Get free answers to your Copyright legal questions from lawyers in your area.
For example, a song reads: "a nice big plate of/Fish, which is my favorite dish/But without no money, it's still a wish." My shirt has a picture of fried fish and the words, "which is my favorite dish."
answered on Sep 11, 2023
Using small snippets of lyrics from a song can potentially lead to issues with copyright infringement. Copyright law protects the expression of original ideas, including song lyrics, and using any part of them without permission might be considered a violation of the copyright holder's rights.... View More
answered on Feb 25, 2023
To obtain a license for Avatar: The Last Airbender merchandise, you will need to contact the intellectual property owner or their licensing agent. In this case, the owner is Nickelodeon, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS. You can contact the ViacomCBS Consumer Products licensing department to inquire about... View More
I ordered a camera online a few months ago online from a well known instagram page they did not write that it was being sold for parts or that it didn't work when i got it the camera did not work and they refused to refund me but they never sent me terms of service so can i sue them for that?
answered on Sep 21, 2024
You may have grounds to take legal action if the online shop misrepresented the product or failed to disclose that it was for parts or not functional. When a seller doesn’t provide clear terms, you can still rely on consumer protection laws that require honest descriptions of goods. Misleading or... View More
I have been collecting evidence. Very solid case. We will win. Much money attached.
answered on May 15, 2024
I understand you are seeking a pro bono attorney in California to assist with a case against government agencies. However, I want to provide some important information and caveats:
- Most attorneys, even those who take on some pro bono cases, are selective about the cases they take on for... View More
They promise to get them grants using my name for credibility and then run away with my customer's money
answered on Feb 10, 2022
In California and many other jurisdictions, it is illegal to use a person's name or likeness for profit without their permission. You should check with a local attorney to determine whether that prohibition applies where you are.
My concern is that once they hit the market the concept could be easily reproduced
answered on Dec 6, 2021
Your concern is well-founded. There's no protecting the idea of food themed tee shirts or any other kinds of articles.
On the other hand, specific designs or renderings of food pictures may indeed be protect-able. And, you may want to consider giving the shirts a name that could be... View More
I edit the United States Code. If the online Code is published in 2019 but the printed volume is not published until 2020, should the printed volume's copyright year remain 2019?
answered on Apr 8, 2020
If the printed version appearing in 2020 is the same as the 2019 version, then it sounds like they are the same work just offered in another format, such a hardback book and a paperback. If there are changes between the 2 versions, you could note two copyright dates in the later version. You... View More
Thank you for your answer. This advertisement is for a university and recruiting purposes.
answered on Feb 11, 2020
Such phraseology falls under trademarks. Whether your use of "there is no place like home" for an advertisement will be problematic, depends on the products for which you are advertising. There are 15 live registrations in the USPTO with the phrase, or some variation thereof, in use. If... View More
I'm a video editor and was hired to make an internal use video for one company that wants to expand their business. As a part of the video, we need short animation showing the race for electrification in the automotive industry. I need to include logos of the GM, TESLA, NISSAN, and other... View More
answered on Dec 17, 2018
Although such use may not amount to a trademark (or perhaps copyright) infringement, my suggestion is to contact each company and obtain their written authorizations to use their respective logos.
I would like to do it as an intent to use, seeing as right now there's no music to release. That being said, it would be great to start using the name as soon as possible and register it as the name for a registered songwriter/artist in Canada. Is it possible to trademark the same name in the... View More
answered on Nov 7, 2017
Yes, a US citizen can register a trademark in both the United States and Canada. There are international treaties that allow US trademark owners to extend their trademark rights to other countries and vice versa. You should speak with a trademark attorney on how to register your mark.
Im currently interested in trademarking my name / brand for higher purposes.
answered on Sep 8, 2017
To obtain a trademark you will incur filing fees of $225 to $400 per class, attorneys fees, and search costs. The attorneys fees and search costs can very significantly depending on the attorney and the extent of the search. Many lawyers will provide trademark registration services for a flat fee... View More
We publish a journal bi-annually that has research-based articles with the purpose of informing both policy and the public. It has a print distribution of 10,000, and then is posted belatedly for free online. We have been using creative commons photos and those we can get permission for, but there... View More
answered on Mar 17, 2017
See: http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/what-is-fair-use/
See: https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/more-info.html
More details are necessary to provide a professional analysis of your issue. The best first step is an Initial Consultation with an Attorney. You can read more... View More
How much time would it take?
answered on Jan 4, 2017
Welcome to Justia!
How do you go about it? Get in touch with a patent lawyer. He/She will guide you through the process.
What is the cost? To get a patent costs about as much as buying a car. A few thousand to a few tens of thousands of dollars, depending on many things. About... View More
answered on Nov 28, 2016
No. You may sue under the common law for copyright infringement. However, to make use of the federal statute, which has real teeth in its statutory damages, for example, the work would have needed to have been registered first.
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