As we approach the mid point of 2012, I can’t help but look forward to 2013 and the copyright issues yet to surface. Of course, I speak of the right-that-shall-not-be-named: termination. Briefly, termination (also called reversion) rights were built into the Copyright Act in Section 304(c) to protect authors of older works from having to… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Catlan McCurdy
Pinterest, Thy Name is Fair Use
Posted in Almost Advice, Copyrights, Fair Use, First Amendment, InfringementFirst, there was copyright. Then, there was Pinterest. And now, there is drama. The words “copyright infringement” and “Pinterest” have been thrown around a lot recently, mainly due to the blog post of one photographer/lawyer, Kirsten Kowalski. Kirsten recently blogged about her decision to break up with Pinterest aka delete her inspiration boards, and in addition to… Continue Reading
LMFAO: Scandalous and We Know It
Posted in Trademarks, USPTOThe band LMFAO is coming to Minneapolis this May. The band’s name, a mouthful of letters sadly capable of no shorter nickname, is derived from Internet slang that evolved from LOL to LMAO to LMFAO. If you don’t know the meaning behind each acronym, I’ll leave your capable fingers to the Internet searching. LMFAO has… Continue Reading
ABRACADABRA! Pay me $17,000 for stealing my copyrighted magic tricks.
Posted in TrademarksA magician by the name of Hans Klok, former Las Vegas performer and Pamela Anderson aficionado, was fined the equivalent of $16,725 earlier this month by a Dutch court in a copyright infringement case over magic tricks. Klok was sued by his former sidekick, Rafael van Herck, for copying a routine where the magician is… Continue Reading
Tiffany and Co. Joins Louboutin in the Fashion Color War
Posted in Sight, TrademarksAnother fashion icon has joined the ongoing trademark dispute between Yves Saint Laurent and Louboutin, and despite the fact that many of its goods are very small, the company is actually quite a giant. Tiffany and Company. Yes, Tiffany. We’ve all been waiting for the company’s two amicus cents to be thrown into the fight…. Continue Reading
The Fashion Bill Slowly Creeps Towards Becoming a Law
Posted in CopyrightsAbove, my favorite latest designer ripoff – the Kate Middleton wedding dress. A cheaper version of the Alexander McQueen designer’s, Sara Burton, vision, so now every bride can feel like a princess… (photo credit to Mirror.co.uk) With New York Fashion Week nearing its end, and the whirl of Forever 21’s sewing machines beginning to hum, I… Continue Reading
Ralph Lauren’s New Fall Focus: Mexican Drug Traffickers?
Posted in BrandingIf the thousands of ads I have seen over the years have taught me anything, it is that the words “Ralph Lauren” and “drug traffickers” don’t belong in the same sentence. According to ad campaigns, upon hearing “Ralph Lauren” we are instead supposed to imagine clean-shaven, chiseled young men with their equally attractive, perfectly slender,… Continue Reading









