What’s the one thing that can send chills down the spine of any copyright attorney? A $5 million judgment against your client for a music copyright case. This past week, the video depositions of Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke were released for public consumption. The case represents the reason why you do not want to … Continue reading
Filed under Entertainment Business …
Returning to My Radio Roots
Imagine it if you can – a six-year old brunette little girl with a heavy southern accent, dressed up in all the frills and red taffeta her mother could find taking part in her very first beauty pageant and answering her very first question on stage. I remember being so very scared to talk in the … Continue reading
Taylor Swift’s Not So Bad Blood with Ryan Adams
We are finally starting to see a few glimpses of fall here in Mississippi, by way of the changing leaves and cooler temperatures in the morning. Fall means gourds, colorful leaves, and holiday cornucopias. This past week brought to mind several copyright issues – a cornucopia of copyright. My social media feeds have billowed news … Continue reading
It’s Time to Light the Lights – Again
It’s time to light the lights, again. For those who do not know me well, it might come as a surprise to you that this very serious intellectual property law nerd loves a frog. Few things bring me more joy than Kermit the Frog. As young girl growing up in my version of a swamp, lower … Continue reading
ReBlog – NFL Parody or Copyright Infringement?
The House of Saucier is in gear getting ready for football season. There are meals to plan, snacks to purchase and games to watch. For The Hubs, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. I was hopeful this example of potential copyright infringement with the NFL had gone away. I guess I … Continue reading
Confessions of an Aspiring Intellectual Property Attorney: What I Learned, Hope to Learn and What I Wish My Creative Friends Knew
For the first time, this week’s post is written by a guest author. KeNosha Robinson is a rising 2L law student at Mississippi College School of Law who will enter into her first official intellectual property classes in a few days. I had the pleasure of working with her this Summer while she served as … Continue reading
Blowing Out the Candles on “Happy Birthday” Dispute
Have I mentioned litigation takes a long time? It does, in case you have any doubts. Over two years ago, I wrote about the case filed to determine if the song “Happy Birthday” was in the public domain. Thus, not subject to copyright protection and free for all of us. See more, Happy Day for Good … Continue reading
The Electronic Superhighway of Copyright Law
Much like the Dolby Surround Sound demonstration before a movie in a theater, when you practice in the field of copyright and trademark law, you soon realize copyright law and trademark law is “all around.” The Hubs and I decided to visit the Smithsonian American Art Museum while in Washington, D.C. My biggest takeaway was … Continue reading
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
What are Photographer’s Rights in Celebrity Photos?
Taylor Swift once again made headlines this week related to music royalties. Earlier this week, Taylor penned a letter to Apple explaining why offering their new music service free for 3 months hurts musicians. She encouraged Apple to rethink this policy. Surprisingly, they did. Shortly after Swift’s blog post, read HERE, Apple responded saying that … Continue reading
All Good Things: Graduating with the National Association of Broadcasters
All endings are bitter sweet, but this one was especially more sweet than bitter because my classmates selected me to give the remarks on behalf of our class during our graduation ceremony. What an honor! Continue reading
Are Fictional Cartoon Characters Protected by Copyright?
We all learned in elementary school stealing is wrong. If it is not yours, then you cannot use it without asking permission. You cannot take someone’s crayons. You cannot go home with someone else’s baby doll. You cannot ride and take someone else’s bicycle. A simple concept even kindergartners can grasp. However, for some reason, … Continue reading
Statute of RyAnne 