Danger, Will Robinson! Unlike copyrights, trademarks do not expire. The can live on indefinitely. What's legally significant is not whether a...

You may have legal title to the tangible documents, but the family retains ownership of the intangible rights - the copyrights. Unless the...

As a general rule, you cannot use the name or likeness of an athlete to sell unauthorized merchandise. In response, the athlete, their estate (or...

Do I need consent from a business to discuss their company on a website?

As a general rule, you do not need the consent of a business you wish to write about, UNLESS: (a) you signed a non-disclosure agreement in which...

Can we name a product with a famous person's last name? ex: "The Ive Shirt" for Jony Ive or the "The Musk Shirt" after Elon Musk

No, you cannot. It would violate the person's right of publicity, which is the right to control the commercial use of their name, likeness or...

Character name copyrights?

Copyrights and trademarks, which are sometimes confused, provide different forms of protection. Copyright law protects the way authors express...

Is copying an image into a book being used for charitable purposes fair use?

Being a non-profit charitable institution, or donating profits to one, does not let you off the hook. Even non-commercial users can be sued if the...

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

It's unclear what your concern is, as it appears that you properly terminated your self-published book contract. If not, go back and read your...

Can I use my URL if the phrase is already trademarked?

If you are an authorized distributor, review your distribution agreement. What you can, and cannot do, with the networking company's trademark may...

Kindle publishing (co-authors) legal problems

Under US copyright law, the formation (and dissolution) of a creative partnership is governed by federal copyright law and state contract law. When...