Have you ever heard of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)? This Act was passed in 1998 and addresses copyright infringements on the internet. The Act was intended to stop those who would circumvent the normal measures to be granted the rights to disseminate something online. Everyday there are millions of people posting photos, quotes, […]
Widerman Malek Law Blog
Is Happy Birthday to You copyrighted?
Candles are lit on the cake and your friends and family have gathered around you. So what happens next? They all sing “Happy Birthday to you”, naturally. Then candles are blown out, with or without help from someone and clapping begins. The cake is cut and served with ice cream. This scenario plays out over […]
Monkey’s Selfie Cannot be copyrighted
In a recent event, British photojournalist David Slater, has accused Wikipedia of copyright infringement when the organization allegedly refused to take down a photo taken by a monkey using the camera belonging to Slater. The picture in question is a selfie taken by a black Macaca Nigra monkey, who during a photo shoot in Indonesia […]
Infringing on Others’ Rights
Infringing of any kind over things such as products, trademarks, copyrights, patents and intellectual property is illegal. But some people have the idea that copying or reproducing something, or producing similar things that resemble the original is not infringing or violating. Is your product infringing on others’ exclusive rights? Is the question that should be […]
Infringement Lawsuit Over a Paper Bag!
Here is an interesting piece of news about two companies using paper bags for advertisements. It all started when a Georgia law firm started distributing brown paper bags which can be used to carry beer cans. This firm deals with drunk driving incidents and probably gave out paper bags for beer cans as a calling […]
A Possible Scary Future for Those That Believe in Intellectual Property Rights
The internet comes under a lot of scrutiny these days for the rampant theft of intellectual property and other things that can be easily gotten from it. Since the internet involves no personal or face to face communication people do not seem to hold it to the same values as intellectual property found in other […]
The Invisible Line Between Copyrights and Infringements
There is a very fine line between what can be used and what should not be copied from the internet. Most people follow a general rule which is “if I can see it, I can use it”. However, when it comes to intellectual property and copyright right protected innovations, people must know where to stop. […]
Food for Thought: Images on the Internet
In this day and age where anyone can write a blog or put up a website many use images found on the internet to use to make their blog more interesting. Many times these bloggers or website owners will then be shut down after getting a threatening letter from an attorney over the use of […]
Don’t Mess With Judge Judy!
Judge Judy, the well known television jurist who is known for settling small claims lawsuits on her show, but is perhaps better known for her cantankerous attitude and sharp wit has filed her very first civil lawsuit against someone else. She alleges that a personal injury lawyer named John Haymond of Haymond Law has taken […]
