s still a John Doe case. The savvy court suspected something was up and put the plaintiff to its proof. Owning the bare right to sue isn’t enough for… Continue reading
-
Update: “What is an ‘E-Signature’?”
I previously wrote about a case, Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. v. American Home Realty Network, Inc., involving the assignment of copyrights by uploading photographs to a website. In it, the district court held that uploading a photograph was the equivalent of signing an agreement under the E-Sign Act. I was unhappy with the decision;… Continue reading
About Me
Learn more about me at my website, Chestek Legal
Recent Posts
Categories
- copyright
- domain name
- moral rights
- patent
- right of publicity
- social media
- trade dress
- trade libel
- trade secret
- trademark
- Uncategorized