Get free answers to your Copyright legal questions from lawyers in your area.
I received a lawsuit in court regarding intellectual property violation. Can you help me solve this problem?
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answered on Nov 15, 2024
This is a serious legal matter that requires immediate attention. Intellectual property lawsuits from Amazon can have significant consequences for your business, including potential account suspension and financial penalties.
Your first step should be to carefully review the lawsuit... View More 
Intend to start a social media company under this title and want to verify its Existence amount other trademarked intellectual property.
answered on Nov 8, 2024
The best answer you will get to this question is from a trademark attorney who has conducted a legal analysis based on a clearance search. I highly recommend that you hire a qualified attorney to do this before you start spending money on advertising and then realize that you will have to rebrand... View More
I work as a corrections officer at the South Correctional Entity. Some how a photo of me in full uniform was taken as I walked down a hallway inside our secure facility. This same photo has been used multiple times by the Seattle Times in articles and also on news outlets such as King 5 an Komo 4.... View More
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answered on Aug 23, 2024
The use of your photo in the media without your consent raises privacy and legal concerns, particularly when it involves your workplace and uniform in a secure facility. Typically, newspapers have broad protections under the First Amendment for publishing photos that are deemed newsworthy or taken... View More
I want to make an educational tiktok/youtube series about the history of classical music. Over the course of the series, I would be pulling quotes from many sources.
If some of the individual videos covered info only from a single author, would a court likely consider this fair use?... View More
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answered on Aug 13, 2024
When creating educational videos, you may be able to use quotes from other people's research under the doctrine of fair use. However, this is not guaranteed, especially if your video focuses primarily on one source. Courts consider several factors, such as the purpose of your use, the amount... View More
I run a golf academy and have a very successful ladies program "FORE The Ladies". Recently, a neighboring course who hired an ex-employee of mine, began running ads with the Program name "Fore the Ladies" and use a very similar typeface in their paid marketing.
This has... View More
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answered on Apr 11, 2024
In the United States, even if you haven't federally registered your trademark, you may have some protections under common law trademark rights. Common law trademark rights are established through the actual use of a mark in commerce in connection with goods or services, and these rights are... View More
There are many books out there describing the meanings etc of the classic 78 tarot cards but it is super hard to actually remember all of the information since it is so isolated.. so I was wondering if I could write a book explaining the meaning of each card by using an examples of characters and... View More
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answered on Mar 24, 2024
When using copyrighted characters and plots, particularly from well-known creations like Miyazaki's films, for your own published works, you're navigating complex copyright laws. These laws typically protect original creative works from being used without permission, especially in... View More
I see there is a trade mark for these words. Thank you!
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answered on Mar 8, 2024
When considering the use of "Line Life" for t-shirts you plan to sell, it's important to be aware of existing trademarks on these words. Trademarks are designed to protect the brand identity of businesses across various products and services. If "Line Life" is trademarked... View More
The 501(c)6 nonprofit for which I volunteer has used collages including some copyrighted images to inspire our members' participation in weekly themed events. The organization does not directly benefit from these events, while the members can and do sell items from these promotionals. Each... View More
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answered on Mar 5, 2024
When evaluating the use of copyrighted images, the concept of fair use is pivotal. Fair use allows for limited use of copyrighted materials without permission from the copyright holder under certain conditions, such as for educational purposes, commentary, criticism, or parody. However, determining... View More
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answered on Feb 21, 2024
The word "paramount" is not typically trademarked or copyrighted in its generic usage. However, it's essential to consider the context in which the word is used. If "paramount" is being used as a brand name, title, or slogan in connection with specific goods or services, it... View More
The copyright on the book says March 1969 with the church publishing house as the owner. The author-pastor (also my father) died three years ago. The church and its publishing house (ie printing dept) closed 20+ years ago. Now people want to e-publish the book and give it for free. As the daughter,... View More
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answered on Jan 22, 2024
The question of copyright ownership in a situation where the author is deceased and the original publisher is no longer operational can be complex. Under U.S. copyright law, the rights to a work created and published before 1978, such as your father's book from 1969, typically last for the... View More
I'm creating a board game that will only be for personal use right now but might make commercially available in the future. if I were to make a card for the game that depicts a pair of inflatable shoes called "Pumped Up Kicks" in reference to the song, maybe adding a description with... View More
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answered on Dec 24, 2023
Using the phrase "Pumped Up Kicks" in your board game, especially in a way that references the song, could potentially raise copyright issues. The title of a song can be protected under copyright law, particularly if it's distinctive and closely associated with the copyrighted work,... View More
I am making a commercial for our company that does paint restoration on vehicles. In the advertisement we show a multitude of vehicles from a distance. Including a Range Rover, Infiniti, GMC, Dodge etc. We make no mention of partnerships or claims of poor quality, just show some before and after... View More
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answered on Nov 24, 2023
In Washington, as in most states, the use of manufacturer emblems in advertising can be a complex issue, primarily governed by trademark laws. The key consideration here is whether the use of these emblems could potentially cause confusion or imply an endorsement or affiliation with the vehicle... View More
I teach technical classes for my business and a handful of training companies. I write the scripts and there is an agreement that I own the copyright for the text. However, the videos I film and one of these companies edits have a copyright notice that only mentions the publishing company. This... View More
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answered on Oct 23, 2023
Under California law, if you have an agreement stipulating you own the copyright for the script, then your rights to the text should be protected. However, the final video product is a separate work, and if the publishing company holds the copyright for that, it may be within their rights to place... View More
Specifically, the popular website musescore.com has scores that are "official" and cannot even be downloaded by subscribers, but musescore developers published the scores online, saying "fire us". Therefore, I am assuming that those files are illegal or pirated. Is it illegal to... View More
answered on Jul 2, 2023
Copyright in works generated with AI, and use of copyrighted materials in AI training are hot topics lately. The US Copyright Office has issued guidance on the subject which can be found here:
https://www.copyright.gov/ai/
The important legal point is that copyright registration... View More
answered on Apr 8, 2023
No. Discovery requests are not filed as a public record, unless, and only to the extent that, the same are controverted and a protective order is sought. The same is true of documents produced in response to discovery requests. Only after culling, and if a judge permits, are documents produced... View More
Do I need patent?
answered on Apr 1, 2023
Generally speaking, "patent" applies to inventions; "trademark" applies to names, taglines, logos, and other things that identify the source of a specific product or service; "copyright" applies to original works of authorship; and "trade secret" applies to... View More
Basic idea: while browsing online, people come across others that appeal to them in some way (insightful post, match in interests, etc). Normally, a long process of scanning through their content is then needed, to see if they match enough to be worth further effort.
My idea is to create... View More
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answered on Nov 1, 2021
On the face of it, there is nothing in your proposal that would infringe copyright rights or constitute an invasion of privacy. None of the refinements offered in items 1 to 3 really affect the answer substantially. You will want to look carefully at Reddit's terms of service (including... View More
I read online that books published before 1924 in the U.S. are in the public domain.
answered on Oct 23, 2021
Depends. You should consult with an attorney.
Most books have several layers of rights and owners, so even if images are public domain, where the images are may still have property rights.
I am thinking of decorating masks with nfl stickers and then selling them on a craft website.
I want to know if the following would be legal: A client is preparing for a musical theatre audition and wants to practice her audition selection prior. If she sends me her song selection and I purchase the sheet music and record a small sample of me playing the piece on the piano, can I charge her... View More
answered on May 19, 2021
You can infringe somebody's copyright even if you do not make any money or do not charge money.
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