Last weekend, two of my best friends from law school, Amy Strickland and Ellen Donati Flechas, and I set out on a girls’ weekend trip, which my Dad coined the “Lady Lawyer Weekend.” A cheesy name, but it works. It took nearly four plus months of planning to find a weekend where we all could … Continue reading
Filed under Book Publishing …
Entertainment and Intellectual Property Law for 2015, So Far …
Can you believe the year is half way over? It seems like one day I was bundling up wondering if the winter would ever end, and today I’m getting ready to celebrate the Fourth of July. The post this week is a look back over the hot topics and posts you, my readers, have found … Continue reading
Copyright Basics in a Video Short
YouTube is really great. It has the ability to succinctly educate on all kinds of topics using the medium of film, which you know I love. Because some of us do not learn by words, I am constantly on the hunt for great video content. This past week, I ran across the Crash Course series on … Continue reading
To Judge a Book By Its Lawyer
Filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office 3 years prior to the release of the sequel of To Kill a Mockingbird are facts to show the new book had been planned for awhile. Continue reading
Let’s Get Copyright Cookin’
I love Pinterest. There is something productive feeling about creating your own mini-magazines showcasing your dream home, your ideal wedding or every tip you could find on treating your pets. Let’s not forget the recipes. When I am not talking about, reading or researching intellectual property issues, you can usually find me in the kitchen. There is something therapeutic, … Continue reading
Words & Spelling Count in Copyright
Sometimes you read something so spot on that it must be shared. If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone say they wanted to “trademark” their song or get a “copyright” on their business name or that they do not need to license a photograph because it is “fair use,” I would be … Continue reading
To Win a Mockingbird Lawsuit
Several months ago I wrote about a southern tale gone awry. The villain was the Monroe County Heritage Museum and the victim was Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird. You can read the tale about the Monroe County Heritage Museum opposing Ms. Lee’s claim to the trademark registration in the phrase To Kill … Continue reading
It’s ALIVE! It’s ALIVE! – Mummifying Copyright Law
Did you know that separate from a book, play or movie characters in those creative pieces can also receive copyright protection? It’s true. One of the early cases defining this idea is Nichols v. Universal Pictures Corp in 1930. Judge Learned Hand recognized that characters could receive copyright protection; however, he did so with something … Continue reading
To Kill a Trademark Registration
Find me a southern lawyer that says she was not influenced by Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, and I’ll show you a lawyer that does not bill for her time. I have enthusiastically devoured the book many times throughout the years. As a girl, I related to mischievous Scout enacting plays … Continue reading
Hollywood Celebrities in Books
Author writes book. Book gets picked up by a publisher. Now, author needs a publicity team to get the word out about the book. If said author is really lucky they get to work with Julie Schoerke and the team at JKS Communications. Over a long chat about books we love, authors and favorite cities, … Continue reading