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...
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“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,...
Dating apps quarreling over the swipe
There is no love lost between the companies who created the dating apps Tinder and Bumble. The first and larger of the two, Tinder and its parent company Match have tried to buy Bumble twice and have been rebuffed. Bumble, for its part, was started by an early Tinder...
Small businesses playing music likely violate copyright laws
Think about how many times music is played in a restaurant, independently owned coffee shop, local clothing store or other small business. Chances are that it is personally purchased by an employee or streamed from an internet source like Spotify or Apple Music, which...
Just call them Dunkin’
Dunkin' Donuts is a beloved treat or everyday fix for many. In efforts to keep up with the times, the 70-year-old company is moving forward by " from its name and plans to emphasize its coffee and healthier or at least less sugary edibles. While the company took pains...
Court finds photographer held copyright to Marilyn Monroe images
In a fascinating narrative, a federal judge in New York has found that the successors-in-interest of deceased photographer Bert Stern own the copyright to 2,751 iconic photos of Marilyn Monroe taken in a series of three sessions at the Los Angeles Bel-Air Hotel in...
US Supreme Court: When can copyright owners sue for infringement?
On the U.S. Supreme Court’s current docket is a major copyright case called Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corporation v. Wall-Street.com, LLC, which will decide at what point in the federal copyright registration process the copyright owner can file a lawsuit in...
Virginia Tourism taking aim at retailer for trademark dilution
“Virginia is for Lovers.” Most people associate this phrase with the well-known advertising campaign to attract tourists to visit the state of Virginia. In May, the Virginia Tourism Corp., the state’s tourism agency, sued Recovered Gold LLC in federal court for...
What rights does a copyright protect?
A copyright protects original works of authorship, including literary, musical, dramatic and artistic works. If something is copyrighted, the originator or an assignee maintains exclusive legal rights to that work. But what rights, exactly, are protected?There are...
Attorney Cheryl L. Burbach to speak at October IMA KC conference
We are proud to announce that partner Cheryl L. Burbach will present on the topic “Do You Own Your Intellectual Property?” at the 2nd Annual IMA Kansas City Fall Conference on Friday, October 26. Her presentation will...