What Are Statutory Damages and Why Do They Matter for Copyright Owners?

What Are Statutory Damages and Why Do They Matter for Copyright Owners?

One of the greatest advantages of a Registered copyright is the ability to have, in fact is a requirement, that statutory damages be awarded.  A Registration also makes attorney’s fees much more likely. Under the Copyright Act, 17 USC §§501 et seq., creators of original works of authorship including literary, visual, dramatic, musical, and artistic works Read more about What Are Statutory Damages and Why Do They Matter for Copyright Owners?[…]

Supreme Court: Copyright Must Be Registered Before Filing Copyright Infringement Action

Supreme Court: Copyright Must Be Registered Before Filing Copyright Infringement Action

By: Sarah A. Teitelman, Esq., Jules D. Zalon, Esq. and Christopher J. McHattie, Esq. On March 4, 2019, the United States Supreme Court resolved a long-standing circuit COURT split and held that a copyright owner must first obtain a copyright Certificate of Registration from the United States Copyright Office before instituting a copyright infringement action, Read more about Supreme Court: Copyright Must Be Registered Before Filing Copyright Infringement Action[…]

A Note-Worthy Development: Led Zeppelin May Face Retrial in Stairway to Heaven Copyright Case ♫♪

A Note-Worthy Development: Led Zeppelin May Face Retrial in Stairway to Heaven Copyright Case ♫♪

Update from our previous blog post The Song Remains the Same: Jury Shows a Whole Lotta Love for Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven. Written by Sarah Teitelman with some help from Chris McHattie. On September 28, 2018, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals partially vacated the prior Central District’s verdict that Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven did Read more about A Note-Worthy Development: Led Zeppelin May Face Retrial in Stairway to Heaven Copyright Case ♫♪[…]

Monkeying Around with Copyright Law

Monkeying Around with Copyright Law

The two-year ‘monkey selfie’ dispute between David Slater, a British Wildlife photographer, and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has driven copyright lawyers bananas and finally reached a settlement. Monkey See. Monkey Do. This legal battle began in the Indonesian jungle when Naruto, the macaque monkey, snapped a ‘selfie’ using Slater’s unattended Read more about Monkeying Around with Copyright Law[…]

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

zootopia

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

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?[…]