Is it legal for a singer to compete in a competition that he plays at and is paid for, when rules state no employees can?

Yes. A band is an independent contractor not an employee of a venue. Often the judge being a band mate is good for you as the judge has to go out...

Can an electricity co. retroactively tell you your contract expired & raise rate? Can they record you w/o disclosure on phone?

Ameren records you WITH disclosure, so you are surely wrong about that. They say you may be recorded for quality assurance purposes. The IL...

I am wondering on the process for a take down order or suppression of personal information and comments posted on the Internet

You should read 17 USC 512 which spells out what is called the DMCA process.

I HAD USED MY GRANDMOTHER DISCOVER CARD WITH OUT HER PERMISSON

This was not an IP question, so I changed the practice area to "Credit Card Fraud" so perhaps you get a decent answer. In the future don't use...

How do I go about locating the US associates of a company in China who stole my own art images off a website that sells my work?

Sue them and engage in discovery. Or, hire an investigator, who would likely pose as a buyer in a sting to get the goods to nail them. You would...

Is a CTM (EU) trademark needed to sell a product in Europe? Or does it already have some common law protection as unregistered?

The answer from the INTA guide for EU is "Registration is mandatory to establish rights to a trademark; this is a "first to file"...

Should I file a copyright for each individual poem or file as a whole body of work?

YES, you should do one or the other, OR BOTH. You may register unpublished works as a collection on one application with one title for the...

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Use of existing fabric sold by bold- manipulated and then photographed- can the digital image then be used to put on a product?

Subject to actual review of the images, that sounds pretty transformational and creative and should be legally clear and something that, in fact,...

Hi, I have a cartoon character like sponge bob square pants, who can help me legalize and promote this idea, thanks

An IP attorney can help you legalize. A licensing agent can help you promote. Some IP attorneys do both. Ask the attorney if he or she belongs to...

Does copyright law help with getting replacement discs for obsolete/out of print discs that are damaged and no longer readable?

If it is out of warrany then Phillips doesn't have to do anything. This is not a legal question as you are at the mercy of Phillips.