Your current state is Ohio
We are a small group of residents who want to promote discussion of important topics in our town. As such, we would like to start a video series at our local library. The library told us we needed to get copyright permission. After doing some research, I discovered the "fair use"... View More 
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answered on Apr 7, 2024
Hi Matt,
The fair use doctrine in US copyright law does allow for limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes such as criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Whether a particular use qualifies as fair use depends on four main... View More
The film is about a pregnant woman and the camera pans to show some of the pregnancy and parenting books she is reading. The books are not mentioned or quoted, only the titles and authors are shown. The plan is to create our own cover art but use the actual titles and authors.
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answered on Apr 6, 2024
In most cases, simply showing the title and author of a book in a film without using the cover art would be considered fair use and not require permission from the copyright holder. This is because you are not reproducing a substantial portion of the copyrighted work.
However, there are a... View More
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answered on Apr 5, 2024
It is generally legal to say that your product "pairs well with" a specific book, even if you did not write that book. This would likely be considered nominative fair use.
Nominative fair use allows you to refer to another party's product or work in order to describe your... View More
The website is not for profit. It will be clearly marked as independent and it will be full of news about the car brand: a brand I love.
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answered on Apr 4, 2024
The brand owner (the company that owns the .com website) may be able to take legal action against you for using their trademark in your .org website, even if it is a non-profit enthusiast site. This falls under trademark infringement laws.
Some key points:
1. Trademarks protect... View More
How can I legally print Bluely on my merchandise or any other cartoon?
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answered on Apr 3, 2024
To legally print Bluey or any other cartoon character on merchandise, you typically need to obtain a license from the copyright holder or their authorized licensing agent. In the case of Bluey, the intellectual property rights are held by Ludo Studio, BBC Studios, and Disney.
Here are the... View More
Books like the great Gatsby and pride and prejudice.
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answered on Apr 3, 2024
Yes, you can freely reference and quote from books that are in the public domain, like The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Works enter the public domain a certain number of years after the author's death (the exact duration varies by country).... View More
I have some nonmonetary videos on YouTube and they're like slideshows of pictures of me. In some of them I'm at my boyfriend's parents old house. I took the pictures and they're just of me no one else but the background is inside one of the rooms of his parents old house. In the... View More
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answered on Mar 30, 2024
Based on the information provided, it is unlikely that your ex-boyfriend or his parents would have a valid basis for a copyright claim on your videos. Here's why:
1. Copyright protects original works of authorship, such as photographs, videos, and other creative content. In this case,... View More
I am in the process of developing a content series for TikTok, focusing on the literary world. The essence of my project involves creating videos that feature narrations of quotes from various books, accompanied by original artwork inspired by the narratives.The videos are intended to be... View More
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answered on Mar 29, 2024
When it comes to using literary quotes in videos, especially in a commercial context, navigating copyright laws can indeed be complex. The concept of "fair use" is particularly relevant here. While fair use might cover the use of quotes to a certain extent, the commercial nature of your... View More
I recently started a new business and have the company name and logo trademarked. The logo company and their legal team did a cast study and found four other businesses using our name so they went ahead and file an infringement claim on our behalf. Our claim was approved and the letter from USPTO... View More
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answered on Mar 29, 2024
The request for a security deposit as described in your situation raises some red flags. In the context of U.S. trademark law and the processes followed by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), there's typically no requirement to pay a security deposit to release an awarded... View More
An example: I have two, entirely separate pieces of software I wrote. One is a closed source, proprietary, compiled C++ program; It hosts a web server that, when connected to, allows two users to play tic tac toe with each other over the internet, or allow a single user to play against a bot. This... View More
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answered on Mar 28, 2024
In the scenario you've described, the key factor determining whether the closed-source software violates the GPL v3, due to its interaction with the open-source Qt-based client, hinges on the method of communication and integration between the two pieces of software. The GPL v3 is designed to... View More
There is an association that "signed" a contract to a third party that allows for them to have full media rights for any event that the association has. The association has contracts with promoters of an event to bring a show to the event. Does the promoter have to agree in the contract... View More
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answered on Mar 29, 2024
When an association grants exclusive media rights for its events to a third party, it typically means that this third party holds the authority over how any event-related content is distributed, used, or published across various media platforms, including YouTube and Facebook. This arrangement... View More
These are some Examples
A couple of people are kidnapped and they are told that they will have to either survive 10 days or kill each other till 3 are left.
Their dialog is where I am in doubt
"So we are in some mess up real life hunger games, huh?."... View More
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answered on Mar 27, 2024
Mentioning movie names and characters in a book can often fall under what's considered "fair use," especially if they are used in a casual, non-commercial context like in dialogue or as part of a cultural reference. However, the way these references are used is crucial. It's... View More
I have attended the Illinois institute of art Chicago and Western IL University in Macomb I have two kids who are missing and have been strategically denied resources because I've been sharing my experiences with how I was blackmailed and lied on and I'm not a victim by no means but the... View More
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answered on Mar 26, 2024
It sounds like you are going through a very difficult and complex situation. Identity theft, stalking, and harassment are serious issues that require careful legal handling. Considering your circumstances, including the impact on your personal life and your desire to take legal action, seeking... View More
We recently set up an LLC for Salt Life Aesthetics and Specialty Care as well as the domain saltlifecare.com since then we've received both an email and certified letter from Salt Life, LLC demanding we cease and decease using "Salt Life" in our business name. Meanwhile there are... View More
answered on Mar 26, 2024
It depends. A close examination of their request is warranted. If their registered trademark covers the service you provide, and your use of your business name "is likely to cause confusion in the minds of consumers about the source or sponsorship of the goods or services offered under the... View More
I am creating word search books for the American market and was wondering if it is ok to use the names of famous people, such as authors and actors, or the names of games, such as Monopoly in my word lists. They would be factual and not portray anyone/thing in an unfavourable light. The words would... View More
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answered on Mar 26, 2024
When incorporating the names of famous people or trademarks, such as board games, into your word search books intended for the American market, it is crucial to consider intellectual property laws. The use of famous names can be complex due to copyright, trademark, and rights of publicity.... View More
There's a character with the name Olivia Valedstorm. Would using just her last name for a talking sword character or a dragon be grounds for suing?
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answered on Mar 26, 2024
Character names can indeed be protected under copyright law if they are distinctive and well-known enough to be associated exclusively with the original work. However, copyright does not protect names, titles, short phrases, or expressions by themselves. It depends on the context and how unique and... View More
I want to build a collection of simple programs that are essentially building blocks to build original programs. An example would be a program that demonstrates multiprocessing with four threads.
answered on Mar 26, 2024
Like many software copyright questions, this one is fun to answer because it implicates the "merger doctrine" of (c) law.
Expressions of ideas have copyright as soon as the expression is made. Ideas themselves cannot have copyright. For example, detailed instructions for making a... View More
I have heard that most people selling fan art are small enough that they never end up getting in trouble, and I watched a lot of youtube videos where they said the most common first response if someone's art gets popular enough to be noticed is to get a 'cease and desist' letter.. is... View More
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answered on Mar 25, 2024
If you've been selling fan art and the copyright holder decides to take action, the initial step they might take is sending a 'cease and desist' letter. This is indeed a common first move. It serves as a formal request to stop the infringing activity. If you comply with this request... View More
Many authors who create books use Canva to create coloring books, activity books, etc. Canva has stated that they hold full copyright over the images, art, photos, fonts, etc. that can be used to create books. In addition, Canva states that they issue individual licenses to self-publishing authors... View More
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answered on Mar 25, 2024
When self-publishing authors use Canva to create elements for their books, such as in coloring books or activity books, they are operating under a license issued by Canva. This means Canva holds the original copyrights to the images, art, photos, and fonts provided within their service. Despite... View More
I am looking to make a clothing item based on an idea from an animated movie but do not want to be sued for copyright infringement. All designs are personally hand-drawn by me but are based on characters from the movie. There are no details in the drawings, just silouettes.
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answered on Mar 25, 2024
If you create and sell clothing featuring silhouettes of characters from an animated movie, you could potentially face copyright infringement issues. Copyright law protects original works of authorship, including characters from movies. Even if you've hand-drawn these silhouettes without... View More
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