#Copyright Lawyer Sydney

[mostlysignssomeportents]

2023's public domain is a banger

40 years ago, giant entertainment companies embarked on a slow-moving act of arson. The fuel for this arson was copyright term extension (making copyrights last longer), including retrospective copyright term extensions that took works out of the public domain and put them back into copyright for decades. Vast swathes of culture became off-limits, pseudo-property with absentee landlords, with much of it crumbling into dust.

After 55-75 years, only 2% of works have any commercial value. After 75 years, it declines further. No wonder that so much of our cultural heritage is now orphan works, with no known proprietor. Extending copyright on all works – not just those whose proprietors sought out extensions – incinerated whole libraries full of works, permanently.

But on January 1, 2019, the bonfire was extinguished. That was the day that items created in 1923 entered the US public domain: DeMille's Ten Commandments, Chaplain's Pilgrim, Burroughs' Tarzan and the Golden Lion, Woolf's Jacob's Room, Coward's London Calling and 1,000+ more works:

https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2019/

Many of those newly liberated works were forgotten, partly due to their great age, but also because no one knew who they belonged to (Congress abolished the requirement to register copyrights in 1976), so no one could revive or reissue them while they were still in the popular imagination, depriving them of new leases on life.

2019 was the starting gun on a new public domain, giving the public new treasures to share and enjoy, and giving the long-dead creators of the Roaring Twenties a new chance at posterity. Each new year since has seen  a richer, more full public domain. 2021 was a great year, featuring some DuBois, Dos Pasos, Huxley, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Bessie Smith and Sydney Bechet:

https://pluralistic.net/2020/12/16/fraught-superpowers/#public-domain-day

In just 12 days, the public domain will welcome another year's worth of works back into our shared commons. As ever, Jennifer Jenkins of Duke's Center for the Public Domain have painstaking researched highlights from the coming year's entrants:

https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2023/

On the literary front, we have Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse, AA Milne's Now We Are Six, Hemingway's Men Without Women, Faulkner's Mosquitoes, Christie's The Big Four, Wharton's Twilight Sleep, Hesse's Steppenwolf (in German), Kafka's Amerika (in German), and Proust's Le Temps retrouvé (in French).

We also get all of Sherlock Holmes, finally wrestling control back from the copyright trolls who control the Arthur Conan Doyle estate. This is a firm of rent-seeking bullies who have abused the court process to extract menaces money from living creators, including rent on works that were unambiguously in the public domain.

The estate's sleaziest trick is claiming that while many Sherlock Holmes stories were in the public domain, certain elements of Holmes's personality were developed in later stories that were still in copyright, and therefore any Sherlock story that contained those elements was a copyright violation. Infamously, the Doyle Estate went after the creators of the Enola Holmes series, claiming a copyright over Sherlock stories in which Holmes was "capable of friendship," "expressed emotion," or "respected women." This is a nonsensical theory, based on the idea that these character traits are copyrightable. They are not:

https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2023/#fn6text

The Doyle Estate's shakedown racket took a serious body-blow in 2013, when Les Klinger – a lawyer, author and prominent Sherlockian – prevailed in court, with the judge ruling that new works based on public domain Sherlock stories were not infringing, even if some Sherlock stories remained in copyright. The estate appealed and lost again, and Klinger was awarded costs. They tried to take the case to the Supreme Court and got laughed out of the building.

But as the Enola Holmes example shows, you can't keep a copyright troll down: the Doyle estate kept making up imaginary copyright laws in a desperate, grasping bid to wring more money out of living, working creators. That's gonna be a lot harder after Jan 1, when The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes enters the public domain, meaning that every Sherlock story will be out of copyright.

One fun note about Klinger's landmark win over the Doyle estate: he took an amazing victory lap, commissioning an anthology of new unauthorized Holmes stories in 2016 called "Echoes of Sherlock Holmes":

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Echoes-of-Sherlock-Holmes/Laurie-R-King/Sherlock-Holmes/9781681775463

I wrote a short story for it, "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Extraordinary Rendition," which was based on previously unpublished Snowden leaks.

https://esl-bits.net/ESL.English.Listening.Short.Stories/Rendition/01/default.html

I got access to the full Snowden trove thanks to Laura Poitras, who jointly commissioned the story from me for inclusion in the companion book for "Astro noise : a survival guide for living under total surveillance," her show at the Whitney:

https://www.si.edu/object/siris_sil_1060502

I also reported out the leaks the story was based on in a companion piece:

https://memex.craphound.com/2016/02/02/exclusive-snowden-intelligence-docs-reveal-uk-spooks-malware-checklist/

Jan 1, 2023 will also be a fine day for film in the public domain, with Metropolis, The Jazz Singer, and Laurel and Hardy's Battle of the Century entering the commons. Also notable: Wings, winner of the first-ever best picture Academy Award; The Lodger, Hitchcock's first thriller; and FW "Nosferatu" Mirnau's Sunrise.

However most of the movies that enter the public domain next week will never be seen again. They are "lost pictures," and every known copy of them expired before their copyrights did. 1927 saw the first synchronized dialog film (The Jazz Singer). As talkies took over the big screen, studios all but gave up on preserving silent films, which were printed on delicate stock that needed careful tending. Today, 75% of all silent films are lost to history.

But some films from this era do survive, and they are now in the public domain. This is true irrespective of whether they were restored at a later date. Restoration does not create a new copyright. "The Supreme Court has made clear that 'the sine qua non of copyright is originality.'"

https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/499/340

There's some great music entering the public domain next year! "The Best Things In Life Are Free"; "I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice-Cream"; "Puttin' On the Ritz"; "'S Wonderful"; "Ol' Man River"; "My Blue Heaven" and "Mississippi Mud."

It's a banger of a year for jazz and blues, too. We get Bessie Smith's "Back Water Blues," "Preaching the Blues," and "Foolish Man Blues." We get Louis Armstrong's "Potato Head Blues" and "Gully Low Blues." We get Jelly Roll Morton's "Billy Goat Stomp," "Hyena Stomp," and "Jungle Blues." And we get Duke Ellington's "Black and Tan Fantasy" and "East St. Louis Toodle-O."

Note that these are just the compositions. No new sound recordings come into the public domain in 2023, but on January 1, 2024, all of 1923's recordings will enter the public domain, with more recordings coming in every year thereafter.

We're only a few years into the newly reopened public domain, but it's already bearing fruit. The Great Gatsby entered the public domain in 2021, triggering a rush of beautiful new editions and fresh scholarship:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/books/the-great-gatsby-public-domain.html

These new editions were varied and wonderful. Beehive Books produced a stunning edition, illustrated by the Balbusso Twins, with a new introduction by Wellesley's Prof William Cain:

https://beehivebooks.com/shop/gatsby

And Planet Money released a fabulous, free audiobook edition:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/01/18/peak-indifference/#gatsby

Last year saw the liberation of Winnie the Pooh, unleashing a wild and wonderful array of remixes, including a horror film ("Blood and Honey") and also innumerable, lovely illustrations and poems, created by living, working creators for contemporary audiences.

As Jenkins notes, many of the works that enter the public domain next week display and promote "racial slurs and demeaning stereotypes." The fact that these works are now in the public domain means that creators can "grapple with and reimagine them, including in a corrective way." They can do this without having to go to the Supreme Court, unlike the Alice Randall, whose "Wind Done Gone" retold "Gone With the Wind" from the enslaved characters' perspective:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wind_Done_Gone

After all this, you'd think that countries around the world would have learned their lesson on copyright term extension, but you'd be wrong. In Canada, Justin Trudeau caved to Donald Trump and retroactively expanded copyright terms by 20 years, as part of USMCA, the successor to NAFTA. Trudeau ignored teachers, professors, librarians and the Minister of Justice, who said that copyright extension should require "a modest registration requirement" – so 20 years of copyright will be tacked onto all works, including those with no owners:

https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2022/04/the-canadian-government-makes-its-choice-implementation-of-copyright-term-extension-without-mitigating-against-the-harms/

Other countries followed Canada's disastrous lead: New Zealand "agreed to extend its copyright term as a concession in trade agreements, even though this would cost around $55m [NZ dollars] annually without any compelling evidence that it would provide a public benefit":

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/nz-agrees-to-mickey-mouse-copyright-law

Wrapping up her annual post, Jenkins writes of a "melancholy" that "comes from the unnecessary losses that our current system causes—the vast majority of works that no longer retain commercial value and are not otherwise available, yet we lock them all up to provide exclusivity to a tiny minority.

"Those works which, remember, constitute part of our collective culture, are simply off limits for use without fear of legal liability. Since most of them are 'orphan works' (where the copyright owner cannot be found) we could not get permission from a rights holder even if we wanted to. And many of those works do not survive that long cultural winter."

[Image ID: A montage of works that enter the public domain on Jan 1, 2023.]

[thepodcasthoard]

How to Start a Podcast (and Make Money) The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Podcast on the Side in 2024 - Ryan Robinson

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l Part 6 l Part 7 l Part 8 l Part 9 l Part 10 l Part 11 l Part 12 l Part 13 l Part 14 l Part 15 l Part 16 l Part 17 l Part 18 l Part 19 l Part 20 l Part 21

The twenty-second article Sydney gave me is by a blogger.

1. Choose a topic

Passion and the ability to talk about it not only extensively but long term is key here.

You should also pick a niche within that topic, to better focus your podcast. A more focused podcast makes it easier to promote.

Also keep in mind what you can bring to the table- what can you do differently than other podcasts with the same topic/in the same niche?

Keep in mind your audience. This links to your topic and niche. Who do you want to listen to your podcast?

What is your overall goal for the podcast? Are you creating this for fun with friends, or to educate, or to entertain?

2. Naming

The name of a podcast does some heavy lifting. Try to get it right, or at least close to it, for your podcast in the beginning. You can always change it later, but don't go for a placeholder name.

Make sure the name isn't taken.

Keep the name relatively short so it isn't cut off in the directory.

Don't keyword stuff- it could lead to it being marked as spam.

3. Equipment

Computer

Microphone: condenser vs dynamic and USB vs XLR are listed here

Boom arm/stand to keep the microphone still

Shock mount to avoid noise if you bump the stand/boom arm

Pop filter to avoid harsh sounds like 'p's and 'b's.

USB cord, even if you chose an XLR microphone

Mixer, if you chose an XLR microphone

4. Software

A way to record and edit your podcast is essential. Some options with links are mentioned, so you should head over and take a look so that the blogger can get the credit for the click throughs.

5. Copyright and trademarking

This is legal stuff, and while neither I or the blogger are lawyers, you should probably at least think about that.

6. Format

Interview

Solo

Host and panel

Co-host

Scripted non fiction (journalism)

Scripted fiction (AKA an audio drama)

They each have examples listed below the format, so you can go check them out and see what you like and don't like.

7. Record your first episode

This article recommends not worrying about your no-doubt high expectations, using an outline, and making sure everything you need is within easy reach.

8. Edit

This is a variable process that will differ show to show, so it's best to just try it out and experiment.

9. Schedule

The article recommends recording and editing a few episodes to keep ahead. This way, when you do pick a schedule, you have a bit of a buffer.

10. Hosting site

The article mentions quite a few, so you can choose which one is best for you and your show.

11. Artwork and description

This article puts artwork very nicely: "Their first impression won’t be what they hear: it’ll be what they see." Meaning, the art will be the first thing the potential listener will judge, before they even consider listening.

The description is similar- the potential listener will read that before listening, to see if it sounds like something they'll enjoy. So make it informative and still intriguing. This is the place for keywords, but keep them natural in sentences.

12. Get listeners

The first thing to do is make sure the content is something people will listen to- think about why people should listen, and what they want to hear.

You can also be a guest on podcasts within your topic and niche. Make sure your audience would mesh with theirs, and ask nicely! It doesn't hurt to ask- the worst thing they can say is 'no.'

Trailer swap/shoutout trades- this is simpler than being a guest. If you're nervous about being a guest, offer to send them a short trailer about your show and you'll play their show's short trailer. Or ask if they'd be willing to mention your podcast by name as long as you do the same.

Social media- share episodes, sneak peeks, you name it. Use your existing social media if you want, but also grab handles specifically for your show.

13. Monetize

If you're planning to run this long-term, it's a good idea to get some money back doing it. It makes it more worth your while. Sponsorships, ads, affiliating yourself, and consulting are listed in this article.

As an aside from me, if you've read the previous recaps I've done, you also know that selling merchandise and subscriptions are also options.

[sstevenhawkin]

A litigation lawyer works with clients to resolve their disputes in an efficient and timely manner. Litigation lawyer services include a wide range of litigation, contract disputes, enforcing and defending copyright, trade mark infringement and more. Know more about our Litigation lawyers Sydney services by visiting us.

[cyarskaren52]

for these celebrities in 2023 they saw more lawsuits and police lights then scripts and paparazzi cameras. While some of them got lucky others payed for their actions some more harsh than others. Do you think that justice was served in any or all of these cases ?

Celebrity arrests, trials and lawsuits from 2023

Sydney Hartman

Celebrities, although rich and famous, are not exempt from the legal system — including arrests, charges and civil lawsuits. 

Video above: Gwyneth Paltrow testifies in ski collision trial

Advertisement

Rappers, singers, actors and more faced a number of legal issues in 2023. Some of the allegations made include copyright infringement, wire fraud, drug trafficking and sexual assault and abuse.

A law that went into effect in late November 2022, known as New York's Adult Survivors Act, allowed adult survivors of sexual abuse to sue their abusers in the state – even if the statute of limitations on their claims had expired. 

The law gave adult survivors of sexual assault one year to file lawsuits against their perpetrators before it expired on Nov. 24, 2023. More than 3,700 legal claims were filed under New York's Adult Survivors Act, some against high-profile celebrities. 

Here are some of the celebrities that were arrested, sued or went to trial in 2023:

Bad Bunny 

Sued over copyright infringement

Eric AlonsoBad Bunny attends to the previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 25, 2023 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.

Bad Bunny’s ex-girlfriend filed a lawsuit against the superstar in March of 2023 for at least $40 million over a well-known voice recording she provided the singer before he became famous.

Carliz De La Cruz Hernández, whose breathy "Bad Bunny, baby" recording was included in two of the artist’s songs, claimed in the lawsuit that her voice and the phrase she came up with are being used without her permission.

Lawyers for Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Martínez Ocasio, filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in June of 2023, arguing the musical elements in question don’t fall under copyright protection.

Bill Cosby

Sued for sexual assault/ Sued for sexual abuse

Gilbert CarrasquilloBill Cosby arrives for sentencing for his sexual assault trial at the Montgomery County Courthouse on Sept. 24, 2018 in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

On June 14, 2023, a lawsuit was filed by nine women, accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault, alleging he used his "enormous power, fame and prestige" to victimize them. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Nevada alleges that the women were individually drugged and assaulted between approximately 1979 and 1992 in Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe homes, dressing rooms and hotels.

On Nov. 21, 2023, a separate lawsuit was filed by a woman who worked as a stand-in at "The Cosby Show" in the 1980s, saying that Cosby drugged and sexually abused her after offering to mentor her in her acting career.

Cosby has been accused of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment by more than 60 women. He has denied all allegations involving sex crimes.

Pete Davidson

Sentenced to community service for reckless driving charge

Dia DipasupilPete Davidson attends the premiere of "Big Time Adolescence" at Metrograph on March 05, 2020 in New York City.

In July of 2023, Pete Davidson entered a diversion program and was required to perform 50 hours of community service to resolve a misdemeanor reckless driving charge for crashing into a Beverly Hills home on March 4, 2023. 

The "Saturday Night Live" and "King of Staten Island" actor and comedian pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor and was put in an 18-month diversion that also includes 12 hours of traffic school, an order to obey all laws and restitution that was not specified.

When Davidson was arrested and charged in June of 2023, prosecutors called the crash a "serious collision."

No one was reported injured.

Robert De Niro

Sued over toxic work environment

Kevin WinterRobert De Niro attends the 92nd Oscars Nominees Luncheon on Jan. 27, 2020 in Hollywood, California.

A jury awarded more than $1.2 million to Robert De Niro’s former personal assistant on Nov. 9, 2023, finding one of his companies responsible for subjecting her to a toxic work environment.

While the jury found De Niro was not personally liable for the abuse, it said his company, Canal Productions, engaged in gender discrimination and retaliation against former assistant Graham Chase Robinson and should make two payments of $632,142 to her.

De Niro's lawyers sued Robinson for breach of loyalty and fiduciary duty even before her lawsuit was filed against him in 2019. They sought $6 million in damages, including a return of the 5 million airline miles. 

The jury flatly rejected the claims.

Jamie Foxx

Sued for sexual assault and battery

Amy SussmanJamie Foxx attends the American Black Film Festival Honors Awards Ceremony at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Feb. 23, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California.

Actor Jamie Foxx faces sexual assault and battery charges in a lawsuit filed on Nov. 20, 2023.

The alleged incident occurred in 2015 at Catch NYC, a popular New York City restaurant, according to the complaint.

The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, claims in the suit that Foxx “intentionally and without consent used force to offensively touch Plaintiff’s person.” The complaint alleges Foxx seemed “intoxicated” at the time of the incident.

As a result, the complaint states the woman suffered and continues to suffer “physical and emotional injuries, anxiety, distress, embarrassment and economic harm,” and is seeking an unspecified amount.

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Settled civil sex abuse lawsuit

David Dee DelgadoCuba Gooding Jr. Arrives at NYS Supreme Court for sentencing on Oct. 13, 2022 in New York City.

Just as a trial was to begin, Cuba Gooding Jr. settled on June 6, 2023, accusations that he raped a woman in a New York City hotel a decade ago.

The actor had insisted through lawyers that his encounter with the woman was consensual after the two met at a nearby restaurant.

In 2022, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of forcibly touching a woman at a New York City nightclub in 2018. Gooding admitted to kissing the woman, a waitress at the club, on her lips without consent. He also admitted to two other incidents of nonconsensual contact in October 2018 and June 2019.

Gooding is best known for his role as Rod Tidwell in the film "Jerry Maguire," for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Michael Jackson

Sued for sexual abuse

PoolMichael Jackson prepares to enter the Santa Barbara County Superior Court to hear the verdict read in his child molestation case June 13, 2005 in Santa Maria, California.

A California appeals court on Aug. 18, 2023, revived lawsuits from two men who alleged Michael Jackson sexually abused them for years when they were boys.

The court found that the lawsuits of Wade Robson and James Safechuck should not have been dismissed by a lower court and that the men can validly claim that the two Jackson-owned corporations that were named as defendants in the cases had a responsibility to protect them.

It's the second time the lawsuits have been brought back after dismissal. 

Lizzo

Sued for sexual harassment, creating hostile work environment

Theo WargoLizzo performs at Radio City Music Hall on Sept. 24, 2019 in New York City.

Lizzo was sued in August of 2023 by three former dancers who accuse the Grammy winner of sexual harassment and allege the singer and her production company created a hostile work environment.

The civil lawsuit claims Lizzo, whose legal name is Melissa Viviane Jefferson, pressured the dancers to engage with nude performers at a club in Amsterdam and shamed one of them for her weight gain before firing her. 

The legal complaint seeks unspecified damages.

Lizzo's lawyers filed a motion on Dec. 15, 2023, to dismiss the lawsuit, calling it "meritless and salacious," according to court documents.

Jonathan Majors

Found guilty of assault and harassment 

Robert SmithJonathan Majors attends 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar After Party Arrivals at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.

Actor Jonathan Majors was found guilty on Dec. 18, 2023, of assault and harassment of his former girlfriend during a domestic dispute.

Majors, a rising star who has appeared in Disney’s Marvel franchise and “Creed III,” was arrested in New York in March of 2023 and later convicted of one count of reckless assault in the 3rd degree and a non-criminal charge of harassment as a violation.

He was acquitted on another assault charge and one count of aggravated harassment. 

His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 6, 2024.

Marilyn Manson

Sentenced for simple assault

Frazer HarrisonMarilyn Manson attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 09, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California.

Marilyn Manson was sentenced on Sept. 18, 2023, to 20 hours of community service and a fine after pleading no contest to blowing his nose on a videographer at a 2019 concert in New Hampshire.

Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault stemming from the encounter with the videographer at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford on Aug. 19, 2019.

Manson pleaded no contest to just the nose-blowing charge in a fully negotiated plea agreement with prosecutors. The prosecutors agreed to dismiss the other charge, which alleged that he spit on the videographer.

A no contest plea means Manson is not contesting the charge and does not admit guilt.

Manson was fined a little more than $1,400 as part of the deal, with $200 suspended. 

Danny Masterson

Sentenced for rape

Anna WebberDanny Masterson speaks during a Launch Event for Netflix "The Ranch: Part 3" hosted by Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson at Tequila Cowboy on June 7, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.

"That '70s Show" star Danny Masterson was sentenced by a judge on Sept. 7, 2023, to 30 years to life in prison for the rapes of two women two decades ago.

Both attacks took place in Masterson's Hollywood-area home in 2003, when he was at the height of his fame on the Fox network sitcom "That '70s Show."

After an initial jury failed to reach verdicts on three counts of rape in November of 2022 and a mistrial was declared, prosecutors made the decision to retry Masterson on all three counts.

This time, a jury found Masterson guilty of two counts of rape in May of 2023 after seven days of deliberations. 

Gwyneth Paltrow

Found not at fault in ski collision lawsuit

PoolActor Gwyneth Paltrow sits in court during her civil trial over a collision with another skier on March 27, 2023, in Park City, Utah.

Gwyneth Paltrow won her court battle over a ski collision at a posh Utah ski resort.

On March 30, 2023, a jury decided that the movie star wasn’t at fault for the 2016 crash.

A jury dismissed the complaint of retired optometrist Terry Sanderson who sued Paltrow for more than $300,000 over injuries he sustained when the two crashed on a beginner run at Deer Valley ski resort. 

Both parties blamed the other for the collision. Sanderson, 76, broke four ribs and sustained a concussion after the two tumbled down the slope, with Paltrow landing on top of him.

The two weeks of courtroom proceedings hinged largely on reputation rather than the monetary damages at stake in the case.

A$AP Rocky

Pleaded not guilty to assault with firearm

Taylor HillA$AP Rocky performs onstage during the 2021 Governors Ball Music Festival at Citi Field on Sept. 25, 2021 in New York City.

In November of 2023, a judge found that there is enough evidence for A$AP Rocky to stand trial on charges that he fired a gun at a former friend and collaborator outside a Hollywood hotel in 2021.

Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm.

Rocky was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in the case in April of 2023 and charged in August of 2023.

Axl Rose

Sued for sexual assault

Mark HortonAxl Rose of Guns N’ Roses performs onstage during the ’Not In This Lifetime’ Tour at TD Place Stadium on Aug. 21, 2017 in Ottawa, Canada.

Axl Rose, lead singer of the rock band Guns N’ Roses, was accused of sexually assaulting a Penthouse magazine model in a lawsuit filed on Nov. 22, 2023, in New York.

Model and actress Sheila Kennedy, identified as the plaintiff in the complaint, alleges that Rose “violently” sexually assaulted her in 1989 after they met at a New York City nightclub, and is suing the singer for battery, assault, gender-motivated violence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Kennedy is suing for an unspecified amount.

Jennifer Shah

Sentenced for wire fraud

BravoJen Shah, "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" season 3 photo.

Jennifer Shah, a cast member on the "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City," was sentenced on Jan. 6, 2023, to 78 months in prison for running a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme.

Shah pleaded guilty in July of 2022 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

"I knew this was wrong, I know many people were harmed, and I am so sorry," Shah told the judge.

In addition to her prison sentence, Shaw was ordered to forfeit $6,500,000, 30 luxury items, and 78 counterfeit luxury items, and to pay $6,645,251 in restitution.

Shakira

Reaches deal in tax fraud trial

Marc PiaseckiSinger Shakira attends the screening of "Elvis" during the 75th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 25, 2022 in Cannes, France.

Pop star Shakira agreed to a deal with Spanish authorities on the first day of a tax fraud trial in Barcelona on Nov. 20, 2023, avoiding the risk of a prison sentence.

Shakira told the presiding magistrate that she accepted the agreement reached with prosecutors. She answered “yes” to confirm her acknowledgement of six counts of failing to pay the Spanish government 14.5 million euros (about $15.8 million) in taxes between 2012 and 2014.

Under the deal, Shakira is to receive a suspended three-year sentence and a fine of 7 million euros ($7.6 million).

Ed Sheeran

Found he did not violate copyright lawsuit

WPA PoolSinger Ed Sheeran performs during the Platinum Jubilee Pageant in front of Buckingham Palace on June 5, 2022 in London, England.

A jury on May 4, 2023, found that British singer Ed Sheeran didn't steal key components of Marvin Gaye’s classic 1970s tune "Let’s Get It On" when he created his hit song "Thinking Out Loud."

The verdict in New York came after a two-week trial that featured a courtroom performance by Sheeran as the singer insisted, sometimes angrily, that the trial was a threat to all musicians who create their own music.

The heirs of songwriter Ed Townsend, who created the 1973 soul classic with Gaye, said in their lawsuit that "Thinking Out Loud" had "striking similarities" and "overt common elements" that made it obvious that it had copied "Let's Get It On."

The English pop star insisted that he stole nothing from “Let's Get it On” when he wrote his tune.

Kevin Spacey

Acquitted on sexual assault charges

ANGELA WEISSU.S. actor Kevin Spacey leaves the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on Oct. 6, 2022 in New York City.

Kevin Spacey was acquitted on sexual assault charges on July, 26, 2023, after a trial in which the actor said he was a "big flirt" who had consensual flings with men and whose only misstep was touching a man's groin while making a "clumsy pass."

The Hollywood star had faced historical sex offense charges that allegedly took place between 2004 and 2013. He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

Spacey faced nine charges, including multiple counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a person to engage in penetrative sexual activity without consent.

Young Thug

On trial for racketeering, criminal street gang activity

Derek WhiteYoung Thug attends the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center on Oct. 01, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Opening statements for Grammy-winning rapper Young Thug's racketeering trial began on Nov. 27, 2023.

Young Thug, whose legal name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, is accused of leading a criminal street gang that committed murder and a slew of violent crimes in the Atlanta area over the past decade. 

The rapper was initially charged and arrested in May 2022 for conspiring to violate the state’s expansive Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act – known as RICO and participating in criminal street gang activity.

In a reindictment filed in August 2022, prosecutors charged the artist with additional counts related to gang activity as well as drug and firearms violations.

Young Thug is among six defendants who have pleaded not guilty to all charges and are standing trial in an Atlanta courtroom.

Fetty Wap

Sentenced for drug trafficking

Steven FerdmanFetty Wap performs during the 2019 Rolling Loud music festival at Citi Field on Oct. 12, 2019 in New York City.

Rapper Fetty Wap was sentenced on May 24, 2023, to six years in federal prison for his role in a New York-based drug-trafficking scheme.

The "Trap Queen" rapper, whose legal name is Willie Maxwell, pleaded guilty in August of 2022 to a conspiracy drug charge that carried a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.

Maxwell told the judge, "Me being selfish in my pride put me in this position today." His lawyers had suggested he turned to selling drugs because of financial hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maxwell was arrested in October of 2021 on charges of participating in a conspiracy to smuggle large amounts of heroin, fentanyl and other drugs into the New York City area.

Maxwell rose to prominence after his debut single, the melodic but grungy "Trap Queen," reached No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 2015. He was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 2016.

The Associated Press and CNN contributed to this report

Sent from my iPhone

[beardedmrbean]

Any art theft news?

I was thinking what a odd question, not something I typically look into but took a peek anyhow and oh dang there is some art theft.

On April 7th, 2016, seven of the ten valuable screen prints were stolen from the building.

Six years, and few leads later, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is again asking anyone with information to come forward.

The FBI posted this week it’s continuing to seek information about the theft.

“It is believed the theft occurred sometime during the early morning hours on April 7, 2016, at which time 7 of the 10 Andy Warhol prints on permanent display at the museum were taken,” the post stated.

So this isn't recent, still those aren't something you can actually unload, not particularity valuable as art goes but it's not like whoever buys them can display them either.

Let's see if there's anything else

Oh that sucks

Seriously if you see your art being for a NFT, contact a copyright lawyer and get the lawsuit started.

That's different.

That's gotta be rough too

Hope this is enough to entertain you anon

[askagamedev]

I want to make a game based on an historical event. I'd need to recreate a real castle that today is on ruins but there are digital recreations of how it was in the past. And also, i'd need to recreate a real king who existed in that time. My question here is there any problem taking these real events, places and people and add them to my game? Do i need any permission of that country to use their history on my game?

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice. If you want actual legit legal advice, you should absolutely consult a lawyer. I’m just an anonymous game dev who answers questions on the internet.

Copyright exists on both peoples’ likenesses and landmarks/buildings. If those copyrights are still held and have not been abandoned, you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holder(s) if you want to protect yourself legally. 

A dead person’s estate may still hold the copyright to the historical person’s likeness, but it also depends on whether the person is dead and for how long. The copyright for deceased Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain, for example, is held by his widow Courtney Love. Any depiction of Cobain in any media must go through her. She sued Activision back in 2009 over their use of Cobain in Guitar Hero because she only gave permission for his likeness to sing Nirvana songs, while they allowed the Cobain avatar to perform any song. The laws vary from country to country. You should probably do some research to find out whether those copyrights are still in effect. You’re probably fairly safe if the person has been dead for over a century. 

Similarly, landmarks may also have copyrights involved. Any building or landmark may have an active copyright on it, including famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House, the Hollywood Sign, and the Notre Dame in Paris. You may need to obtain permission for exact depictions of historical locations. Some places are weird about that, like Notre Dame disallowing commercial photography of the cathedral interior but not the exterior, or the Eiffel Tower disallowing commercial nighttime photography unless it is a cityscape shot where the tower is not the focus of the image.

Historical events, however, are considered public domain and are not copyrightable. This means that you can potentially use a character model or artistic depiction that doesn’t share a likeness with the historical figure and a castle or location that doesn’t look like exactly the actual historical castle, and only use the historical facts in your game. In that case, your depiction of events should fall into the public domain and you’d (probably) be legally clear to do so. I believe the copyrights would only extend to specific likenesses (of both location and person), so you’d probably be fine as long as you stick to the historical events taking place. Again - I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice, and you should definitely consult a lawyer if you aren’t sure. The law at work here is dependent on the country that the historical events and figures are from, and that can get murky.

[Join us on Discord] and/or [Support us on Patreon]

The FANTa Project is being rebooted. [What is the FANTa project?]

Got a burning question you want answered?

Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on Twitter

Long questions: Ask a Game Dev on Tumblr

Frequent Questions: The FAQ

[cinor-i]

We are three hopeful Aussie politicians trying to stop the descent of Australia into authoritarianism, we are Pirate Party Australia! Ask Us Anything 🏴‍☠️

Hi Reddit, in 2019 we ran for election in the three largest cities in Australia: Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane on a platform of copyright reform, privacy and evidence based policy so tonight we'll be answering your questions from 6-9pm Australian Eastern Standard Time. We are:

Tania Briese (Victoria): healthcare, aged care, community volunteering, education, and family services. Ställ gärna en fråga på svenska https://pirateparty.org.au/w/images/e/e6/TaniaBriese2018.jpeg

John August (New South Wales): sysadmin, hybrid EV owner, secular humanist, radio show host https://pirateparty.org.au/w/images/7/73/JohnAugust.jpg

Brandon Selic (Queensland): community lawyer, first nations justice, law reform https://pirateparty.org.au/w/images/8/81/Brandon_Selic.jpg

We have contested Australian elections since 2012 but also advocate for technology, civil rights and digital liberties more broadly. Some of our notable achievements include

A 2010 Sydney workshop to assist individuals seeking safe methods of euthanasia to get around Labor's internet firewall, which attempted to block it

The broad base Queensland 2013/2014 campaign against the Liberals attempt to outlaw bikie clubs with mixed opposition by Labor.

Our 2017 and 2018 panels at PaxAus on copyright in game design

Numerous submissions to government inquiries over the years, most notably copyright, privacy and the right to repair.

Feel free to ask us about the recent increase in authoritarianism in Australia, recent legislation, the efforts by Labor and Liberal parties to disqualify minor parties from elections, technology enabled direct democracy, copyright and the right to repair, cryptocurrency, and more!

Verification: https://pirateparty.org.au/2021/09/14/we-are-hopeful-aussie-digital-liberty-politicians-ask-us-anything-on-reddit/

submitted by /u/PPAU_official [link] [comments] from /r/Technology https://ift.tt/3u62vVf

[mounayouseflaw]

Mouna Yousef Youssef from Sydney

Why Every Small Business has to Have A Lawyer

Mouna Yousef Youssef Associates from Sydney is that the founder and Principal Solicitor at Harper James Law Group. Specialising in Personal Injury Law, Workers Compensation, Public Liability, Property Law and jurisprudence

Running alittle business doesn't have all of the advantages as an outsized corporation. the most important concern is keeping your assets safe, and ensuring that the business can remain operational through thick and thin. Big businesses have a powerful supporting cast to stay things running smoothly, but small businesses can still reap similar rewards.

 Being atiny low business owner means being tuned in to the vulnerabilities you have got but you are doing not must take these on just by yourself. Hiring a lawyer is simply as valuable for atiny low business, even more so after you consider how these enterprises are more volatile. Here is why any small business owner needs an excellent lawyer.

 1. State Specific Business Laws

From state to state, the foundations and regulations of companies will change which implies atiny low business owner has to be up to this point when those regulations are updated. Tennessee business laws require different licenses than Colorado, which is why a good lawyer can help assist you keep your business within right to control.

 2. Reduce Liabilities

Every small business is vulnerable to injuries occurring within the work area. In an office, you may strain your back lifting boxes of documents, on the retail floor an error and fall could occur, and during a mechanical shop, well there are many dangerous elements around. The support of a Chattanooga personal injury lawyer, as in step with different state regulations previously mentioned, are useful for atiny low business to stay shielded from any possible employee or customer injuries on your property. Keeping a lawyer on retainer provides a robust layer of protection against any repercussions against you.

 3. Protect Against infringement of copyright

The purpose of starting your own small business could also be to bring a thought to life, an holding (IP), or something that you simply know is exclusive and wishes to be provided to the market. There are people out there that are always trying to steal these ideas for his or her own because they need to profit without the diligence. Copyrighting your product or your idea is your best shot at keeping these IP thieves unfree and getting a lawyer is how you'll navigate the complex world of patents and copyrights. you've got to take care of your control over your business, which implies control over your brand, image, products, and anything that relates to the business.

 4. Help Negotiate Deals

The common misconception about business lawyers is that they give the impression of being like their TV representation standing ahead of the judge arguing ahead of a crowded courthouse. the fact is that business lawyers are most useful for negotiating deals. Purchasing orders from suppliers and writing up contracts, especially managing employee salaries/contracts. Negotiating these deals with a lawyer allows them to run through any possible areas that aren't airtight in language that might be taken advantage of. this is often especially valuable when handling outside companies, like for marketing purposes where you would like the deal to be favorable and avoid any unnecessary loss of cash on your end.

 5. Understand Legal Agreements and Contracts

Deals involve contracts, as stated above, but understanding the language of the agreements are a few things that will be above your capability. Business lawyers study for years to comb through agreements to assist you recognize after you are potentially in breach of legal obligations and contracts.

 Their ability to know the finer details of an agreement will keep you from making any egregious errors that would return to harm you. Understanding legal agreements for business purposes is their bread and butter which is why a lawyer is usually needed for business, big or small.

 6. Contacts and Connections

Business lawyers cater to negotiations, deals, contracts, and agreements first and foremost, but they also offer great value for his or her connection to professionals in many various fields. Having connections is how a business can set out and achieve success, which could be a good reason to own one on retainer when a desire pops up. Representing clients in diverse fields (electrical businesses, shipping, plumbing, etc.) could provide a useful foot within the door for a business that needs fixing or other services at one point or another. Never underestimate how well connected a decent business lawyer may be.

 Maintaining a little business relies on cohesiveness from employees to employer, but the behind the scenes figures can help keep everything running too. Business lawyers a primary source of support for tiny businesses due to their well-rounded knowledge of the main points of business contracts and legal dealings, which is why they have to be a component of that cohesive team.

[hippychick006]

Putting all of this under a cut, just a few of the best snippets from Facebook regarding t-shirtgate (part deux).  It’s interesting that both t-shirt gates have Misha at the centre of them.  But yeah, it’s possibly just co-incidence...

Got to love Destiel shippers going around telling everyone to stop spreading false narratives while going around and spreading false narratives:

I’ll be here waiting on the receipts for this Jenna...

Jensen thinks Destiel is now real apparently according to Robin;

Poor Jackie, fighting the good fight against people that are incapable of being rationalised with (*whispers* Jackie, they need to have a functioning brain cell otherwise you are wasting your time);

More false narrative, this time by Melissa, already downed the kool-aid being spread by Jenna ;

Do me a favour Stacie sweetie, do not become a lawyer, you would suck at it;

Oh, it’s our old friend Jenna again, with the false narrative again.  Word to the wise Jenna sweetheart, Jared/Sam fans do not like the person they love being loved for the sole reason you think he’s the captain of your non existent ship. That isn’t actually loving Jared for being Jared at all.  

Here’s another that “loves” Shipper!Jared, but not actually Jared himself;

Tyonna fighting the good fight, against Jenna of all people, who once again is falling back to false narrative, even though there are many receipts for Jensen talking about wincest and none for him being favourable with Destiel. Jenna seems very pressed about spreading this “false narrative” issue;

Here’s Robin again, still clinging on to Destiel being real and even providing video to be helpful.  Jackie is still fighting the good fight (we should send them a fruit basket) and Jenna is here yet again to correct people’s “false narrative” 

More Destiel lawyers who know jack shit about law and completely making things up.  THEY DO NOT NEED PERMISSION FOR THIS T-SHIRT, NOTHING IS COPYRIGHTED;

Here’s Hael doubling down and pretending to be a lawyer, though to be fair, they possibly got their law degree from went to Trump University before it folded;

Hael trippling down, really standing behind the crock of shit that they need permission for a t-shirt because they don’t want to piss J2M off.  Well Hael; 1) they can’t piss Misha off because he owns the company and 2) Misha doesn’t give a rat’s fuck if he pisses either Jared or Jensen off.  Because of his rabid fanbase, he thinks he’s untouchable.  In fact, I would bet the farm Misha did this deliberately to fuck with Jensen.  Great “friend.”

I love this one.  No Heather, we know exactly the relationship between the actors and Stands.  I suspect however that you may be unaware based on your comment that Misha himself owns it!;

More denials that they “love” Destiel now, and that everyone else is making stuff up.  Sydney, sort yourself out, the correct term you should be spreading as part of the Destiel borg community is “False narrative”;’

Apparently, we’re stuck in the past, I mean I guess JIB10 where Jensen said “Destiel is real?, is it?, is it?, where is it real?! was only a couple of weeks ago so we should be ashamed of ourselves for not keeping up;

Here’s Jenna (again) lying (again) and accusing everyone else of being the ones to perpetuate a false narrative (again)

Here’s Misha - em I mean “Stands” reveling in the chaos he’s - em I mean “they’ve” caused;

Never change Misha, never change.  

I’m loving the Destihellers who are saying “There’s so much salt in these comments.” Ummm, maybe you should catch a clue that your ship isn’t actually that popular then, and people are done with your shit and they are done with Misha’s shit. 

[hsnsw]

PREPARATION OF CONTRACT – PART 1 OF 3

Summary of what we will learn in this webpage:

Where to go online to find out the title reference of a property from a street address

How to use an information broker like SAI Global to order the “Contract for the sale and purchase of land 2018 edition”

What are Vendor Disclosure Documents or Prescribed Documents

How to use SAI Global platform to order Vendor Disclosure Documents

What constitutes a valid contract, so much so that a property is now ready to be put on the market for sale 

Before we begin, please note that there are quite a few colours on our website. This is because this website is informational, and to highlight or emphasize certain words, we highlighted them in different colours, much like how we use different coloured highlighting pens in our textbooks.

Step 1: Order the “Contract for the sale and purchase of land 2018 edition” (we call this Contract for short), and other required documents (normally called Vendor Disclosure Documents or Prescribed Documents).

As the Contract is copyright protected, we need to buy a copy of the Contract online. Information brokers sell such contracts online for between $10.50 to $15.00. We will use an information broker called SAI Global to show how to order such a Contract, AND to order other required documents that must be included in the contract. These other required documents are what lawyers normally call Vendor Disclosure Documents. The Contract, together with these Vendor Disclosure Documents, make up for a valid contract that one can use to sell the property by oneself, or send to a real estate agent marketing the property for sale.

“Contract for the sale and purchase of land 2018 edition” = Contract

Contract + Vendor Disclosure Documents = valid contract or contract

You can find online examples of what valid contracts look like.

To see a sample copy of what the copyrighted Contract looks like unfilled, click on Sample Contract 2018 Edition.

Before ordering any Contracts or Vendor Disclosure Documents, we need to know the title reference of the property we are selling. Because what we have now is just the address of the property we are selling.

(Note: Title Reference is a unique number used to identify a title of property. It is often presented in the format 1/10222, where 1 is the lot number and 10222 is the Deposited Plan Number. If it is a strata unit that is for sale, its title reference may look something like 23/SP10223, where 23 is the lot number and 10223 is the Strata Plan Number.) To find out the title reference of any Sydney or NSW property, click on NSW LRS portal page.

After accepting the terms and conditions, the web page looks like:

NSW LRS Online page

Then click on Street address inquiry and we’ll be asked to enter the property address, after which we will be given the title reference for this property.

Using SAI Global to order Contract and Vendor Disclosure Documents: To use SAI Global, if we are only using it to make a one-time order, we need to create a one-off account.

The web page looks like:

SAI Login Page

Once the account is created with SAI Global and we logged in, the web page looks like:

SAI - first page after login

Now, we shall type in something for the Matter Reference box, it is just a name of our choice for our own reference.

Then, to order the Contract, tick on “Electronic Contract for Sale – 2018 Edition”. The web page will now look like:

SAI - ticking on documents to order

We will notice that when “Electronic Contract for Sale – 2018 Edition” is ticked, some other documents (or certificates as they are also called) are also automatically selected. These other documents (as seen above) are:

Title Search Online

Planning Certificate Section 10.7

Sewer Service Diagram

Land Tax Sec 47 Certificate and

Copy of Plan and Plan Documents

These documents/certificates are also called Vendor Disclosure Documents.

It is now a requirement, as part of the Vendor Disclosure Documents, to also order the Sewer Mains Location Reference Sheet. So we need to tick on it too, and then click Next.

We will now be prompted to enter details about the title reference, property address, the registered proprietor(s) name, and address, etc. The web page looks like:

SAI - Entering details

As we can see, this is quite a long web page. We do NOT need to enter answers for all the questions listed here. A trick is to enter answers for “Title Reference” panel, “Property Address” panel, “Office of State Revenue Details” panel, “Registered Proprietors” panel and click Next. Whatever information SAI Global needs before allowing us to proceed to purchase will show up in a red box, prompting our answers to these.

The next web page to show up is the Purchase web page (Note: words in red and blue are mocked-up for illustration purposes and for explanation). Under the Certificates heading, the documents we ticked on the order page after we first logged in, together with these documents’ prices, are displayed:

SAI - Confirm Purchase Page

After clicking on the Purchase button, a View Order web page will then show up:

View Order page

(Note: we ordered more certificates in the previous Purchase web page than it’s shown in this View Order web page. This is because this View Order web page did not follow on directly from the previous Purchase web page. This View Order web page is from another purchase we did.

To get this particular View Order web page results, we would have ordered and purchased

Title Search 2/456789

Copy of Plan – Deposited Plan 456789

Copy of Plan or Plan Documents – Deposited Plan – 88B 456789

in the Purchase web page.)

What is important in this View Order web page is the follow-on orders. Under the “Follow-on Order (Title Documents)” heading, we can see that there are 4 Dealings. These are follow-on orders because these Dealings would be present in the Title Search document (click to see a Sample Title Search document.)

Out of these Dealings, we do NOT need to order the Dealings for Mortgage and Caveat, but we need to order Dealing – Covenant A258147

Dealing – Easement AK785214

These 2 Dealings are part of the Vendor Disclosure Documents. We shall tick on their boxes and order them.

Finally, at this end of this ordering process, 

the following documents will be emailed to the email account we used when signing up to SAI Global:

1. The contract for the sale and purchase of land 2018 edition (this will come in as 2 emails, one for the first 3 pages of the Contract, and another for the next 17 pages of standard clauses that come with this Contract)

2. Title Search (in our above example, it is for title reference 2/456789)

3. Copy of Plan – Deposited Plan (in our above example, it is for 456789)

4. Copy of Plan or Plan Documents – Deposited Plan – 88B (in our above example, it is for 456789)

5. Dealing – Covenant (in our above example, it is for A258147)

6. Dealing – Easement (in our above example, it is for AK785214)

7. Planning Certificate Section 10.7 (in our above example, this would take 8 days to arrive; but in general this usually takes 1-5 days to arrive in one’s inbox) – Here is a Sample Planning Certificate Section 10.7.

8. Land Tax Sec 47 Certificate – Here is a Sample Land Tax Sec 47 Certificate.

9. Sewer Service Diagram – Here is a Sample Sewer Service Diagram.

10. Sewer Mains Location Reference Sheet – Here is a Sample Sewer Mains Location Diagram.

If the property that is for sale comes with a swimming pool, we will also need to include a certificate of compliance or non-compliance.

All of these documents (except the Land Tax Sec 47 Certificate) put together constitute a valid contract.

Next, we will show how to fill in the first 3 pages of the “Contract for the sale and purchase of land 2018 edition“.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Patent troll's IP more powerful than Apple's

I was 12 years into my Locus Magazine column when I published the piece I'm most proud of, "IP," from September 2020. It came after an epiphany, one that has profoundly shaped the way I talk and think about the issues I campaign on.

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

That revelation was about the meaning of the term "IP," which had been the center of this tedious linguistic cold war for decades. People who advocate for free and open technology and culture hate the term "IP" because of its ideological loading and imprecision.

Ideology first: Before "IP" came into wide parlance - when lobbyists for multinational corporations convinced the UN to turn their World Intellectual Property Organization into a specialized agency, we used other terms like "author's monopolies" and "regulatory monopolies."

"Monopoly" is a pejorative. "Property" is sacred to our society. When a corporation seeks help defending its monopoly, it is a grubby corrupter. When it asks for help defending its property, it is enlisting the public to defend the state religion.

Free culture people know allowing "monopolies" to become "property" means losing the battle before it is even joined, but it is frankly unavoidable. How do you rephrase "IP lawyer" without conceding the property point? "Trademark-copyright-patent-and-related-rights lawyer?"

Thus the other half of the objection to "IP": its imprecision. Copyright is not anything like patent. Patent is not anything like trademark. Trade secrets are an entirely different thing again. Don't let's get started on sui generis and neighboring rights.

And this is where my revelation came: as it is used in business circles, "IP" has a specific, precise meaning. "IP" means, "Any law, policy or regulation that allows me to control the conduct of my competitors, critics and customers."

Copyright, patent and trademark all have limitations and exceptions designed to prevent this kind of control, but if you arrange them in overlapping layers around a product, each one covers the exceptions in the others.

Creators don't like having their copyrights called "author's monopolies." Monopolists get to set prices. All the copyright in the world doesn't let an author charge publishers more for their work. The creators have a point.

But when author's monopolies are acquired by corporate monopolists, something magical and terrible happens.

Remember: market-power monopolies are still (theoretically) illegal and when companies do things to maintain or expand their monopolies, they risk legal jeopardy.

But: The corporate monopolist who uses IP to expand their monopoly has no such risk. Monopolistic conduct in defense of IP enjoys wide antitrust forbearance. What's the point of issuing patents or allowing corporations to buy copyrights if you don't let them enforce them?

The IP/market-power monopoly represents a futuristic corporate alloy, a new metal never seen, impervious to democratic control.

Software is "IP" and so any device with software in it is like beskar, a rare metal that can be turned into the ultimate corporate armor.

No company exemplifies this better than Apple, a company that used limitations on IP to secure its market power, then annihilated those limits so that no one could take away its market power.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/06/adversarial-interoperability-reviving-elegant-weapon-more-civilized-age-slay

In the early 2000s, Apple was in trouble. The convicted monopolist Microsoft ruled the business world, and if you were the sole Mac user in your office, you were screwed.

When a Windows user sent you a Word file, you could (usually) open it in the Mac version of Word, but then if you saved that file again, it often became forever cursed, unopenable by any version of Microsoft Office ever created or ever to be created.

This became a huge liability. Designers started keeping a Windows box next to their dual processor Power Macs, just to open Office docs. Or worse (for Apple), they switched to a PC and bought Windows versions of Adobe and Quark Xpress.

Steve Jobs didn't solve this problem by begging Bill Gates to task more engineers to Office for Mac. Instead, Jobs got Apple techs to reverse-engineer all of the MS Office file formats and release a rival office suite, Iwork, which could read and write MS Office files.

That was an Apple power move, one that turned MS's walled garden into an all-you-can-eat buffet of potential new Mac users. Apple rolled out the Switch ads, whose message was, "Every MS Office file used to be a reason *not* to use a Mac. Now it's a reason to switch *to* a Mac."

More-or-less simultaneously, though, Apple was inventing the hybrid market/IP monopoly tool that would make it the most valuable company in the world, in its design for the Ipod and the accompanying Itunes store.

It had a relatively new legal instrument to use for this purpose: 1998's Digital Millennium Copyright Act; specifically, Section 1201 of the DMCA, the "anti-circumvention" clause, which bans breaking DRM.

Under DMCA 1201, if a product has a copyrighted work (like an operating system) and it has an "access control" (like a password or a bootloader key), then bypassing the access control is against the law, even if no copyright infringement takes place.

That last part - "even if no copyright infringement takes place" - is the crux of DMCA 1201. The law was intended to support the practices of games console makers and DVD player manufacturers, who wanted to stop competitors from making otherwise legal devices.

With DVD players, that was about "region coding," the part of the DVD file format that specified which countries a DVD could be played back in. If you bought a DVD in London, you couldn't play it in Sydney or New York.

Now, it's not a copyright violation to buy a DVD and play it wherever you happen to be. As a matter of fact, buying a DVD and playing it is the *opposite* of a copyright infringement.

But it *was* a serious challenge to the entertainment cartel's business-model, which involved charging different prices and having different release dates for the same movie depending on where you were.

The same goes for games consoles: companies like Sega and Nintendo made a lot of money charging creators for the right to sell games that ran on the hardware they sold.

If I own a Sega Dreamcast, and you make a game for it, and I buy it and run it on my Sega, that's not a copyright infringement, even if Sega doesn't like it. But if you have to bypass an "access control" to get the game to play without Sega's blessing, it violates DMCA 1201.

What's more, DMCA 1201 has major penalties for "trafficking in circumvention devices" and information that could be used to build such a device, such as reports of exploitable flaws in the programming of a DRM system: $500k in fines and a 5 year sentence for a first offense.

Deregionalizing a DVD player or jailbreaking a Dreamcast didn't violate anyone's copyrights, but it still violated copyright law (!). It was pure IP, the right to control the conduct of critics (security researchers), customers and competitors.

In the words of Jay Freeman, it's "Felony contempt of business-model."

And that's where the Ipod came in. Steve Jobs's plan was to augment the one-time revenue from an Ipod with a recurrent revenue stream from the Itunes store.

He exploited the music industry's superstitious dread of piracy and naive belief in the efficacy of DRM to convince the record companies to only sell music with his DRM wrapper on it - a wrapper they themselves could not authorize listeners to remove.

Ever $0.99 Itunes purchase added $0.99 to the switching cost of giving up your Ipod for a rival device, or leaving Itunes and buying DRM music from a rival store. It was control over competitors and customers. It was IP.

If you had any doubt that the purpose of Ipod/Itunes DRM was to fight competitors, not piracy, then just cast your mind back to 2004, when Real Media "hacked" the Ipod so that it would play music locked with Real's DRM as well as Apple's.

http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3387871/Apple+RealNetworks+Hacked+iPod.htm

Apple used DMCA 1201 to shut Real down, not to stop copyright infringement, but to prevent Apple customers from buying music from record labels and playing them on their Ipods without paying Apple a commission and locking themselves to Apple's ecosystem, $0.99 at a time.

Pure IP. Now, imagine if Microsoft had been able to avail itself of DMCA 1201 when Iwork was developed - if, for example, its "information rights management" encryption had caught on, creating "access controls" for all Office docs.

There's a very strong chance that would have killed Apple off before it could complete its recovery. Jobs knew the power of interoperating without consent, and he knew the power of invoking the law to block interoperability. He practically invented modern IP.

Apple has since turned IP into a trillion-dollar valuation, largely off its mobile platform, the descendant of the Ipod. This mobile platform uses DRM - and thus DMCA 1201 - to ensure that you can only use apps that come from its app store.

Apple gets a cut of penny you spend buying an app, and every penny you spend within that app: 30% (now 15% for a minority of creators after bad publicity).

IP lets one of the least taxed corporations on Earth extract a 30% tax from everyone else.

https://locusmag.com/2021/03/cory-doctorow-free-markets/

Remember, it's not copyright infringement for me to write an app and you to buy it from me and play it on your Iphone without paying the 30% Apple tax.

That's the exact opposite of copyright infringement: buying a copyrighted work and enjoying it on a device you own.

But it's still an IP violation. It bypasses Apple's ability to control competitors and customers. It's felony contempt of business-model.

It shows that under IP, copyright can't be said to exist as an incentive to creativity - rather, it's a tool for maintaining monopolies.

Which brings me to today's news that Apple was successfully sued by a patent troll over its DRM. A company called Personalized Media Communications whose sole product is patent lawsuits trounced Apple in the notorious East Texas patent-troll court.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-19/apple-told-to-pay-308-5-million-for-infringing-drm-patent

After software patents became widespread - thanks to the efforts of Apple and co - there was a bonanza of "inventors" filing garbage patents with the USPTO whose format was "Here's an incredibly obvious thing...*with a computer*." The Patent Office rubberstamped them by the million.

These patents became IP, a way to extract rent without having to make a product. "Investors" teamed up with "inventors" to buy these and impose a tax on businesses - patent licensing fees that drain money from people who make things and give it to people who buy things.

They found a court - the East Texas court in Marshall, TX - that was hospitable to patent trolls. They rented dusty PO boxes in Marshall and declared them to be their "headquarters" so that they could bring suits there.

Locals thrived - they got jobs as "administrators" (mail forwarders) for the thousands of "businesses" whose "head office" was in Marshall (when you don't make a product, your head office can be a PO box).

Productive companies facing hundreds of millions - billions! - in patent troll liability sought to curry favor with locals (who were also the jury pool) by "donating" things to Marshall, like the skating rink Samsung bought for the town.

https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/why-south-korea-s-samsung-built-the-only-outdoor-skating-rink-in-texas

Patent, like copyright, is supposed to serve a public purpose. There are only two clauses in the US Constitution that come with explanations (the rest being "truths held to be self-evident"): the Second Amendment and the "Progress Clause" that creates patents and copyrights.

Famously, the Second Amendment says you can bear arms as part of a "well-regulated militia."

And the Progress Clause? It extends to Congress the power to create patents and copyrights "to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts."

I'm with Apple in its ire over this judgment. Sending $308.5m to a "closely held" patent troll has nothing to do with the "Progress of Science and useful Arts."

But it has *everything* to do with IP.

If copyright law can let Apple criminalize - literally criminalize - you selling me If copyright law can let Apple criminalize - literally criminalize - you selling me your copyrighted work, then there's no reason to hate on patent trolls.

They're just doing what trolls do: blocking the bridge between someone engaged in useful work and the customers for that work, and extracting a toll. It's not even 30%.

There is especial and delicious irony in the fact that the patent in question is a DRM patent: a patent for the very same process that Apple uses to lock down its devices and prevent creators from selling to customers without paying the 30% Apple Tax.

But even without that, it's as good an example of what an IP marketplace looks like: one in which making things becomes a liability. After all, the more you make, the more chances there are for an IP owner to demand tax from you to take it to market.

The only truly perfect IP is the naked IP of a patent troll, the bare right to sue, a weapon made from pure abstract legal energy, untethered from any object, product or service that might be vulnerable to another IP owner's weapons.

A coda: you may recall that Apple doesn't use DRM on its music anymore: you can play Itunes music on any device. That wasn't a decision Apple took voluntarily: it was forced into it by a competitor: Amazon, an unlikely champion of user rights.

In 2007, the record labels had figured out that Apple had lured them into a trap, selling millions of dollars worth of music that locked both listeners and labels into the Itunes ecosystem.

In a desperate bid for freedom, they agreed to help Amazon launch its MP3 store - all the same music, at the same prices...without DRM. Playable on an Ipod, but also on any other device.

Prior to the Amazon MP3 store, the market was all DRM: you could either buy Apple's DRM music and play it on your Ipod, or you could buy other DRM music and play it on a less successful device.

The Amazon MP3 store (whose motto was "DRM: Don't Restrict Me") changed that to "Buy Apple DRM music and play it on your Ipod, or buy Amazon music and play it anywhere." That was the end of Apple music DRM.

So why hasn't anyone done this for the apps that Apple extracts the 30% tax on? IP. If you made a phone that could play Ios apps, Apple would sue you:

https://gizmodo.com/judge-tosses-apple-lawsuit-against-iphone-emulator-in-b-1845967318

And if you made a device that let you load non-App Store apps on an Iphone, Apple would also sue you.

Apple understands IP. It learned the lesson of the Amazon MP3 store, and it is committed to building a world where every creator pays a tax to reach every Apple customer.

[sstevenhawkin]

Katie Perry v Katy Perry: What Trade Mark Rights are there to a Name?

Katie Perry v Katy Perry: What Trade Mark Rights are there to a Name?

That question is currently underway in the NSW Federal Court as part of an ongoing trade mark battle between Australian fashion designer, Katie Taylor, and American pop singer Katy Perry.

Katie Taylor, maiden name Perry, is suing the superstar for allegedly infringing her trade mark KATIE PERRY from at least 2013.  

Taylor has alleged in court that she has used the trade mark for the sale and design of clothes since November 2006. Taylor registered the trade mark in Australia in 2008.

Singer Katy Perry, (her real name being Katherine Hudson), adopted the stage name in 2004 as a combination of her first name and her mother’s maiden name.  

Katy Perry (US Pop Star, on the left), and Katie Perry (Australia Fashion Designer, on the right).

Early days

Perry initially opposed the trade mark registration in 2009, filed cease and desist letters against Taylor and applied for a hearing with IP Australia where she intended to argue against the registration. Perry withdrew her opposition 2 hours before the hearing was scheduled.

Read more on - https://progressivelegal.com.au/katie-perry-v-katy-perry-what-trade-mark-rights-are-there-to-a-name/

[lushscreamqueen]

NOSFERATU on The Schlocky Horror Picture Show

July 27, 2008

OPENING: Hello, good evening, and welcome to the Schlocky Horror Picture Show. I'm your host, Nigel Honeybone. Back in the 1920s, German director F.W. Murnau was so impressed with Bram Stoker's novel Dracula, he made Nosferatu: A Symphony Of Horror, which remains one of the greatest horror films of all time. The trouble is Murnau didn't have permission, so he simply changed the character names and locales in the script. Harker became Hutter, Dracula became Orlok, England 1890 became Germany 1830, etc. But when the film was translated for English-speaking audiences, the powers-that-be chose to use Bram Stoker's original familiar character names, but in the process a few typos occurred, for instance Mina Harker becomes Ellen Hutter becomes Nina Harker, understand? I don't... Like so many silent films, the images may be Public Domain, but the soundtrack remains copyright protected. So to accompany us on this Symphony Of Horror we have the nerve-jangling sounds of local composer Jeremy Newton, ably assisted by Nat Scott-Quinell. Ladies, Gentlemen and Creatures Of The Night, I am extremely proud, for a change, to present the enigmatic Max Schreck as the grand daddy of all vampires in FW Murnau's original Nosferatu... BREAK: Watch the embodiment of evil spread plague across the land, then after the ads we can get back to the chilling Nosferatu on the Schlocky Horror Picture Show. MIDDLE: Hello, and welcome back to The Schlocky Horror Picture Show. Nosferatu! The name itself is enough to induce an excrement hemorrhage in anyone who watched this movie during their youth, like I did. I mean, those fingernails! He clearly isn't getting regular manicures. Brrrrr! And Nosferatu had the shaved-head look long before it was trendy. Overall, it's one fine piece of cinema. Contrary to popular opinion, the word Nosferatu does not mean Vampire, Undead, or anything else like that. The term originally came from the old Slavonic word "nosufur-atu", which itself was derived from the Greek Nosophoros. Nosophoros, in the original Greek, stands for Plague Carrier. This derivation makes sense when one considers that amongst western European nations, vampires were regarded as the carriers of many diseases, such as sexually transmitted diseases, TB, and reality television. The full title is "Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens." As you've no doubt surmised, Nosferatu was directed by a German. In this case it's Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, one of the "Big Three" Weimar republic filmmakers along with Fritz Lang and G.W. Pabst. Murnau's work often appears on critic's best film lists and he's cited as an influence by filmmakers to this day, yet there seems to be little that gives his work and career the notice it deserves. Not surprising, considering his yet to be fashionable lifestyle choices and somewhat suspicious death in a car accident in 1931. The film stars the aptly named Max Shreck as the vampire. Schreck, in case you weren't aware of it, is the German word meaning "fear". How cool is that? Schreck was a Stanislovsky method actor, which meant that he immersed himself fully in the character...as well as the unconsecrated soil of Transylvania. He was so effective that some on the set of Nosferatu believed that Shreck might actually be a vampire. This conceit was later used in "Shadow of the Vampire", a 2000 release starring John Malkovich as Murnau and Willem Dafoe as Max Shreck, a vampire pretending to be an actor. What's interesting is how the world almost lost the chance to see Nosferatu at all. Unfortunately for production company Prana Films, this unlicensed adaptation of Dracula was too thinly veiled, and Florence Stoker, widow of the late Bram Stoker, sued with the help of lawyers from the British Incorporated Society of Authors. However, Stoker and the BISA weren't the only people pursuing Prana-Films: Prana was a sinking ship running aground on a financial reef. Just as the BISA sued Prana, it went into receivership and all materials and debts were taken over by the Deutsch-Amerikansch Film Union. The BISA then pursued the Film

Union and demanded that all copies of Nosferatu be surrendered. In July 1925, the issue was settled and all known copies of Nosferatu were handed over to Stoker, and destroyed. Or so Stoker thought. In October of that year, the Film Society in England asked her to endorse a classic film festival, and first on the list was the infamous Nosferatu. Stoker was furious and demanded that the Society give her their copy, but the Film Society refused and legalities followed. By 1928 Universal Pictures owned the screen rights for Dracula, and therefore all adaptations of it, including Nosferatu. Initially, Universal allowed the Film Society to keep the print, but after pressure from Florence Stoker they acquired the print, and it joined its departed kin in 1929. Then came a sudden spurt of American copies of the film under the name Nosferatu the Vampire, but Universal had them all destroyed in 1930. It finally seemed as though this pesky film had met its end. This was not the case though. Following Florence Stoker's death in 1937, copies of the film started cropping up again, as if the celluloid itself was among the immortal undead. Nosferatu truly regained its popularity in 1960 due to American television screenings, and in 1972 Blackhawk Films released the uncut original to the collector's market as Nosferatu the Vampire, which brings us up today. Now, due to it's availability via the Public Domain, it's damn near impossible to find a DVD horror collection that doesn't have a copy of Nosferatu! But only our version has a brand spanking new soundtrack by Sydney composer Jeremy Newton, who we now cross to almost "live" via satellite. Welcome to the show, Mr. Newton... Jeremy: Good evening. Nigel: Jeremy... you don't mind if I call you Jeremy? Jeremy: No, not at all. Nigel: I'm sorry, Mr, Newton, that's all we have time for tonight. As you know, these live satellite crosses cost quite a bit more than community TV can afford... Jeremy: I'm only in Marrickville! Nigel: So without any further ado, let's get straight back to tonight's special presentation of the original 1922 silent classic Nosferatu. CLOSING: After almost a century, the original Nosferatu is a film that has eventually grown on me. Its frank gruesome quality is a stark contrast to the scratchy clean horror of Universal's horror films of the 1930's and 1940's, and the completely unromantic treatment of the Count fits well with modern cynicism. Max Schreck's Orlok is one of the most familiar images in film history, or for that matter in the history of images. So please join me next week on The Schlocky Horror Picture Show when I have the opportunity of inflicting a pain beyond pain, an agony so intense it shocks the mind into instant mashed potato! Toodles!

by Lushscreamqueen

[indianlawyersydney]

Importance of Intellectual property lawyers and family law lawyers in a nutshell

Are you familiar with these types of lawyers? You might have heard of them somewhere, most probably in a news report or from the mouth of an elder. These lawyers have a very important work to do in the society, and they also have a lot of work to do in their field. Also, such lawyers have a lot to study in their field and keep studying and exploring the facts and news in their area. We will be discussing about the importance of such lawyers and the reason to have one by your side. Even not hired, you should at least be in contact with such lawyers if your field of work includes the need for such lawyers in any uncertainty.

Firstly, we will be talking about the intellectual property lawyers and their importance.

Intellectual property lawyers

In order to understand the importance of intellectual property lawyers, we need to understand the meaning and work of an intellectual property lawyer.

The intellectual property law works as a prosecutor in the judicial field and deals with all the cases related to the intellectual property of a person, firm, or business. Intellectual property means the properties which are not present in a physical form but hold a good amount of value to the person or the firm. The examples of intellectual property of a person or a firm are their goodwill, patent, license, trademark, and copyrights. Many other small terms come under these terms, which are considered intellectual property.

Family law lawyers

Judging by the name of the occupation, you might be getting the idea of the work of a family lawyer and why it is so essential for such a lawyer post to existing. There are certain things that the family law lawyer focuses on in his career. The work of a family law lawyer is to represent their client in a hearing of family matters such as the matter of divorces, separation, family disputes, and other internal family problems which cause trouble in the peace of a family.

The family law lawyers need to continuously focus on the rules and regulations passed by the government of a specific country and then act accordingly in the judicial court and hearings.

Now that we have understood the work of both the lawyers let us try to understand the importance of the lawyers in the society. The importance of the family law lawyer and the intellectual property lawyer is explained as follows.

The working fields of both of these lawyers are entirely different, yet the aim of their profession is always the same. The objective of their profession is to give satisfaction to their clients and take care of their case in a judicial hearing of their respective cases and protect their clients against the false accusations.

However, if there is a family matter going on, then a family law lawyer can explain the solution to it or ask the court’s judge to take a final decision about it. Therefore, the role of a family law lawyer is the most important and critical in such cases.

The intellectual property lawyers can save you from false allegations bought upon you and even protect your patent or copyrights if they are to be stolen by someone in the future. Therefore, having each one of such lawyers is a must, primarily when you are engaged in such a field and want a way out as soon as possible.

You can get the best intellectual property lawyer Sydney and the best family law lawyers Sydney on the best firm in Australia. You can search for such lawyers on the internet too.

Reference Site:- https://indianlawyersydney.medium.com/importance-of-intellectual-property-lawyers-and-family-law-lawyers-in-a-nutshell-b9b595bf715a

[rtolegalblog]

Why Hiring a Business Lawyer Makes Sense?

While starting a business is a long dream for many, only some realize it successfully. The thing about being your boss has its fair share of perks in terms of independence and leadership but when it comes to seeking legal advice Brisbane for your business, we would ask you to leave it to the pros. They work with a diverse clientele and would have the right legal tactics and resources to get you out of all big or small legal troubles.

When it comes to scaling up a business, it is always advised to get in touch with a business lawyer as they would handle the nitty-gritty of all the procedures and paperwork involved. With their years of qualification and experience in this field, you will find that time spent on resolving the dispute is shorter and there is a higher guarantee of success. They can provide you with options that you might have not even considered, and they can make sense of the legal documents that most of us give up reading halfway through.

Not only do they interact with other lawyers, but they also interact with accountants and business professionals all the time. So, rest assured they are well-versed in the legal language and know how to get the ball in your court. Be it for incorporation work or copyright and other intellectual property matters, hiring the right business lawyer Sydney is a sound and rational decision. Most lawyers provide free consultation, so you can do a bit of research and schedule appointments with 3-4 lawyers and select the right one for you. Check how comfortable you feel with them and how patiently they address your concerns.

If you want a recommendation for a law firm that handles business matters and privacy concerns for your business, we have a great option for you. It is RTO Legal! They have a professional suite of attorneys dealing with dispute settlement sophisticatedly. They are well adept in all matters relating to business law and give you a thorough rundown of all the options, so you can make a sound choice.

They often offer no-win/no-fee arrangements to clients in dispute resolution and licensing application matters. Contact them now to know more.

About RTO Legal:

RTO Legal is a renowned law firm offering sound dispute resolution and services for drone pilot license Australia.

For more information, visit https://www.rto.legal/

Original Source: https://bit.ly/36bxIex

[patenttrademarkservices01]

Why Is It Important To Hire A Trademark Attorney For Filing Application?

It is important to protect the intellectual property rights through patents. Not protecting the assets and business can lead to a lot of problems. The professional patent and trademark attorney firms helps in applying for trademarks and patents. An expert firm helps end to end process of patent application.

Helping with the Trademark Application for Client

The experienced Trademark Attorney Sydney help in protecting the intellectual property right on behalf of the clients. At times, there is accidental lapse and hence attorney help with updated process. There are billions of trademarks filed every year. There are millions of active registrations. The attorney helps with the complete research.

A trademark that is registered is valuable for the asset. A lawyer with expertise in IPR and trademark will help in registration of the trademark. Copyright or trademark infringement is a serious offense. A lawyer will even help in finding if there is any existing trademark application with the same business name.

A skilled and experienced attorney will do all the necessary research before filing for the application. It is a complex process of file for a trademark by self. There are heaps of documents needed and a thorough analysis. With help of trademark attorneys, the business has high chance of obtaining trademark.

Benefits of Hiring a Trademark Attorney

There are many benefits of hiring an attorney for filing a trademark. The process become smooth and highly streamlined. It helps in developing the authenticity of the brand and securing the assets. There are many economic benefits because you do not have to fight lawsuits and legal cases later.

·         The Trademark Attorney Sydney helps in step by step registration of the patent or trademark for the business. The registration makes you the owner ad gives exclusive rights.

·         It gives the business an edge and reliability. It helps in valid registration and legal action can be taken against someone trying to use it.

·         Helps in smooth filing of the trademark application. There is legal understanding required and it makes the process convenient and smooth.

·         The trademark application filed by an experienced trademark attorney is mostly easily accepted. This gives quick ownership for the business.

After filing the application for the trademark, the attorney helps in constantly checking for status of the acceptance. The trademark is monitored, and legal action is taken against any sort of infringement. The business owner does not have to go through the hassle of filing and monitoring the services.

Smooth Legal Process and Secured Trademark

The whole process is smooth and affordable with help of Trademark Attorney Sydney. It helps in preventing expensive legal problems through standard set of operations. A trademark specialized firm helps in taking care of infringement or copyright issues. It is necessary to choose a good lawyer.

Always hire an attorney who specialize in trademark related cases for registration of trademark or parent. A complete legal understanding and transparency is important for the service. All the transactions are handled safely, and lawyers helps with step by step comprehensive filing of the trademark filing and application.