Nirvana is one of the most famous and influential bands to ever hit the music scene. They had several hit songs such as “Smells like Teen Spirit,” “Come As You Are,” and “In Bloom,” just to name a few. But songs are not the only iconic things that come to mind when thinking of Nirvana. […]
Copyright can be created when photo is taken. But how exactly does a work, such as a photo, qualify for copyright protection? Generally, for a work to qualify for copyright protection, it must be an original work of authorship that has some minimum degree of creativity. Fixation to a tangible medium is also required. As […]
The Carlton. You’ve seen it at parties, you’ve seen at the club, and unfortunately, you may have even seen someone perform it at a wedding. The famous dance that Carlton Banks performed on the hit T.V. series, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” has become so iconic that it can be recognized almost immediately. The dance […]
Copyright and the Internet. The internet. We all know of it and we all use it. It has so many neat things that could keep us entertained for hours. But not everything on the internet is free. Sometimes you have to pay to get authorization to use or download something from the internet, which leads […]
Memes: What are they? Memes are silly images with a funny caption designed to make you laugh or brighten your day. It’s almost impossible to not see a meme when you use the internet. So many unforgettable memes like Rage comics, Bad Luck Brian, Overly Attached Girlfriend, and many others have been posted all over […]
Clients often contact us with questions concerning copyright issues. One common copyright question clients come to us with concerns the images can they use without violating copyright law. Can they use any image they find online with impunity? In short, no. Therefore, in order to avoid copyright issues you should only use images that you […]
Copyright law can provide protection for several things. From complicated software to buildings, the scope of copyright protection seems to span pretty far. Moreover, federal law has articulated the categories of things that can qualify for copyright protection. Under federal law, the expressly enumerated categories eligible for copyright protection include: (1) literary works; (2) musical […]
Elton John is being sued for copyright infringement. In a lawsuit filed in Illinois in April of 2012, Gary Hobbs is claiming that John stole lyrics from his 1982 song “Natasha” and used them in John’s 1985 song “Nikita” without the consent of Hobbs. In addition, Hobbs claims that John shopped the lyrics around to […]
Music is an art form that evolves from music of previous decades. It is a product of artists that paved the way for new music stylings and beats. For instance, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sam Cooke were groundbreaking and transformed the music scene. The question here is whether it is possible to truly be […]