Vince Manapat, Esq.

Recent Posts from Vince Manapat, Esq.

• Funding for “Artful Narrative and Documentary Films”

  Via A Filmmaker’s Life, today I came upon Cinereach, a company that awards $500,000 in grants to “artful and narrative documentary film.” The 2010 Grant Cycle apparently begins soon: 2010 Winter Grant Cycle Letter of…

• Why Mailing Yourself Something Does Not Amount To Incontrovertible Proof of Copyright: A Tale of Copyright Fraud

  One of the biggest misconceptions in copyright law is that mailing yourself your own work (e.g., a screenplay or CD of music) will establish a copyright. I was once at a Volunteer Lawyers for the…

• The Sale of a Painting Gone Wrong Pt. 2

  Earlier, I wrote about the Van Damme v. Gelber case decided on July 27, 2009. One of the interesting aspects of the case is that the issue of timing arose. The seller insisted that the…

• Recap Firefox Extension for Pacer

  There is this thing called “PACER.” It’s essentially the federal court’s document filing system. Any person can register for the service and then search for and download documents related to a case such as the…

• New York Supreme Court Denies Fraud Claim Over Sale of Gauguin’s Paysage aux Trois

  Mandarin Trading purchased Gauguin’s Paysage aux Trois for $11.3 million based on the appraisal of a world renowned Gauguin expert. Mandarin later came to find the painting was worth only $9 million, and the appraisal…

• The Sale of a Painting Gone Wrong, Pt. 1

  A recently decided New York case contains several interesting lessons for art dealers. First, you may be liable for the acts of another: if you authorize someone to sell a painting for you, or if…

• Salinger Article on State Bar Blog

  An article I wrote about the Salinger v. Colting case has been posted on the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Blog of the New York State Bar. The article is here.

• The Effects of Litigant Behavior: Usenet.com Liable for Infringement

  Yesterday, Usenet.com and its owner, Gerald Reynolds, were found liable for direct infringement, inducement of infringement, contributory infringement, and vicarious infringement and discovery misconduct. There are several lessons to be learned here:  for online service…

• Catcher in the Rye (Alleged) Sequel Temporarily Enjoined From Being Published In The United States

  I attended the hearing to show cause today in the J.D. Salinger lawsuit against the unauthorized (alleged) sequel  to Catcher in the Rye, “60 Years After.”  The judge, Deborah Batts, upheld a preliminary injunction prohibiting…

• Suing a Cybersquatter: Taking One Letter Out Of A URL Isn’t Enough

  In a case recently decided by the Eastern District, a judge upheld a jury’s decision to find a man liable for $1,000 for “cybersquatting,” where he registered “www.hamptonlocations.com” in spite of the existence of “www.hamptonslocations.com.”…