Much confusion and consternation has been caused by Amazon’s securing a patent for itself on a lighting arrangement that has been in widespread use by photographers for at least three decades. See: PetaPixel Link here- http://petapixel.com/?s=Amazon+Patent The patent is in the opinion of every patent attorney we have consulted (both in this office and elsewhere), […]
We get so many questions about the nuances of copyright law that we feel it never hurts to address the basics. While saying “I’ve been ripped off” is a perfectly descriptive term, it is not a legal one. The Copyright Law classifies what most people call “stealing” as falling into one or more of four categories […]
Catch Us at B&H May 21st
May 2
Hey All- the two of us will be at the B&H Event Space on May 21st from 4pm to 6pm. The usual informative song and dance from us, and we’ll take questions from the audience. We’ll also cover current events, including some interesting new cases. These sessions are always fun. Well, it is for us. […]
Just a heads up, various copyright registration filing fees are going up today, May 1st. The one that will affect most photographers is the standard filing fee for collections of unpublished work, which is rising from $35 to $55. If you have one photo, by one photographer, then it stays at $35, but if you […]
The Math of Infringement
Apr 28
I never did very well in math – I could never seem to persuade the teacher that I hadn’t meant my answers literally. ~Calvin Trillin We are often asked (by “we” we mean Ed) what is the formula the Federal Courts use to determine the amount of statutory damages a copyright holder can be awarded […]
Two ladies, both “of the media” who at first blush appear to have little in common, now share the title, “litigant”. Though they live some 1,500 miles apart from each other, have dissimilar backgrounds and neither would be confused for the other, they are now sisters in litigation. First up – daytime TV star, real […]
The Copyright Office has announced new fee structures, effective May 1st. You can read the entire PDF list here. Basically, registration of collections is rising from $35 to $55 on May 1st. That’s quite a jump, so we highly recommend to register all those images you were putting off registering, during the month of April. […]
For those readers who cling to the absurd notion spread by your comrades that written, signed model releases aren’t really that important, be warned that this article will upset you. We hope it scares the heck out of you. Here are the relevant facts and portions of the March 6th decision of Justice A. Singh […]
Check Us Out
Mar 29
We both did a webinar for Wacom last week and had a great time. We had a set of material to present and we got through 5% before some really great questions came flooding in. So we spend most of the hour answering as many as we could. Check it out at http://youtu.be/h8BanE6LF6Y
Soviet Style Negotiating
Mar 25
Ed, as a student of Russian history (really, he is) will be the first to tell you that a Soviet Style has nothing whatsoever to do with “politics” or your political orientation. Rather it is a style your adversary takes based on a somewhat traditional Russian approach that predates by many decades the current regime […]
