What can you learn from Disney’s “Zootopia” copyright lawsuit?

Posted on March 23, 2017March 24, 2017 by mchattie

Longtime movie producer and screenwriter, Gary Goldman, whose notable credits include writing Total Recall and producing Minority Report, filed a federal lawsuit for copyright infringement this week against the Walt Disney Company. The “Zootopia” copyright lawsuit accuses Disney of stealing his idea for ‘Zootopia,’ the award-winning best animated picture for both the Golden Globes and Oscars. Goldman claims that Read more about What can you learn from Disney’s “Zootopia” copyright lawsuit?[…]

12 Days of Intellectual Property Christmas

Posted on December 14, 2016December 17, 2019 by mchattielaw

The McHattie Law Firm is uniquely equipped to deal with modern businesses’ most valuable asset — its intellectual property — and to manage it with a strategic legal approach in the US. From creation to licensing to sale, we stand ready, willing and able to serve your needs, developing strategies for your opportunities and solutions Read more about 12 Days of Intellectual Property Christmas[…]

Are Diamonds COSTCO’s Best Friend?

Posted on October 27, 2016February 6, 2017 by mchattie

By Clay D. Shorrock Earlier this month, a federal jury in New York ordered Costco to pay Tiffany & Co. $5.5 million in compensatory damages and $8.24 million in punitive damages in a trademark infringement lawsuit relating to Costco’s use of the famous “Tiffany” mark. The lawsuit, filed by Tiffany & Co. on Valentine’s Day Read more about Are Diamonds COSTCO’s Best Friend?[…]

The Song Remains the Same: Jury Shows a Whole Lotta Love for Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven

Posted on July 22, 2016 by mchattielaw

By: Christopher McHattie, Esq. and Sean Sanders The verdict is in and Led Zeppelin is off the hook following a highly publicized copyright infringement lawsuit brought by the estate of Spirit’s Randy Wolfe (a.k.a., Randy California). Following a two-year legal battle, a Los Angeles jury found last week that Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” did Read more about The Song Remains the Same: Jury Shows a Whole Lotta Love for Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven[…]

Keep Calm and Protect Your Intellectual Property Post ‘Brexit’

Posted on July 14, 2016 by mchattie

By, Clayton D. Shorrock, Esq. As we all know, on June 23, 2016, the UK, the worlds’ fifth largest economy, voted to leave the European Union. The so called “Brexit” will have major implications on intellectual property rights in the UK and throughout Europe. While the UK will not officially leave the EU for a Read more about Keep Calm and Protect Your Intellectual Property Post ‘Brexit’[…]

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN AND THE EUROPEAN UNION

Posted on June 24, 2016 by mchattie

By: Christie McGuinness In a historic referendum on June 23, 2016, Britain voted to leave the European Union, which many are crediting to a rise in xenophobia, extreme nationalism, and anti-Immigration sentiment. Whatever the reasons for the vote, it is certain this vote saw a drastic divide between age groups with younger British citizens typically Read more about GOD SAVE THE QUEEN AND THE EUROPEAN UNION[…]

How “Small” Can Copyright Go? Or, How The Music Industry Is Eating Its Tail

Posted on June 13, 2016 by mchattie

Christopher McHattie & Sean E. Sanders Last year’s copyright infringement action between Marvin Gaye’s estate and Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams has songwriters, lyricists and composers looking over their shoulders. The decision raises important questions on how “short” a musical work can be to be entitled to copyright protection. Is a sequence of 10 notes Read more about How “Small” Can Copyright Go? Or, How The Music Industry Is Eating Its Tail[…]

Will The Real Time Warner Please Stand Up?

Posted on June 9, 2016 by mchattielaw

WILL THE REAL TIME WARNER PLEASE STAND UP? By Christie McGuinness. June 9, 2016 Time Warner Cable was bought recently for $60 billion dollars by Charter Communications Inc. Ideally, this sale will solve the many problems associated with Time Warner Cable, which is notorious for “[having] a reputation for poor customer service, consistently ranking Read more about Will The Real Time Warner Please Stand Up?[…]

Road Trip: South by Southwest 2016!

Posted on February 4, 2016 by mchattielaw

Who’s going to SXSW in March? Are you an artist, a musician, an inventor, an IT guru? You are the innovators, the people who have ideas and are enthusiastic to introduce the world to who you are and what you are about. At the same time, you need to protect your creativity and to learn Read more about Road Trip: South by Southwest 2016![…]

Flag On The Play, Part Deux

Posted on January 6, 2016 by mchattielaw

As predicted in our November 13, 2014 post, “Flag On The Play”, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) has held that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) stuck its “subjective nose” so far into trademark owners’ choices of trademarks that the U.S. Constitution has been violated. In re Read more about Flag On The Play, Part Deux[…]