Is my copyright ownership at risk if I do not list all Earlier Inventions in an employment contract in Pennsylvania? I have not yet signed the contract, and I hold copyright registrations for these inventions. The contract requires an exhibit page listing all Earlier Inventions. It states that all... View More

I am a student in New Jersey, and I took photos of my high school basketball team and posted them on my Instagram account with a watermark of my business name. The school accessed my Instagram, took screenshots of my photos, and removed my watermark before including them in the yearbook, which the... View More

I am writing a mystery/fiction/thriller/dystopian book intended for global readership. In my book, I want to make a reference that reads, "ghosts here have to concentrate to pick up objects, kind of like how elves in Keeper of the Lost Cities have to concentrate to light leap!" Is it... View More

I inherited joint copyright to manuscripts written by my father and grandfather, along with my brother and sister. We previously had an LLC in Wyoming concerning work on these manuscripts, which has been archived since 2018 and is no longer active. There were no specific instructions in the will... View More

I'm based in Massachusetts and I'm curious about the legal implications of having a personal, private website where I hypothetically upload a bootleg video recording of a Broadway musical. The website is completely private and only accessible to me. Could I potentially face legal trouble,... View More

I would like to know about the legality of using a screenshot of a news article or social media post for advertising purposes in Utah. We plan to provide credit to the original creators and include links in our advertisement. Does this usage qualify as fair use, or do we need to obtain permission... View More

I am the sole creator of the guiding information and prompts used to generate song lyrics with the assistance of an AI. I am based in Ohio and am looking to obtain a sync license for the song. Could you advise on how much of the AI-generated lyrics need to be changed or edited for them to be... View More

I am considering suing a record label for producing and distributing a derivative track of my copyrighted musical work without authorization. My work is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, and I have a written agreement with the label. I discovered the unauthorized use in 2025. Can I take... View More

I own a drinking establishment in Kansas, which is 3,100 gross square feet. I have two televisions in a customer-facing area but no sound speakers, and I plan to stream over-the-air television and radio. There is no entry fee for customers. Can I legally do this under the Homestyle Exemption... View More

I am writing a book intended for commercial publication and want to use the title "Wings of the Sleeping Giant." I've discovered that this title is already used on a poster. I am located in Massachusetts and need to know if I can legally use this title for my book. I haven't... View More

I recently received a cease and desist letter from an attorney representing a software company, alleging trademark infringement and GPL violation concerning my team's fork of their open-source software. The software is licensed under GPLv2, and our fork involves minimal branding changes, with... View More

Kyle M Kinzy Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on May 23, 2026

Hello, my name is Kyle Kinzy and I am a general practice lawyer in Austin, Texas. Trademark involves federal law and I have applied for trademarks and litigated intellectual property issues, including trademark rights. I am not certain that I have properly understood your questions, but I think the... View More

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I've created an original painting of Donald Trump using a blend of elements from multiple photographs, which I rendered by hand with oil paint. The collage synthesis makes it appear realistic, but no single source photo is recognizable. I'm interested in selling prints of this artwork on... View More

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James L. Arrasmith Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on May 23, 2026

Your situation involves two distinct intellectual property layers: the copyrights in the underlying photographs you used as reference, and the right of publicity that protects a person's name, image, and likeness. Even though you painted by hand and no single photo is recognizable, copyright... View More

I am based in Virginia and would like to know if I can legally sell a song about a group of turtles joining a fight. The song is titled "Shells of Honor" and it includes references to colors such as red, blue, orange, and purple, as well as references to a sword and four brothers. The... View More

I received a DMCA notice from a company based in California, but the claim was made by another content creator, alleging that I infringed on their copyright by uploading certain material. I believe I have the grounds to dispute this claim and have not yet taken any action regarding the alleged... View More

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James L. Arrasmith Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on May 18, 2026

When you receive a DMCA takedown notice and you believe the claim is wrong, the main tool available to you under 17 U.S.C. § 512(g) is a written counter-notice sent to the service provider that received the original notice. Your counter-notice needs to identify the material that was removed or... View More

I am a former cheer coach in Michigan, and I purchased music for $400 and hold the license for it. After I was fired, I instructed the team owner not to use my music and choreography. However, she used them at a competition, and I have proof from a live stream and recording showing my music was... View More

I am a smaller streamer with a channel called "sc00by_d00bie," and I earn money from my streams. I'm concerned about potential copyright or trademark infringement issues with this name. I use AI-created logos on my channel and have not yet received any communication from rights... View More

I have searched both the US Copyright Office's website and the US Patent and Trademark Office's website for information on the 1999 racing game, Midtown Madness, and found no relevant records. Could this indicate that Microsoft or Angel Studios failed to renew the copyright and trademark... View More

Fritz-Howard Raymond Clapp
answered on May 16, 2026

From review of USPTO records, Microsoft's registration for MIDTOWN MADNESS (for video games in class 9 and online information about in in class 41) was issued on 2000, renewed in 2010, but cancelled in 2020 for failure to renew.

In 2024, Reef Entertainment Limited (UK) filed to... View More

I had my Instagram account disabled after receiving a copyright strike from BVIRAL, who claim ownership of a video I used. Other accounts have posted the same video without issues, and their content remains up. BVIRAL is asking for $1,500 to attempt a removal of the strike. Previously, I received... View More

Kyle M Kinzy Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on Jun 9, 2026

Hello, my name is Kyle Kinzy and I am a general practice attorney in Austin, Texas. Since your question involves federal law, I will answer it. Your state may also have intellectual property laws that affect this matter, by my answer will be limited. I'm not your attorney, and this is general... View More

I'm planning to share various resources on my blog, specifically links to PDFs from third-party websites, for educational purposes. I plan to share these links approximately once or twice a month without adding any commentary. I aim to do this under the notion of fair use and want to ensure... View More

Kyle M Kinzy Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on May 12, 2026

My name is Kyle Kinzy and I am a general practice attorney in Austin, Texas. I have some experience with intellectual property issues and this answer is limited to the federal copyright issues that likely apply to your question. I appreciate your focus on doing things the right way, but I have to... View More

I live in Pennsylvania, and my friend created a 3D model of a sword that resembles Sokka's meteor sword from Nickelodeon's "Avatar: The Last Airbender," though it includes unique features like small "wings" and a gem near the hilt. He is urging me to use this model in... View More

Kyle M Kinzy Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on May 13, 2026

I’m Kyle Kinzy. I’ve spent over 20 years in the legal trenches of Texas and Illinois, and I’ve seen my fair share of creative folks walk right into a buzzsaw because they thought adding a few tweaks was enough to keep the lawyers at bay. When you're talking about taking an iconic design... View More