Statute of RyAnne

My long time readers and friends know this girl loves a countdown show.  So, why should my blog be any different? This year, visitors from 88 countries visited this site! Some found their way by Twitter others from searching for United States copyright and trademark law.  I continue to be blown away by the sharing and input you each bring to the little nerd blog that could.  Thank YOU!

In reverse order, here are the Top 10 Posts that received the most attention as measured by social media shares and viewers in 2014.  If you happened to miss one, click on those and catch up.  There might be a test later in the New Year. 🙂

10.  Traveling the Roadways of Sweet Home Licensing 

The state of Alabama made a big deal this past year of licensing the lyrics to Sweet Home Alabama for placement on the welcome signs crossing into state borders.  My thinking is that the higher-ups in Alabama government received some very poor intellectual property legal advice.  Read more to find out why payment of the licensing fee was probably unnecessary.

9.  Tips for Posting Copyrighted Music on YouTube, Part 2

With Instagram, the ease of taking videos on our mobile devices and the desire to create video that goes viral on the internet, everyone is interested about how to legally post music to their YouTube postings.  This post explored the ways to go about doing this and was a follow-up to an earlier post.  For a little background, I recommend checking out Part 1 first, but go on to read the more popular Part 2 above.

8.  What is Aereo and Why Should I Care?

This year saw the United States Supreme Court debating the merits of a new technological device that was subscriber based and transmitted copyrighted content.  Aereo did not win, but if it had, it would have had very real implications to the copyright structure as a whole.  To be in the know and to know the genesis that might affect future cloud storage issues be sure to not miss this post.

7.  Top 5 Copyright Myths

They are everywhere aren’t they?  My recent favorite is the Facebook status update where you are told to post it so that your intellectual property rights are protected on Facebook.  Guess what?  It doesn’t work like that.  I constantly get the opportunity to explain how copyright does, and, often times, does not work.  This breaks down some questions I most often encounter.

6.  Making Money From Your Smartphone

This year saw a new line of apps for smartphones where creators can potentially make a profit off of all of those selfies or nature shots they take on their runs.  FOAP is an app that has gotten a lot of attention.  But, as with anything, user beware.  There are some potential pitfalls.

5.  Feature Friday – Alex Warren and Sequence

I love it when I get to see my friends grow and blossom.  Recently, my friend Alex Warren has put together four short films that have the possibility of standing alone.  Alex had some recently interesting and useful things to say about the creative process.  Be sure to check out the links within the post to so that you can view Sequence.

4.  Beauty and The Beast of Copyright Law

If there is one topic I get more questions about than others, it would have to be the topic of Fair Use.  This piece examines parodies, specifically in the realm of Saturday Night Live sketches.  When is it parody and when is it something else that needs a license?  If you have been wondering, then this post is for you.

3.  All I Am Saying Is Give Girls a Chance

It does this female entertainment attorney in a male dominated profession good to know this story was in the Top 3 stories read, viewed and shared in 2014.  Have we done enough to include females in the film making process?  How do we get more females interested in the film industry and make sure there are opportunities for them? If I had to pick one blog post for the year, this would be my favorite.  Give it a read and maybe it will be your favorite too.

2.  NFL Parody or Copyright Infringement

Advertising agencies are great, but sometimes their “great idea” is actually copyright infringement or bumps up against right of publicity issues.  Would the NFL be okay with a local car dealership in Mississippi using their football theme song?  I’ll let you check out the clip and decide.

And the TOP most read post on StatuteofRyAnne.com this year was …

1.  The Selfie Felt Around the World

Last year might have had the word “selfie” added to the dictionary, but 2014 was truly the year of the selfie.  From celebrities being over-exposed in their private selfies to the selfie that immediately went viral during The Academy Awards, this year showed a photo can be worth at least a thousand dollars.

With the holiday break coming up, I will have one more post for 2014 next week, so definitely be sure to check that out.  I will make my predictions for what I think we will see as it relates to copyright law, trademark law and entertainment law issues in 2015.

The Hubs had a copyright cake made for my birthday a few weeks ago!

What has been your favorite post this year?  Did a post you really love not make the Top 10?  If so, share it in the Comments section below by taking part in the conversation.  Stay Tuned In!

If you liked this post, please share it and click the FREE Subscription button above to get more! Follow and tweet to me on Twitter where I pass along the latest entertainment law, broadcasting and intellectual property news @RyanneDSaucier