As is so often the case with internet searches — where what you get is not always what you were looking for — in the course of tracking down information about a copyright case from last year I unexpectedly stumbled upon a site that provides educational training about copyright for the layman. Copyright for Librarians [...]
Entries from July 30th, 2010
A Copyright Primer for Grownups
July 30th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Copyright, Popular
Tags:Copyright·library·literature·primer
The Bratz Are Back In Town!
July 23rd, 2010 · 3 Comments · Copyright, Popular, Trademark
With his usual aplomb, Judge Alex Kozinski of the 9th Circuit casually eviscerated the trial court’s decision in last year’s Barbie vs. Bratz battle, opining that Carter Bryant’s contract with Mattel did not cover “ideas” (only “inventions”) and that it simply wouldn’t be fair to hand Barbie the keys to her her little sister’s billion [...]
Willy the Wizard Redux
July 16th, 2010 · 2 Comments · Copyright, Popular
When I woke up this morning it occurred to me that I had given short shrift to Willy the Wizard’s claims in my post yesterday, and being a type-A personality the nagging feeling that I hadn’t done my homework sat uncomfortably in the back of my mind at breakfast and on the train into work. [...]
Tags:Copyright·fantasy·Harry Potter
Willy the Wizard vs. Harry Potter
July 15th, 2010 · 2 Comments · Copyright, Popular
Nothing breeds lawsuits like success. Apart from The Bible and the complete works of William Shakespeare, nothing has captured the hearts and minds of a generation of readers like the Harry Potter saga. In our modern age, of course, the price of fame is being subject to calumny and accusations of plagiarism, copyright infringement, and [...]
Tags:Copyright·Harry Potter·J.K. Rowling·plagiarism·Willy the Wizard
I am a commercial litigator and intellectual property lawyer in San Francisco. Although my practice encompasses a wide variety of business disputes, I have a particular fondness for, and am prone to wax philosophical on, the subjects of copyright and trademark infringement in music, literature, art, and film.
