Get free answers to your Copyright legal questions from lawyers in your area.
Your current state is Ohio
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answered on Jan 2, 2025
Securing an inactive Instagram username when you own the trademark can be challenging. Instagram has specific policies regarding username claims, and simply owning a trademark doesn’t automatically guarantee you'll receive the desired name. It's important to ensure that the username is... View More 
Do i have a the right to sue them for all the years theyve told me they will only go back 3 yrs.andwant me to sign a document.
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answered on Jan 1, 2025
You might consider reviewing the tax documents carefully to see how your property tax rate was calculated. If it was improperly labeled as personal income, there could be grounds to challenge the back taxes. You may have a legal argument to recoup funds paid under an incorrect tax classification.... View More
I want to use the term “dasher” but I don’t want to get my videos taken down for any copyright or trademark reasons. Could I use “food dasher” or is that still riding the line. I don’t intend to make any money with this short film so I don’t know if that changes the question. Some... View More
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answered on Jan 1, 2025
You can use the term “dasher,” but you’ll want to keep your project from looking like it’s affiliated with any real service. Even if your film is non-commercial, you could still run into complications if your usage confuses viewers about brand involvement. Stick to generic references and... View More
I was trying to post a picture of logo but can’t seem to do it here.
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answered on Jan 1, 2025
You can research whether any of your design elements mirror copyrighted or trademarked features from Top Gun. You want to avoid imitating famous symbols, color schemes, or taglines that Paramount might defend as their intellectual property.
You could review official trademark registrations... View More
Is it legal to open a taylor swift store?
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answered on Dec 30, 2024
It really depends on a lot of things. Yes, it can be legal if you obtain the proper licenses and permissions from Taylor's legal team, from the municipality where you're operating (if not online), and from the state where you're making the sales (esp. sales tax license). Consult a... View More
Does this fall under satire?
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answered on Dec 30, 2024
Creating and selling items that feature a unique likeness of a famous person or politician involves careful consideration of legal rights. You need to be aware of the individual's right of publicity, which protects against unauthorized use of their image for commercial purposes. Even if the... View More
I'd like to create a video game set in the Palais Garnier in Paris, but I'm unsure of the copyright laws surrounding such buildings. I've concluded that the exterior of the building, as it is in a public space and was built in the late 1800s, is free use. However, I'd like to... View More
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answered on Dec 29, 2024
When creating a video game set in the Palais Garnier, you’ll need to consider both architectural and artistic rights. The building itself, having been constructed in the late 1800s, is likely in the public domain, allowing you to recreate the general layout and main auditorium without infringing... View More
Copyright, TM and PPA investigation
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answered on Dec 28, 2024
Filing evidence of abuse related to disability rights and economic research requires careful documentation and following proper reporting channels. You should start by gathering all relevant materials, including written records, communications, financial documents, and any supporting evidence that... View More
I want to train an AI model on highly-rated recipes. For example, can I take recipes from the website Food.com, if I just take the ingredients they used, the basic facts like time, allergies, etc, and the basic recipe steps? I was under the impression that if I don't take any personal writing,... View More
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answered on Dec 28, 2024
The legal status of recipe copyright is nuanced. While you're correct that basic ingredients lists and standard cooking procedures generally cannot be copyrighted, the unique expression and creative elements of a recipe can be protected by copyright law.
When collecting recipes from... View More
If I write a song and do not copyright it or publish it, then someone writes the same song or steals my song and copyrights it, can I still copyright my song and sue the person?
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answered on Dec 27, 2024
You would need to have evidence that you are the author of the song and make a claim of copyright infringement. If it is the same song that has already been registered, this would be the correct course of action to seek primary relief.
You can still try to register your song at the US... View More
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answered on Dec 27, 2024
The name "Bark Buddies" is quite generic and commonly used, which means it might already be trademarked by other companies or authors for similar products or services. It would be wise to conduct a thorough trademark search through the USPTO database to check if this name is already... View More
The cover does not include any Yankee logos. In the word search, can I use player names?
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answered on Dec 27, 2024
You'll want to be careful with the Yankees trademark. While you can use the team name "New York Yankees" in fair descriptive use (like "Word Search Puzzles: New York Yankees Edition"), you should avoid any styling or presentation that might suggest official endorsement or... View More
I want to make a music album. One of my favorite TV shows of all time is The Wire (2002). It's places in Baltimore, a city I lived in. I had the idea to put a quote from The Wire at the end of each track. A quote that would describe the idea and emotion of the song. Each clip would be 5-15... View More
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answered on Dec 26, 2024
Using short clips from TV shows in music can be complex from a legal standpoint, but here's what you should know about your specific situation with The Wire.
While Fair Use does protect some creative transformations of copyrighted work, using TV show clips in a commercial music album... View More
I would like to take comic panels and upload edited screenshots of them for video essays on Youtube but I don't know what the copyright laws are on doing something like that and I can't find any information online. Any help is appreciated.
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answered on Dec 26, 2024
Using comic panels in video essays typically falls under "fair use" doctrine, which allows limited use of copyrighted material for criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research. Many YouTube creators successfully operate under fair use when they transform the... View More
I just wanted to know if I BOUGHT A PRELOADED GAME CONSOLE AND THE WEBSITE SAYS THE GAME CONSOLE HAS PRE LOADED GAMES ON THEM. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THE GAMES ARENT INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAWS. IF THEY R ILLEGAL GAMES BEING SOLD ON A CONSOLE. I BOUGHT IT BUT WHO WOULD BE... View More
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answered on Dec 22, 2024
Buying preloaded game consoles can be legally risky if the games weren't properly licensed. Many websites sell consoles with unauthorized copies of games, which violates copyright laws and intellectual property rights of the original game developers and publishers.
While the seller... View More
I understand AI generated art cannot be copyrighted, but a website allows users to generate art on their platform, but claims it cannot be used in certain circumstances. Can I reproduce those images in another medium without violating their terms and conditions
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answered on Dec 21, 2024
This is a really cool question. I won't paint you a definitive answer but I will sketch for you the lines of my initial impression.
AI "art" can't be copyright. → so making a derivative work won't infringe. → a transformative derivative work can be copyright... View More
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answered on Dec 21, 2024
WALL-E, released by Disney/Pixar in 2008, will enter the public domain in 2103.
This long timeline exists because of current U.S. copyright law, which protects corporate works for 95 years from their first publication date. Disney has been notably active in supporting copyright extension... View More
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answered on Dec 21, 2024
Selling unbranded products online requires careful consideration of several legal aspects.
The legality depends on whether these products infringe on existing trademarks, patents, or intellectual property rights. While selling generic, unbranded items is generally allowed, you must ensure... View More
I have a small business where I sell handmade bracelets. It has come to my attention that
SHEIN used to of my photos.
answered on Dec 19, 2024
I assume that your images are on Shein's website.
So long as you own your images (it wasn't a Shein photograph), they are using and they are using your image without your permission, especially in the case that they are using it for profitable purposes, there are two "causes... View More
“Could you clarify what U.S. Patent No. 10,745,833 specifically covers in relation to the product? Does this patent apply to the design, size, or a unique functional feature of the towel? Since a towel is a common and widely available commodity, how is it possible for such an item to be patented,... View More
answered on Dec 19, 2024
The "Claims" section defines exactly what the patent covers. The two main ("independent") claims are:
1. A fabric, comprising:
a plurality of first material yarns; and
a plurality of second material yarns, in which the plurality of first material yarns... View More
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