Copyright Infringment Lawyer, Internet Defamation, and Internet Privacy

Ann Arbor Copy Shop Loses Fair Use Defense in Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

Excel Test Preparation, a university course pack copy shop located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has lost a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by five publishing companies, including Oxford University Press and SAGE Publications.  Unlike other local copy shows that copy and bind course packs provided by professors (and pay licensing fees to do so), Excel allowed students to make copies of a master course pack that was provided by a professor.  Excel argued that its actions were covered by the fair use defense under the Copyright Act. 

Copyright Infringement Threat Letters: How to run a copyright infringement threat letter program.

Today’s program is brought to you by the attorneys at Traverse Legal, PLC, a global law firm specializing in Internet law, Trademark infringement, Copyright Infringement, Cybersquatting, On-Line Defamation, Non-Compete & Trade Secret Law and Complex litigation. If you have a legal matter arising on the web, contact one of Traverse Legal’s internet lawyers today.

Enrico Schaefer:  This is attorney Enrico Schaefer.  This radio segment is brought to you by Traverse Legal, a law firm specializing in Internet law, intellectual property and global online brand protection. 

Copyright Infringement Threat Letters:  How to run a copyright infringement threat letter program.

If you’re a copyright owner, you need to protect your intellectual property (IP).  If you don’t protect IP, you may lose your copyrights altogether.  Copyrights are property rights.  You need to control them the same way you would control access to a family heirloom.  If you had a diamond ring that had been passed down through the generations, you would keep control of that diamond ring.  You wouldn’t let just anyone use it, wear it or take it out of the house.  The same thing is true with copyrights; however, copyrights are very easy to distribute, to make replications of, and to take control of by third parties. So, it’s not as easy as simply putting your family heirloom (diamond ring) in a safe and keeping it locked up.  You have to be wary of third party infringement.

Copyright Licensing Lawyer Discusses the Protection of Your Intellectual Property

Today’s program is brought to you by the attorneys at Traverse Legal, PLC, a global law firm specializing in Internet law, Trademark infringement, Copyright Infringement, Cybersquatting, On-Line Defamation, Non-Compete & Trade Secret Law and Complex litigation. If you have a legal matter arising on the web, contact one of Traverse Legal’s internet lawyers today.

DAMIEN ALLEN: Good afternoon and welcome to Traverse Legal Radio. My name is Damien Allen in the studio, and we are speaking with Mr. Enrico Schaefer at Traverse Legal and we are talking about copyright licensing. 

You Must Have a Copyright Registered In Order to Sue For Copyright Infringement,

You can not sue for copyright infringement in federal court unless your copyright is registered.

It is often said that the poor man's copyright relies on common law because common law copyright rights begin as soon as an original work is fixed in a tangible medium of expression.  Clients often ask whether they should send a sealed and certified envelope to themselves via post containing the copyrighted work to ensure that they have evidence that they created a work prior to anyone else.  Priority of creation, however, does not have an effect on the validity of copyright protection in the United States.  These methods may have been beneficial prior to the Copyright Act of 1976 because publication was a prerequisite to copyright protection, but they no longer serve a purpose.  Instead, clients are best served by a copyright registration with the US Copyright Office.

Music Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Update: No Sanctions Awarded

A magistrate judge has ruled that the RIAA is not entitled to monetary sanctions against attorney Ray Beckerman.  Beckerman is accused of filing motions that attack the RIAA and then publishing them on his Recording Industry vs. The People blog.  Ray Beckerman most recently represented Marie Lindor, who was a defendant in a RIAA copyright infringement lawsuit that alleged that Lindor made music files available over the Kazaa file sharing service.  The RIAA eventually dropped the case.

Reduce Copyright Infringement Risks When Broadcasting Music In Your Business

Clients often ask us, “Can I broadcast music from my iPod, CDs, or Internet radio in my business?”  Typically, these clients operate bars, restaurants, or other service-based establishments.  Often to a client’s surprise, we must inform them that the Copyright Act of 1976’s § 110 does not allow an establishment to “publicly display” non-broadcast music.  The Copyright Act considers the public display of non-broadcast music to be copyright infringement, and business that want to fully mitigate their risks in this area must get a license to play music in their establishment.

Software Copyright Infringement | Washington Court Rules on Software License

The Western District of Washington has affirmed that a Seattle resident, Timothy Vernor, did not infringe the copyright of Autodesk, Inc. when he re-sold AutoCAD software that he had obtained from an Autodesk customer.  This is an important software copyright infringement decision that affects the ability of software vendors to prevent the re-sale of their copyrighted software under the First Sale Doctrine.

Defamation & Slander of Character Attorney | Can A Domain Name Support a Claim?

Domain Name Defamation of Character?  A recent 'celebrity cybersquatting' controversy over Glenn Beck filing a Complaint under the UDRP with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) seeking transfer of the domain www.GlennBeckRapedandMurderedAyoungGirlIn1990.com has stirred passion among many internet law attorneys.  The web site, designed as a parody of Glenn Beck's entertainment style of asking rhetorical questions as accusations without having to investigate the truth of the matter, does has First Amendment protection.  The question is whether the anonymous owner of the web site, has stretched his right to freedom of speech too far.  Are the web site and domain name online defamation or slander? Can a domain name itself be defamatory? The tension between freedom of speech and defamation is considered here with more articles on defamation below.

• Will Glenn Beck Sue a Defamatory Website in 2009? | Citizen Media ...
• Does This Domain Name Defame Glenn Beck?
• Can a domain name be defamation? Glenn Beck says yes ....

Before you decide to sue for defamation, libel, or slander, contact on of our qualified defamation attorneys.  Our internet defamation attorneys can help you pursue libel or slander on the internet which attacks your personal name, business name or your brands.