Archive for category Quotes

“99% of all Lawyers Give the Rest a Bad Name” – Steven Wright

If you get a letter from a lawyer, again, DO NOT ANSWER IT YOURSELF. See a trusted local lawyer. Here the client almost paid $5,000 for nothing other than to fill the pockets of some lawyers preying on the uninformed.

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Never Trust And Always Verify

Apologies to Mr. Reagan, but in the world of copyright authors ought trust nobody but themselves when it comes to registering their work. We get – on average – two inquiries per week which are variations of the following scenario: An author or contributor of photos or illustrations contained in (usually) a book, have entered into an […]

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Vagueness is the Kingdom of the Devil

“Vagueness is the kingdom of the devil and it is as such on purpose.” … Lamine Pearlheart There is a Legal concept “Void for Vagueness” which means in plain English that if an average citizen can’t understand what is written, it’s unenforceable. Being vague or noncommittal is a very useful social skill. “I see…” or […]

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Silence is Golden

There are times where instead of a photographer finding an infringement, a photographer (gasps) finds out that the shoe is on the other foot and OMG, you’ve infringed on someone’s work! It happens. Sometimes, it’s true and sometimes it’s not true. If you are accused of appropriating, infringing, stealing, copying or misusing the work of […]

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Truth In Advertising Now Your Concern

The great writer H.G. Wells is quoted as saying “Advertising is legalized lying.” That might have been true in the early 20th Century when Mr. Wells was alive, but today that sentiment can get you into a heap of legal and financial headaches. In a prior article we referenced the involvement of the Federal Trade […]

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Big Mistakes Into Small Opportunities

The two of us love great quotes, like almost every quoted line in Young Frankenstein (what’s not to love). Here’s one by the great writer Henry James (1843 – 1916) that is not as famous as Igor’s “What hump?”, but probably more meaningful for this column – “She had an unequalled gift, usually pen in […]

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Copyright Troll – Part 2

Just in time for Halloween comes a droll “troll” decision by Judge Denise Cote out of the United States District Court for The Southern District of New York. The Southern District is the federal court that covers Manhattan, The Bronx, Westchester and Rockland Counties. Several months ago we wrote about a decision made by Judge […]

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Fool’s Gold – Part 2

And so, the story continues. 4. Does Their Pitch Make Sense? “You keep using that word, I do not think It means what you think it means”.  – says Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) from the classic film, “The Princess Bride”. It is an invaluable phrase to call out someone’s incorrect use of a word, phrase or concept. Use of […]

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New and Not Improved Copyright Registration Changes Coming

The three words we dread to see on products when we hike to the grocery store to stock up on our favorites, are the words “New and Improved!” (Always with one or two exclamation points). Uh oh. That doesn’t start with a T, but it still spells trouble here in River City. Usually, it’s a […]

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Negotiating and Smiling Faces

(Presented is a reprint of an article we wrote for Photoshop User Magazine a while back and think it still holds up with very useful information for our dear readers.) Since the beginning of mankind, from the early days of the cave dwellers, there have been creative people, who have used their imagination to enlighten […]

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