The family of conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly lost their appeal Monday to block the use of the Schlafly name by Saint Louis Brewery, LLC, which brews under the Schlafly name.Founded by Phyllis Schlafly's nephew Thomas Schlafly in 1989, Missouri's largest...
Month: November 2018
HBO and Trump enter the parody fray
President Trump will be remembered for many things, but his use of Twitter has been an effective and groundbreaking approach to connecting with constituents and the wider world. He recently took to Twitter to announce the imminent arrival of sanctions against Iran. He...
Court dismisses photo copyright case: Lessons for photographers
We recently talked in this space about a case in which the court found that a photograph copied onto a website was not only substantially similar to the copyrighted original, as required for copyright infringement, but it was identical, an exact digital copy. Today we...
Court observations about copyright infringement in photography
At our law firm, we represent professional photographers in the protection of intellectual property rights in their creative works. Our advocacy includes asserting copyright protections when others infringe on copyrighted photos such as by reproducing them without...
Can Your Family Recipes Be Patented?
Who would have thought that recipe for Aunt Martha’s spaghetti sauce could be copyrighted or patented and turned into a moneymaker?That would be the case if former Microsoft Chief Technology Officer and culinary enthusiast Nathan Myhrvold has his way. To date,...
Hovey Williams involvement in Global Entrepreneurship Week
An important day for the Kansas City area is almost here. On Monday, Nov. 12, a major weeklong conference begins — dedicated to supporting and celebrating innovative people who launch startup businesses — Global Entrepreneurship Week. As a regional law firm dedicated...
Hovey Williams attorneys to speak at entrepreneurship conference
Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery. That may be true in some situations, but if someone uses your idea, name or product without permission, it can threaten your livelihood. There are preventative measures for protecting intellectual property, and...
Do employees own their ideas?
Starting a new company with a great new idea can be exciting, but there needs to be some clear boundaries if the founder is jumping from a job as an employee in the same field. While the idea may be a good one with lots of promise, many employees sign Confidentiality...
President signs largest copyright law change in decades
President Trump was recently able to sign the Music Modernization Act (MMA), which is seen as the biggest update to copyright law in decades. It is also a rare bipartisan bill that received unanimous approval in the Senate and the House.The MMA addresses a...
“Stairway to Heaven” back in court
Led Zeppelin famously made rock music that was heavier, louder and more lucrative. The band did this while pillaging Norse mythology and J.R.R. Tolkien (among others) for its lyrics. Musically, it borrowed from a long line of musicians that included folk songwriters,...