While copyright in the U.S. was formerly instituted by Act of Congress in 1790, its origins lie in several hundred years of prior legal evolution driven by the introduction of the printing press. Ever since, copyright has been in a dance with technology, as new forms of expression made possible by new inventions push the law to consider and adapt. More recently, the boundaries of which works may qualify for a Read More
Copyright Cease and Desist Letters Demand Immediate Action
As we have discussed in prior blogs, proprietary knowledge is frequently key in helping businesses distinguish their goods and services from those of their competitors. In that regard, copyright can be a powerful tool that can serve as a shield as much as a sword. Understanding it, and its uses and pitfalls, is therefore increasingly important in today’s competitive business environment, including when sending or Read More
Tyger Tyger: Safeguarding Against Predatory Copyright Takedowns
Tyger tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night; What immortal hand or eye, Could frame thy fearful symmetry? William Blake wrote these words while chewing on the conundrum that the hand that wrought the prey also wrought the predator. But he could have equally bent this thought to Congress, as it perhaps unwittingly spun prey and predator from the words of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 Read More
The Peculiar Case of the Cease & Desist
“Stranger Things” was all the rage In 2017. Looking to cash-in on the popularity, a couple of friends launched a “Stranger Things” pop-up bar in Chicago. The bar was a hit with locals. But it was less so with the legal team at Netflix. It wasn’t long before Netflix sent the bar owners a cease and desist letter, threatening to call the bar owners’ moms and citing the horrors of Demogorgon if the bar lingered beyond Read More
