Gibbons Law Alert

Gibbons Law Alert

Tagged: Copyright

Freelancer Survives “Live to Ride” Logo Dispute with Harley-Davidson — For Now

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Posted in Copyright

On September 5, 2012

A pending action in the Eastern District of Wisconsin serves as a reminder of the need for clarity and specificity in any IP-related deal, and in this case, in a matter involving copyright. Wayne W. Peterson is a freelance commercial artist who produced various commissioned works for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle company from the mid-1970s through the mid-2000s. Two of Peterson’s works, the “Live to Ride” logo, created in 1985 and the “Harley-Davidson University” logo, created in 1991, are the subject of Peterson’s Complaint.

IPXI: Set to Debut This Summer

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Posted in Copyright

On May 1, 2012

We previously reported on the Intellectual Property Exchange International (“IPXI”), the “world’s first financial exchange focused on IP rights,” as well as its recent developments and sponsorships. The IPXI seems on course to commence operations this summer, or early fall. The article, published last week in IP Law360, provides an in depth look at this new market for monetizing IP assets, as well as some considerations for those contemplating the IPXI for their IP portfolios.

E-SIN: Court Orders Identification of Suspected Porn Pirates

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Posted in E-Discovery: Legal Decisions and Court Rules

On April 2, 2012

“Anonymous” copyright infringers — in this case the downloaders of a pornographic video — should take note of a recent decision. In what is becoming increasingly common, a court was recently asked by a copyright holder to issue an order requiring non-party Internet Service Providers (“ISP”) to identify individual Internet users for purposes of filing a copyright lawsuit against them pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 101 et seq.

Pinterest: Potential IP Pitfalls for New Social Networking Trend

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Posted in Copyright / Trademarks

On March 30, 2012

Pinterest, a play on words of “pin” and “interest,” is a virtual, online “pin board,” where user’s can organize and share things they find on the web. While Pinterest is attracting a loyal community of social media users, the site is also the source of some concern for those same users and owners of intellectual property. The stated Mission of Pinterest is “to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting . . . a favorite book, toy, or recipe [which] can reveal a common link between two people.

Caveat Author: Understanding Copyrights, Revisited ….

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Posted in Copyright

On January 11, 2012

We previously reviewed a copyright case involving Marvel and a comic book author’s relinquishment of any copyrights in the iconic characters Hulk, Spiderman, the X-Men and others because the works were determined to be “for hire.” Marvel Worldwide v. Kirby. In an unrelated action, Judge Forrest of the Southern District of New York recently found in favor of Marvel, in Gary Friedrich Enters., LLC v. Marvel Enters., Inc. The court ruled that the plaintiff writer, Gary Friedrich, although he indisputably conceived of the character, “Ghost Rider,” and wrote the initial comic book, had ceded all rights in the character to Marvel.

Copyrights in Works For Hire

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Posted in Copyright

On August 26, 2011

What can the Hulk, Spiderman and the X-Men teach us about copyrights? Well, artists and authors alike must understand the terms under which they are creating their works, or potentially lose any copyrights they, and their heirs, might otherwise enjoy. IP Law360 recently reported on Marvel Worldwide v. Kirby from the Southern District of New York, which underscores the importance of such understanding.

Revisions to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26 – New Untested Protections for Testifying Experts

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Posted in Copyright / Patent

On December 7, 2010

On December 1, 2010, the latest version of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure went into effect. As part of the new rules, significant changes were made to Rule 26 regarding the discovery of information from experts retained to provide testimony. As of Wednesday, witnesses who were not previously required to provide a written report must now provide a summary disclosure of their opinion. In addition, draft expert reports and some communications between expert witnesses and counsel will no longer be discoverable, and expert reports will now only need to contain information regarding “facts or data considered by the witness in forming” an opinion.

Library of Congress Says You Can Jailbreak Your Smartphone

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Posted in Copyright

On August 3, 2010

On July 26, 2010, the Library of Congress ruled that “jailbreaking” of smartphones is a fair use under the Copyright Act. Under the Copyright Act, the Librarian of Congress is required to review classes of works every three years for exemptions to the ban against circumventing technological measures that control access to copyrighted materials. The purpose for the triennial review is to determine whether users of copyrighted works are adversely affected by the anti circumventing ban in their ability to make noninfringing uses of copyrighted work. As part of its decision making process, the Copyright Office provides notice of its rulemaking, solicits input from the public and makes a final recommendation to the Library of Congress.

Hot News Misappropriation Injunction Issued Against TheFlyOnTheWall.com

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Posted in Copyright

On April 1, 2010

In Barclays Capital Inc. v. TheFlyOnTheWall.com, 06 Civ. 4908 (S.D.N.Y. March 18, 2010), Judge Denise Cote issued a narrowly tailored injunction against republication of financial services firms stock recommendations. FlyOnTheWall.com (Fly) collected and published summaries of stock analyst reports within minutes after they were released by financial institutions to their clients. FlyOnTheWall sometimes included summaries of the research reports, but following commencement of the suit it only published headlines such as “EQIX: Equinox initiated with a Buy at BofA/Merrill.” Three financial institutions filed suit against Fly for hot news misappropriation and copyright infringement.

Reed Elsevier v. Muchnick: Copyright Registration is Not a Jurisdictional Requirement

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Posted in Copyright

On March 10, 2010

Last week, the Supreme Court issued its highly-anticipated decision in Reed Elsevier v. Muchnick. The decision arose out of a class action settlement between publishers and authors following the Supreme Court’s holding affirming copyright infringement in New York Times, Co. v. Tasini. The Southern District of New York certified the settlement, but the Second Circuit reversed, holding that pursuant to §411(a) of the Copyright Act, the Court lacked subject-matter jurisdiction to approve the settlement because the settlement covered both registered and unregistered works. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the registration requirement of §411(a) was a claim processing rule and not a jurisdictional requirement. It left open, however, the question of how strictly §411(a) should be applied.

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