Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Can We Use Illustration for Cover of Book?

Dear Rich: I run a non-profit educational website called Simply Charly that explores history's greatest movers and shakers. And we're planning to publish a series of books using many of the illustrations we own on the covers of the books. I was wondering if we'll run into some copyright issues using our own illustrations. You need to look at the paperwork associated with the acquisition of the images. As a general rule, if you: (1) employed the artist who created the covers, (2) hired the artist and had him or her sign a work made for hire agreement, or (3) paid the artist and received an assignment of copyright, than you can use the illustrations for covers --  that is, you own the copyright and are free to use the works as you please. (By the way, no written agreement is needed if the artwork was created by employees.) That said, assignments and work made for hire agreements may have additional requirements that affect your rights. Theses agreements may transfer copyright but may condition the transfer on the payment of fees or royalties for certain uses --- for example, $1,000 will be paid if the illustration is used as a cover.
If you acquired a license ... If you acquired image rights under a license, then you are "renting" the images and would probably need to return to the artist for additional permission to use the artwork on the cover of a book. The license agreement probably explains the limitations.
P.S. Dept. We like your books and covers ... if only we weren't so busy with Words With Friends.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Student "Help" Site Pilfered My Exam Question

Dear Rich: I'm a college professor in the sciences, and over the years I've written a number of questions to assign to students in my various classes. Some of them I'll re-use in subsequent years. Last night I stumbled across one via Google on a site called chegg.com, a site that exists in part to provide answers to students posting questions. When I contacted them asking them to take down that question, the rep I spoke with conferred with others there and told me that they couldn't, and that the situation was effectively no different than if a student had posted a question directly from a textbook. Despite their poisoning of the learning process, I'm not interested in punishing the site, I just don't want to facilitate any future students taking the easy way out and not learning as much as they could. What options (if any) do I have here? Personally I can just scramble a few facts whenever I re-use a question, but I'm curious about the larger ramifications as this sort of student "help" site proliferates online. I would think that this is a question of copyright violation and that if a major publisher with more legal clout than I were to push, the response would be different. Chegg.com, according to its website, is "all about removing the obstacles that stand in the way of the education YOU want and deserve." We assume one of those obstacles is doing homework and that's why the company -- whose primary business appears to be buying and selling textbooks -- offers homework help (advertised to get you better grades and help you "get ready for the real world"). How true!
What they said. We're confused why the rep -- comparing your situation to a student posting a question from a book -- concluded that there was no reason to remove your question. It's true that many questions don't rise to the level of copyright protection because they're too short or because there are a limited number of ways to express the question (the merger doctrine) -- for example, "What are the primary themes in Jacobean literature?" or "What motivated Dwight Eisenhower to run for president?" But we see no reason why a longer question with sufficient detail -- for example, a bar exam hypothetical -- could not be protected under copyright. This would be true regardless of whether the question was pilfered from you, or written for a textbook.
Your challenge is twofold. You face two hurdles: (1) convincing Chegg that your question can be protected by copyright law (see above); and (2) getting Chegg to remove your question. You may be able to accomplish the latter through a DMCA notice via Chegg's IPR program. After all, according to Chegg's website, "if a professor reviews your notes and reports to Chegg that the notes do, in fact, violate their copyright, Chegg will remove the notes." If Chegg doesn't facilitate the removal, we assume you will find it cheaper to modify your questions than to hire a lawyer and threaten a lawsuit.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Getty and Watermarks

Dear Rich: I have completed a "rough cut" of my documentary. I have hundreds of photos, some claimed by Getty. If I use a similar photo without Getty's watermark can they still legally claim rights? If Getty owns rights to the photos used in your documentary, then you'll need to pay for a license regardless of whether the watermark is visible. By the way, removing digital watermarks, copyright notices or other copyright rights management may be a separate violation of copyright law.
Although Getty has adopted a "sharing" approach to use of its photos online, it's unlikely that the stock photo company will tolerate unlicensed uses in a documentary. Should the company learn of your use; they may send you one of their infamous settlement demand letters. (The company also offers guidance for recipients.) If you're using photos that are similar to Getty pictures but not owned by Getty, then you'll need permission from whoever owns the copyright to that imagery, as well.
Fair use questions? Perhaps the information we've posted here can help. And please see the informative comment provided below.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Can I Replicate Bar From TV Show?

Dear Rich: My business partner and I are interested in starting a replica bar based on a location from a popular TV show (no, not Cheers). I can't find any evidence that the bar name in question is trademarked, though the name of the original show certainly is. Regardless, I'm guessing the characters and settings are all covered by copyright. Still I wonder if there is any way we can use the name from the show without violating copyright? If we were to model the bar's design/decor after the location from the show, would that violate copyright?  If you are pursued by the TV show's owners, most likely you'd be pursued under trademark claims, not copyright. That's because the injury claimed by the TV show is primarily based on customer confusion. At least, that was the approach taken by DC Comics, owner of Batman, when it sued a chain of Batcave comic book stores that appeared in the 1980s. DC Comics claimed that consumers would associate the stores with its brand. Even though BATCAVE was not a registered trademark, the comic book company prevailed in court based on its common law trademark rights. This same rule may hold true under trade dress principles -- that is, even if you don't use the name of the bar. Bottom line, we can't tell you whether you will get hassled but you might want to get a second opinion from a trademark attorney before investing serious dinero in the project.
What about copyright? Copyright does protect characters and settings provided they are distinctly defined -- that is they must be more than what are known as scénes à faire.
P.S. Dept. Also beware of including any replicas of actors from the TV show in your bar setting.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Can I Use Stage Name to Credit Songwriting?

the diabolical Biz Markie credits
his songwriting to Marcel Hall
Dear Rich: I use an artist name with a last name that is not my legal last name and has no relation to my birth name. I have no interest in legally changing my last name, and all my music copyrights are filed under my legal name. My question is when I credit myself on a CD with "music and lyrics written by...." can I use my artist last name, or should I use my legal last name? I find it visually confusing to have one artist name on the CD and a different last name for "music written by." But am I legally obligated to use my real last name? You're not legally obligated to credit your songwriting with your "real" name, but many artists do it. Sometimes they do it to personally acknowledge the songwriting, sometimes to simplify copyright registration, and sometimes just to make it clear whose name goes on the check. If you're going to credit your songs to your stage name, that pseudonym should be included on the copyright registration and at your performing rights society (ASCAP or BMI).

Friday, September 12, 2014

Copyright in wedding ring design?

My wife and I decided to have custom wedding ring made at a national level chain store jeweler three years ago. This past weekend we stopped at the jeweler and saw a custom ring book where my wife saw her ring in that book and she was not happy. What can I do to have the jeweler stop promoting the ring in their custom book? I read about copyright would this be a good idea? Maybe ... but first you need to consider some possible copyright concerns.
Did you sign anything? Did you or your wife sign any paperwork at the store? We imagine you probably haven't kept your invoice ... but it's possible that you may have unknowingly agreed to permit the use of your customized design in the custom ring book. The small print on your invoice would provide the details.
Is the design sufficiently original? Chances are that your design meets the minimum standards of originality ... but just so you know, you can't claim copyright if the design is not original to you or if the design consists primarily of standard elements -- geometric shapes or forms.
Did the store co-design the ring? If the store employees assisted in the design --  that is, they provided a major contribution -- then the ring may be a work of joint authorship and the co-authors of the ring would have certain rights and obligations.
Assuming you have copyright ... If you're serious about stopping the store from featuring your design, you're probably going to need a certificate of registration and you may also need an attorney's assistance. A certificate of registration is not essential for claiming copyright but it is necessary for filing a lawsuit and most corporations won't take the request seriously unless a certificate of registration is waved in front of them. This Copyright Office tutorial explains more about registration. You can expedite the registration for a hefty fee; otherwise, it will take six to 12 weeks for a registration filed electronically. As for the lawyer's help, we wish it weren't necessary but unless the store is benevolent, they probably won't seriously consider a claim of copyright infringement unless you're represented by an attorney. By the way, some disgruntled copyright owners choose the public relations route rather than the infringement method. That is, they seek to marshall online publicity for their claims thereby shaming the business into doing the right thing.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

#publicdomain?

Dear, Rich: I’m trying to properly attribute public domain images in a course pack I’m writing and I’m confused about public domain tags. If a work has entered the public domain without being directly dedicated to the public domain by the owner, there are nearly 100 tags listed under US copyright to indicate exactly why it is in the public domain (i.e. the copyright expired). Some images I’ve come across ask you to use these tags, while others don’t; meanwhile in Canada, there are only four different tags. My question is, do I need to use these tags to explain why it’s in the public domain when I attribute these images? Also, if I’m writing a course pack in Canada, but planning to offer it to American students, do I follow the tag of where the image was created, where it is being re-published, or where it is being “consumed” by students? There is no legal requirement that you include public domain tags. So why do they exist? Read on!
Label this! Copyright law lacks a labeling system -- some system that clearly and accurately identifies the copyright status (or lack of copyright status) for any work.  For example, the absence of a © symbol does not establish a work as public domain any more than the presence of the © symbol proves that a work is protected.
The problem with public domain works. Unless a court has ruled that work is in the PD, the potential user must make a private determination or rely on the kindness of academics and legal professionals. For example, if a work was published before 1923 in the U.S., it's in the PD. But questions may linger. For example, if it was a painting, was it "published" for copyright purposes. Other categories of public domain works create additional questions. For example, copyright does not protect typefaces, so it is assumed -- trademark law aside -- that logos consisting solely of a typeface are public domain. But that general rule may not apply to all typeface logos, and as a result a dispute may arise as to PD status. These PD disputes are more likely when there's a lot of money at stake. For these reasons, a system of tagging was developed by so that users of works would understand their public domain provenance and make decisions accordingly. (Stephen Fishman's book and treatise can be very helpful when sorting out these issues.)
What about you? You definitely don't need to reproduce these tags. If a work is PD, attribution of any sort is not required. However, for your own purposes, you may want to keep track of the tags in case a dispute should ever arise as to one of the works.
PS. We can't speak to Canadian copyright law but we have a feeling, the same rules apply.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

British Site Stole My Fan Site Trademark

Dear Rich: I am the owner of a domain name which I registered in 2001. My wife and I used the name and website to create a large online community and forum consisting of fans of a well known classic rock band. The community at its height had over 8000 members, and was well known among online fans of this band. In early-mid 2011, after my wife and I endured separate serious illnesses, we closed the website location but retained the domain name and moved the community forum to Facebook under a group name identical to the website name. I still currently maintain ownership of the domain name, as well as being the senior admin of the Facebook group. Today I learned a large media group that operates out of the UK, and runs a very well known website, had chosen to "re-brand" their website and trademark name for the month of June 2014 using a name identical to the name of my website and community forum. This appears to have been done as a means of increasing capital by associating themselves with that classic rock band. I believe this website broadcasts, advertises, and sells merchandise via amazon.com and backstreetmerch.com to U.S. residents. To my knowledge this name was not in use prior to my registering the domain name with Network Solutions in 2001 and creating the website. Even if you have a strong case (and we're not sure you do), we think you will have a difficult time squeezing any payments out of the British media site.  You face practical and logistical problems.
Jurisdiction. The first hurdle is jurisdiction, the right of an American court to make a ruling that binds the British company. You would have to show that the media company either maintains an American headquarters or has a "continuous and systematic" presence in the state in which the case will be heard. This preliminary skirmish could be enough to exhaust your bankroll. Obviously, the British media company, because of its size, would have an advantage in this and other legal battles.
Trademark claims. Assuming you can bring the British company into an American court, you would have to prove that consumers of your site are likely to be confused by the British re-branding. That is, your fans believed the British site was associated with your site. If fans were misled and confused by the two sites than part of your damages would be the profits from the U.S. sales of merchandise.
The defense rests. Keep in mind that the British media site will vigorously defend itself. They may argue that you have no federal trademark registration for the domain name and can't claim nationwide priority. Although unregistered marks provide rights, they can be harder to enforce than a federally registered mark. The British media company may also argue that you're not entitled to trademark rights because your domain and forum names incorporate the band's name, and therefore your domain name is misleading and possibly unenforceable. In other words, they may claim that fans affiliate with your site because they believe it is endorsed by or associated with the band. The British company may also argue that their damages should be mitigated by the fact that they only used the name for a month.
That said dept. If you're looking to bolster your ability to go after others, the best strategy would be to seek federal registration. Beware, that also has risks -- the band may object to your application.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Wants to Quote Vintage Clothing Ads in Song

Dear Rich: I have a song, part of a musical project, within which I'm quoting vintage clothing ads from the '60's. HIS, LEVIS, Dexter Shoes, Danskin, etc. Am I correct in assuming I can't do this or do you think claiming ' Fair Use' might allow it? It's possible that a company may complain but we don't imagine that quoting 50-year old clothing ads will cause much problem. First, there's the issue of whether copyright still protects many of these ads. Ads published before 1964 would have to have been renewed (and only a small percentage were). Even if renewal were not required, there might be some issue as to who owns copyright (and can prove it). Finally, there's the issue of whether the owner will hear your song and choose to do anything about it -- that is, is it worth it financially and from a public relations POV to pursue you. So, we think the coast is relatively clear. Who knows ... your potential pursuers may even coopt your use?

Monday, September 8, 2014

Can I Quote Carlos Castaneda?

Dear Rich: After many years of compiling Carlos Casteneda's work and systematically organizing it, I have the basic notes to begin writing a study guide that will use a good deal of quotation. Casteneda is said to be the father of the new age movement and I believe the attorneys for the Casteneda estate are most likely quite protective of the work. I want to avoid encroaching in any way on the copyrights. Here are some considerations. Most of the information I am publishing has been published before between 30 - 40 years ago. I believe my research to be "transformative" as I have compiled the works in an academic and systematic way never done before. My compilation and thus retelling is entirely new and my own. I wish to make no money on this endeavor and would be happy to donate any proceeds (if there are any). Casteneda himself has stated that he did not make up any of the information in his books. Therefore, his works can be argued to be more factual than creative. His first book was his undergraduate thesis at UCLA, and his third book was his graduate thesis. This is truly an academic endeavor to be used by anthropologists and anthropology students in an academic setting.  In the unabridged version of your letter, you mentioned several fair use cases: Love v. KwitnyTwin Peaks v. Publications Int’l, Ltd., Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. v. RDR Books, (and check out Castle Rock Entertainment, Inc. v. Carol Publ. Group), all of which are summarized at our Stanford fair use post. (You also cite Cambridge University Press v. Georgia State University, which is currently on appeal at the 11th Circuit.) One common thread through many of these lawsuits is whether the infringing work used too much of the copyrighted work. When too much is taken the use is no longer "fair" because judges believe that the consumer is buying the infringing work for what it takes, not what it adds.
How much is too much? We don't know how much you've taken, but that will likely be the key issue (not whether you are a nonprofit, or whether Don Juan is fact or fiction). When measuring "how much is too much?" judges sometimes look to the total number of words taken, or sometimes they look to the percentage taken (the court in Cambridge University Press proposed an educational fair use standard of 10% from a 10 chapter book). In other cases, quality of the quotes, not quantity is what matters (that is, did you take the "key" quotes that comprise the heart of Castaneda's works?). At the same time, other factors, especially your educational purpose weighs in your favor. Having a transformative purpose helps but keep in mind the defendant in Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. v. RDR Books had a transformative purpose but still lost his battle over using Harry Potter.
Is it fair use? We can't tell you. A copyright attorney, after viewing your work, may provide you with a fair use opinion but unfortunately the only person who can tell you for sure is a judge ruling in a lawsuit ... always an expensive proposition. Of course, this will only be an issue if somebody is enforcing Castaneda's rights, that party sees your work and can afford to pursue you.

Friday, September 5, 2014

My Site Turned Japanese!

Dear Rich: For at least 7 years I had a web site that incorporated my name. I am a poet, playwright, essayist and teacher of creative writing. The site functioned as PR for me--I could refer potential employers to it, or clients who might want to hire me to be their editrix or writing coach. It was created for me by a good friend who is not a professional in this field, and hosted by GoDaddy. As time went on my site became obsolete. It was difficult to update because my friend had used a clunky non-professional platform, and it was not phone-friendly. I decided to upgrade. I had someone else create a new site for me with the intention of a smooth transition, continuing to use the domain name. However my friend, when he heard that I wanted to change, abruptly cancelled the old site before the transition could be completed. I was then told I could not get my domain name back for something like sixty days. In the interim, unscrupulous phishers swooped down and got my domain, I'm assuming with the intention of holding it for ransom. I put up my new site under my name but using .net instead of .com. When I Googled myself though, I saw that the dot.com site is up and running and when I clicked on it I saw it was a garbage site: it features a shapely half-naked lady and a bunch of Asian text (I think it's Japanese; can't tell). It may be for massage or something. I feel fairly certain that there aren't any Japanese massage therapists/hookers who have my name. This is literally the first thing that comes up when one Googles my name. After that there's pages and pages of my published work and all the things I worked so hard to create and publicize. I can live with using the name .net instead of .com (although I would prefer .com), but it bugs me to have this garbage site up. I feel like it's a distraction and somehow affects my credibility. Do I have any recourse? I don't even know the identities of the people who did it. You haven't been the victim of a phishing scam -- that's an attempt to get sensitive information by pretending to be a legitimate website. You may be the victim of cybersquatters and your rights and recourse were detailed in this post (and also in this post, too). By the way, your former domain is not being used for shady sexual practices. According to the Google translation from Japanese (see above), it is for an acne treatment.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Upset Over Selling Counterfeits: What to Do?

Dear Rich: I have been so depressed for so many days. The issue is basically, I have sold some counterfeit goods saying they were real. I sold counterfeit goods 8 times via Paypal. Furthermore I also sold a lot of my products face to face. Ever since I found out that my goods were fake, and that my supplier who said they were real had lied to me, I stopped. The last time I sold something was 2 months ago. I have never received a complaint or have been contacted by any agencies. I am so scared. Will Trading Standards come after me? I have completely stopped what i am doing. If Trading Standards comes after me, what will they do to me and how should I retaliate? We're guessing that you're located in the U.K. where the Trading Standards Institute oversees enforcement of anti-piracy laws. Because we're only familiar with U.S. law, we'll answer from that perspective, hoping that the universality of your dilemma crosses national borders.
Have you committed a crime? Generally, in criminal law, the perpetrator must have an intent to commit wrongdoing. In cases of fraud, for example, that usually means that the perpetrator intends to cause actual harm or injury. In counterfeiting cases in the U.S., this intent can be inferred from "willful blindess" -- when the perpetrator suspects wrongdoing but deliberately fails to investigate. If you honestly had no idea you were dealing in counterfeit goods and had made some reasonable attempt to authenticate the goods, then you would lack intent under U.S. law and you would not be guilty of trading in counterfeit goods.
Are you personally liable to the victims? Yes, even if fraud or counterfeiting can't be proven, your customers would be entitled to full refunds because they did not receive what they contracted for ... authentic goods.
What do you do? Assuming you're not going to report your sources to the authorities, you basically have two choices. You can: (1) notify your customers and offer compensation; or (2) do nothing and wait to see if anyone notices that the goods are counterfeit (and then deal with the issue). Complicating your ethical dilemma is your relationship with your customers -- you may feel especially pained to have defrauded friends or relatives. We're also mindful of your mental state. Depression is a powerful oppressor. Make the ethical decision that works for you and then close the door on the matter.
P.S. Dept. You might be suprised to learn that some people knowingly buy counterfeit products; in fact they seek them out.

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Can I Reproduce Someone's Letter on YouTube?

Dear Rich: Is it even possible for someone to copyright a written letter (written in 1998) of an UNKNOWN author? If not, and that written letter is incorporated into a Powerpoint that IS copyrighted, can that slide containing the non-copyrighted letter be used in a YouTube video where the letter is analyzed and discussed? This is a somewhat serious matter. Sorry for the complexity of the question. It's not as complex as you might think. As we stated before, only an author (or in some cases, an author's employer) can initially claim copyright to a letter. If the unknown letter writer someday steps forward, he or she can stop reproduction in the PowerPoint and YouTube video. The PowerPoint author can't stop the YouTube user from reproducing the text of the letter -- only the letter writer can do that.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Posting a Chapter From a Book: Fair Use?

Dear Rich: We are planning a discussion of a book chapter written by a professor who will also be attending our meetup. I own a copy of the book, and would like to scan and send the chapter so everyone can read it in advance and be prepared. However, I'm not sure if that is fair use. Would posting the chapter, with a link to Amazon to buy the whole book, on the meetup webpage be a problem? (We have about 400 names on our list.) Would sending the material to only those who sign up on the meetup page (usually only 10-20 people) avoid the issue? Can the author scan and send the material himself (or give permission) without copyright violation?  It's unlikely that posting a complete chapter of a book online would constitute fair use. Check out the fair use cases permitting use of text and you will see that using more than a few hundred words is usually difficult to justify as a fair use.
But the professor is on your side. Because the professor/author favors your use, you probably won't have problems. As we discussed in a recent post, the author may have the right to permit copying. But even if the author doesn't possess that right, the publisher might not want to get into a dustup, particularly if you limit the reproduction to the 10-20 people who will actually attend the meeting ... er, meetup.