Copyright law has kept many works from the public domain for a long time, but several copyrights are expiring for the first time in many years. Effective January 1, all works published in the United States in 1923 will enter the public domain. This is significant news...
Year: 2018
A primer on the rule against hearsay
There can be a lot at stake in civil litigation. Depending on the strength of the legal arguments you make in court, a judge or jury may or may not rule in your favor, which could result in significant financial consequences either to your advantage or your...
Trade secret litigation jumps after DTSA implementation
The number of trade secret case filings in the U.S. jumped after the federal Defense Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) was passed in 2016. One report shows that between 2009 and 2016, about 900 trade secret cases were filed each year. In 2017, there were 1,134 cases filed and...
When does inspiration spill over into copyright infringement?
Many copyright infringement cases for musician's hinge on what exactly is infringement and what is not. At what point do songs go from having similarities to all out copyright infringement? If you were to ask many of the creative people behind the music, they would...
Helping people defend their personality rights
People know that California is a place where many wealthy and famous people live. In addition to the celebrities who congregate particularly in the southern part of this state, there are many wealthy business people, including pioneers in the technology industry, who...
Overview of how appeals work in civil cases
Even if a San Francisco individual or business has a great court case and has prepared for litigation well, there is always the chance that a judge or jury may make a decision that is disappointing.In some cases, this may just have to be chalked up to the way life...
Offering representation in crisis situations
Anyone who follows the San Francisco Giants or other professional baseball teams knows that, at critical moments in the game, the manager may call for a relief pitcher, a pinch hitter or make other short-term changes in the roster.These do not necessarily mean another...
The danger of startups leaking their intellectual property
Young and inexperienced entrepreneurs are vulnerable to giving away valuable information. After a few drinks and mingling, you and your business partners may run off giving away information to call attention to your unique niche in the industry. Unfortunately, this...
The Music Modernization Act takes aim at music copyrights
It’s not often you can get politicians from either side of the aisle to agree on anything. This makes the Music Modernization Act something of a miracle. All 100 state senators sponsored this bill. The bill addresses the patchwork of copyright laws that dictate the...
U.S. music copyright law could see a big change
Among the things that can have major economic implications for songwriters and other individuals in the music industry are copyright matters. So federal copyright law regarding music can be very impactful for these entertainment professionals. Such law could soon be...