One of my hobbies is photo editing, and sometimes my ideas involve people. My question is, could I edit/photoshop images of a celebrity I like and post them, or would I need direct permission from them? It would be posted on a social media site, like Instagram, and wouldn’t be sold commercially.... View More 
answered on Oct 6, 2020
You need to consider copyright issues considering the authorship of the original photo, that the more transformative a work is the less likely it is infringement under copyright, and that the models may have a cause if action under right of publicity if you don't have permission to use their... View More
My original birth name is trademarked. How would this effect my ability to use it In business? I would like to use my real name for future Business ideas and brands.
answered on Oct 4, 2020
Generally speaking, trademark law does afford you additional flexibility in using your own name for your own business under the "fair use" doctrine. But you should still be mindful of any potential "likelihood of confusion" with the other brand. Also, avoid using your name in... View More
answered on Oct 3, 2020
It is important to understand that brand and trademark are different concepts. You can create a brand using that designation, and from a marketing point it might be alright. However, from a legal standpoint it is a best practice to go through a clearance process thinking of trademark and copyright... View More
Person A sells a digital product with a book to Person B that's copyright protected from a company that Person A isn't affiliated with. The payment is done through an online money sending service. Person B then tries to blackmail Person B by saying the product is outdated (when the... View More
answered on Aug 17, 2020
It would be best if a copyright attorney answered your question, but you await a response for two weeks. In the age of traditional paper textbooks, this issue never really came up - students freely sold their used textbooks all the time without a second thought. But digital teaching materials... View More
answered on Aug 12, 2020
Maybe you could consider reposting, additionally adding the categories of Intellectual Property and Trademark to your question. There's no guarantee that all posts are picked up, but your question remains open for a week, and it's possible a trademark/IP attorney could identify issues... View More
It was a civil case in supreme court and one of the lies was, that they did not receive any services from my firm, but now 10 years later they are using / selling my idea of two product I initially conceived when developing larger project for them which proved to be difficult as they kept revising... View More
answered on Aug 12, 2020
Your question is a bit vague - if you're asking whether the causes of action in the original state case can be revisited, the answer is "maybe." It would depend among other things on whether the evidence of the "lies" is new or known at the time of the original case, or... View More
Getty Images has an embed feature where one can embed a photo into their website for free. If I make a private Google Site, embed a photo, and then screenshot that photo (from the Google Site), is it OK to include it in a non-commercial post on Instagram, or do I have to obtain a license for the... View More
answered on Aug 4, 2020
Getty Images is not someone to mess around with. They are incredibly active in copyright infringement suits.
If they give you an embed feature, then they absolutely have terms and conditions on how the license works for that. I can practically guarantee, though will not without actually... View More
My permission is given without any representations or warranties as to other consents and permissions that may be required to use the Recording. BOLD agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold me and any affiliated companies, heirs, executors, administrators, and successors harmless from and against... View More
Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on Aug 4, 2020
It means the owner (or agent of the owner) of the Recording is granting permission to use the recording, but isn't making any statements other than that there is permission from the owner. BOLD won't get sued by the owner of the Recording for using the Recording (in whatever way the... View More
i make gifs for a tv show that i like and i ask people not to repost them since it takes a lot of effort to make and edit. i understand that doesn't compare to the effort it takes to create the show and that i have no claim to the show. from my understanding, gifs are considered fair use, but... View More
answered on Jul 5, 2020
First, don't be STUPID, just because you ask someone to not repost or resend your GIF does not put them under any obligation to comply. I don't know where you got your "understanding" about fair use, but what you say does not come within my understanding of "fair use"... View More
Correction ..."Ain't nobody got time for that"
answered on Jun 12, 2020
Confirming the risk free use of a trademark can take some time and resources for searching—and analysis of what is found.
Trademark rights are obtained when a mark is used to identify the source of goods/services. A trademark search should determine if someone else is using a trademark... View More
- To transcribe, I first need to convert the video to audio. And then use some automated service.
- I will include original video as link and/or embedded
- I won't store the audio. Audio is needed just for transcribing and will be discarded later (& will not be shared... View More
answered on Jun 6, 2020
Reading about copyright on the copyright.gov website is a good place to read about copyright. There are circulars which explain many issues. Below are some sections of copyright law.
“Subject to sections 107 through 122, the owner of copyright under this title has the exclusive rights... View More
I am currently building an online adult Toy store, I haven’t done anything yet except source products. I live in New York. My question is legally do I have to have an 18+ only disclosure on my website?
answered on May 13, 2020
Yes. Although New York has protected First Amendment rights in the context of adult stores. I believe is a good business practice to add a statement that your store will make efforts to restrict sales to minors.
Additionally, since you sell online through credit cards, access to shopping... View More
I'm doing virtual tours of New York. 10 people pay me 10 usd and we connect to zoom for an hour where I show 360 pictures and talk about the city. Through zoom I share my chrome browser and show the https://www.airpano.com website, that has lots of 360 pictures. I am not downloading anything... View More
answered on May 5, 2020
The exclusive rights granted to copyright holders include the right to reproduce, distribute, display or perform the protected work, or to make derivative works. Displaying images without permission may be deemed copyright infringement. It is important to obtain permission prior to use to avoid... View More
Certain foods have its ingredients listed in a specific order. Based on that I created an algorithm that can calculate ingredients percentage in a formula (that may or may not be different from the manufacturer’s). Can I post my calculations on my website (of course I will mention that these are... View More
Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on May 1, 2020
Reviews of a product have particular protections, but understand that some manufacturers are more litigious than others. If your algorithm is incorrect, and results in a misrepresentation of their product, they may try to pursue legal action.
Not exact copy, it says soy candle , and New York instead of France , also my store signature instead of original.
answered on Apr 26, 2020
Not a good idea because not only would you be infringing the copyright rights but also the trademark rights of the owner of the famous brand.
answered on Apr 12, 2020
You need to speak with local law enforcement if you would like someone to be punished criminally.
I am a designer and what to create tshirts for women that say 'But...can you pay my bills, tho'?' or 'Can you pay my bills?'. It's for a line of clothing that I want to produce. Since it's a common phrase I figured it would not cause an issue but want to stay on... View More
Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on Mar 23, 2020
There are a couple considerations for what you're trying to do but the main consideration is if you would be able to protect it even if you used it. You may be able to use the first phrase without infringing on Queen Bey but that doesn't mean someone else doesn't have a registration... View More
wanted attorney names
case Manhattan NY
contact information
answered on Mar 5, 2020
You should be able to find that - go to the Copyright section here for attorney listings. You could also run your own independent searches. Good luck
Tim Akpinar
Hi,
I am a programmer and I am creating an application involving streaming movies using a revolutionary technology. I am looking for a lawyer with copyright knowledge. The video files are provided as torrents and are not kept on the server. My questions are: Is it legal to stream the movies... View More
Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on Mar 3, 2020
Streaming the movies without a license to do so violates copyright. Think about Napster and all the MPAA litigation that was going on against ordinary individuals who were downloading content. The damages calculation could get very costly as well so I would caution against it.
answered on Mar 2, 2020
This is not a law firm (you ask about firm attorneys). It's only a Question and Answer board. If you need a copyright infringement attorney, you could look in the Copyright section here, or other Intellectual Property categories (you list Intellectual Property as a heading) if applicable, or... View More
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
