Attorney Rob Bertsche assesses a recent Supreme Court case, digging into the implications for copyright infringement and fair use.
Copyright on Trial: Will the Supreme Court crack down on fair use?
Tag: fair use
Copyright Law Presentation
This presentation begins with a brief introduction of the history and goals behind copyright. It then explores some of the basics of copyright, including questions about copyright eligibility, copyright duration, registration, obtaining copyright permissions and its distinction from other intellectual property rights (patent, trademark) and plagiarism. Finally, considerable time is spent discussing copyright law's Fair… Continue reading Copyright Law Presentation
Ask SPLC: Can we use a video clip that had a copyrighted song playing in the background?
Q: Our college TV station recently covered auditions for our college's dance team. The student editor was unaware that the song playing in the background of the video was copyrighted when she created the video. The piece is edited with several cuts and you don’t ever hear a full song played. Can we air the… Continue reading Ask SPLC: Can we use a video clip that had a copyrighted song playing in the background?
Ask SPLC: Can we use screenshots from a public Instagram account?
Q: We compiled a collage of screenshots from student’s instagram photos. The accounts are public. Is it legal for us to publish that collage? A: Assuming the photos are individually recognizable — that is, the subjects can be seen, for example, and you’ve used enough of the original photo that people would recognize it as the individual work… Continue reading Ask SPLC: Can we use screenshots from a public Instagram account?
Ask SPLC: Can we use an image found online to illustrate a movie review?
Q: We're reviewing a new movie (or a new song, video game, TV show, book, etc.). Can we use an image we found online as an illustration? A: Yes, but you have to be selective. As a general rule, most of material that you find online — whether it's a photo, a story, music, etc. — is… Continue reading Ask SPLC: Can we use an image found online to illustrate a movie review?
Photographer sues after his photo, used in news stories, is attributed to social media site
A copyright lawsuit filed in New York federal court last week underscores the risk online publications face when they use questionably sourced images. (If you've ever attributed a photo to "Twitter," you really, really need to read and understand this.)
CU Independent photographers offer stock photos of legal marijuana for student journalists’ use
Someone smokes a joint in Boulder, Colorado.
Big Bird and Fair Use: What’s allowed?
One of the great memes of this 2012 election has been Big Bird, prompted by a comment by Republican candidate Mitt Romney about funding for PBS in the first presidential debate. After President Barack Obama used Big Bird in a campaign ad, we got a lot of questions about copyright law and fair use.
TRANSPARENCY TUESDAY: Copyright and putting FOIA’d documents in the cloud
Everybody knows the hot journalists out there are uploading their source documents to online storage for third parties to examine.
Tide rolled — Eleventh Circuit’s trademark ruling lets artist continue using Alabama sports logos, images
A federal appeals court's ruling in favor of a commercial artist who sells drawings of iconic University of Alabama sports moments is a helpful reminder that trademark law rarely can restrict the journalistic or artistic use of corporate insignias.Monday's ruling from the 11th U.S.