http://www.abajournal.com/news/ en Copyright 2013 2013-06-19T22:19:32-06:00 http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/copyright_case_upholds_the_rights_of_purchasers_to_buy_abroad_and_sell_in_u/ Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, International Law, Legislation & Lobbying, U.S. Supreme Court Sat, 01 Jun 2013 03:40:10 -0500 44245.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/not_a_star_trek_fan_former_doj_lawyer_provides_a_guide_to_judges_opinion/ U.S. District Judge Otis Wright—or one of his clerks—is a huge Star Trek fan, considering the number of references in a recent opinion to the original series and the spinoffs that followed. That’s the conclusion of former Justice Department lawyer Angelo Spenillo, a Star Trek aficionado who currently works at… Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Judiciary Mon, 13 May 2013 06:29:02 -0500 44127.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_boldly_uses_star_trek_references_in_opinion_blasting_lawyers_who_sued/ Updated: Lawyers who pursued illegal porn downloaders, offering to settle copyright infringement claims for $4,000, are experiencing the wrath of a federal judge. In an opinion peppered with Star Trek references, U.S. District Judge Otis Wright sanctioned four lawyers $81,000, double the cost of attorney fees for two defense lawyers,… Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Judiciary, Legal Ethics Tue, 07 May 2013 08:21:27 -0500 44062.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/artists_new_and_different_take_on_copyrighted_photos_was_fair_use_2nd_circu/ An artist to who altered copyrighted photos of Jamaican Rastafarians to create collages and paintings generating $10 million in sales has largely won a battle before a federal appeals court. The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that 25 of 30 artworks by artist Richard Prince were… Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, 2nd Circuit Court Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:51:31 -0500 43931.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_allows_suit_challenging_contract_intended_to_squelch_bad_online_revie/ A federal judge in Manhattan has refused to dismiss a proposed class-action lawsuit challenging a dentist’s confidentiality agreement that barred negative online reviews by patients. U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty refused to dismiss the suit filed by patient Robert Lee, report Forbes and Legal… Health Law, Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Internet Law Tue, 23 Apr 2013 06:10:09 -0500 43832.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/turow_supreme_court_decision_and_digital_advances_affect_authors_financial/ Legal-thriller author Scott Turow is blasting last month’s U.S. Supreme Court decision against a publisher fighting the resale of books purchased cheaply overseas. The ruling will allow a surge of cheap imports, Turow writes in an op-ed for the New York Times, and… Celebrities, Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Law in Popular Culture, Media & Communications Law Wed, 10 Apr 2013 06:30:35 -0500 43653.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/a_victory_for_commerce_scotus_rules_for_student_who_bought_texts_abroad_and/ The U.S. Supreme Court has sided with a former California grad student who purchased books cheaply overseas and then resold them on eBay for a profit. The student, Supap Kirtsaeng, had contended he was protected by the first-sale doctrine, which holds that copyright owners can’t ban resales… Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, U.S. Supreme Court Tue, 19 Mar 2013 10:37:24 -0500 43339.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/artists_say_harlem_shake_sampling_done_without_permission/ Surprised to hear themselves on the track of the viral sensation "Harlem Shake," two music artists are seeking a financial share of the pop chart hit. Hector Delgado, now an evangelical minister in Puerto Rico, and rapper Jayson Musson, say they didn't give permission for their records to be sampled… Entertainment & Sports Law, Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law Mon, 11 Mar 2013 06:15:18 -0500 43188.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/inside_the_mind_of_faulkner_estates_lawsuit-filing_watchdog/ Entertainment & Sports Law, Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Opening Statements Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:30:22 -0600 42833.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_tosses_suit_against_west_and_lexisnexis_for_reproducing_lawyer_briefs/ A federal judge in Manhattan has dismissed a lawsuit that claimed Westlaw and LexisNexis were violating copyright law by reproducing lawyers’ briefs and documents. U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff granted summary judgment to the legal publishers Feb. 8, the Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:23:43 -0600 42958.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/radio_station_sponsors_contest_for_new_copyright-free_birthday_song/ A New Jersey radio station has sponsored a competition for a new “Happy Birthday” song—one that doesn’t require payment of a licensing fee. The winner, “It’s Your Birthday,” was selected by a panel of judges that included Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig, Bloomberg Law… Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law Thu, 21 Feb 2013 13:02:37 -0600 42956.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/extreme_proposal_would_make_teachers_lessons_students_art_projects_school/ A Maryland county's board of education has proposed a policy that would to copyright work created by its staff and students for school–which would mean that even something like a first-grader's drawing would belong to the school system. “The way this policy is written, it essentially says if a student… Education Law, Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Labor & Employment Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:30:11 -0600 42683.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/its_google_but_is_it_art/ Entertainment & Sports Law, Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Internet Law, Media & Communications Law, The National Pulse Fri, 01 Feb 2013 04:29:40 -0600 42431.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/broadway_spider-man_trapped_in_litigious_web/ A lawsuit involving creative contributions in the Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark, is back on, despite the August announcement by producers and director Julie Taymor that they'd reached a preliminary agreement. The Southern District of New York action may go to trial in May, the Hollywood Reporter's Entertainment & Sports Law, Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Trials & Litigation Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:30:11 -0600 42309.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/around_the_blawgosphere_digital_distractions_the_hobbit/ The Double-Edged Touchscreen Writing at her blog, At the Intersection, Edge International general counsel Pam Woldow addresses the "inefficiency disease"–familiar to anyone reading this–of "digital distraction." While much is written about how technologies that speed up communication increase efficiency in a legal workplace, the constant distraction… ABA Journal, @BlawgWhisperer, Careers, Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Trademark Law, Law Firms, Law Libraries Fri, 14 Dec 2012 09:30:55 -0600 42046.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/united_sues_over_customer_complaint_website_design_operator_calls_it_an_obv/ A major airline has sued a Canadian engineering professor in his home country, contending that the 15-year-old website on which he compiles customer and employee complaints violates its intellectual property rights and worker privacy. United Continental Holdings only sued after owner Jeremy Cooperstock reworked his untied.com blog in April to… Consumer Law, Corporate Law, Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Trademark Law, International Law, Internet Law, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, International Courts/Tribunals, International, North America, Canada Thu, 29 Nov 2012 12:20:44 -0600 41787.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/faulkner_estate_sues_sony_over_quote_from_midnight_in_paris/ The estate of William Faulkner sued Sony Pictures Classics Thursday, alleging that the studio used the author’s work without permission in the 2011 Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris. The work in question is from Faulkner’s Requiem for a Nun, according to Variety. Midnight in Paris is… Entertainment & Sports Law, Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Trials & Litigation Fri, 26 Oct 2012 14:57:41 -0500 41323.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/aba_amicus_brief_sides_with_textbook_publisher_in_infringement_suit_over_eb/ The American Bar Association is siding with a textbook publisher that sued for infringement when a California grad student purchased its books cheaply overseas and then resold them on eBay for a profit. In an amicus brief (PDF), the ABA urges the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a… Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Internet Law, U.S. Supreme Court Fri, 12 Oct 2012 11:31:50 -0500 41127.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/publishers_group_settles_copyright_suit_against_google_authors_case_is_pend/ Google has settled litigation with publishers over its digital copies of copyrighted books. The settlement with the Association of American Publishers does not resolve Google’s ongoing litigation with the Authors Guild over Google’s ambitious project to digitalize every book, report the New York Times and the… Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Internet Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements Fri, 05 Oct 2012 07:56:29 -0500 41030.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/amazon_takes_tell-all_ebook_about_kate_gosselin/ A tell-all e-book about reality television star Kate Gosselin has been removed from sale by Amazon after only a couple of days on the market. The action followed a letter from entertainment law firm Lavely & Singer which asserted copyright infringement, reports the Daily Mail. Williams &… Celebrities, Intellectual Property Law, Copyright Law, Media & Communications Law Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:36:35 -0500 40958.abajournal.com