Would it be hard to register a trademark that was abandoned/dead in 2009 that was not mine?

The fact that the mark shows up as "dead" on the USPTO database does not mean that it is not still in use by someone or even that another mark...

If I outsource educational material, and I receive copyrighted content, am I liable?

I'm not entirely clear on your question, but going by my colleagues' generous answers I would agree that if what you are saying is whether you...

Is it trademark infringement if a company has a similar name as another, but spelled differently?

The standard is called confusingly similar based on how the mark is used in commerce. So for example, the market is not confused as between Delta...

Is is necessary to file (register) a script I wrote in order to have copyright protection?

Any creative expression will be covered by copyright law automatically. Then you register the work with the US Copyright Office so to perfect your...

If I purchase and resell a shirt that has a trademarked word/phrase, am I liable or is the original manufacturer of the shirt?

You would be responsible or any infringing products you sell. It is not clear whether we are taking about TM infringement here or not, so I urge...

If I told the "author" of an article that being written with my image my name and other info, not to and they did w/o my consent

No, anyone has a right to write about anyone they want and no permission is needed. I'm sure you have heard of unauthorized biographies right? Now...

Can you use a company advertisement to make fun of them in social media by altering the content?

As noted, maybe. What you are describing sounds like it would be a parody, which will typically make fun of or common on an artist, creator, brand,...

How do I transfer rights from a self-published book to a traditional publisher?

Who knows? If you are using a platform like CreateSpace I would think you are best to bring this question to them. I would think the publisher can...

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If a website has a name that is not trademarked and I acquire the trademark for the name am I able to ask them to shutdown?

I think you are fundamentally misunderstanding trademark law and how domain ownership interacts with this area. Even if we have a scenario where...

Quote competitors in a graph, legal or not ?

So using another's mark descriptively in text and for the purpose of comparative advertising is not unlawful and quite common. You should never use...