Is there any copyright infringement on using formal names (Nike, McDonalds) in a PAID 3rd party news app?

You can you the trademarks of others if they are necessary to state a fact, I.e. there was a robbery at McDonald's. You cannot use the trademarks...

The key question is how you are using NSR. If it is simply a name of the company (dba) then it does not really matter. If, however, you are...

Might this fall under fair use?

This is one of those times when common sense and the law do not necessarily align. The above are good legal answers. If it were me, I would tape...

I want to write a novel about fictitious characters but set in a real historic hotel. Is it necessary to get permission?

You may also want to include a disclaimer at the front of the book that there is no affiliation with either of the hotels. You can use the name...

Certified letter from Johnson and Ham - Counterfeit Otter box

You definitely need to hire an attorney. Where is a question of where your sales have been. If you sold the product in California, then hiring a ...

When your web site is copyrighted does that protect you under the copyright law.

Any creative work that it important to you should be registered with the copyright office because you will need the registration to enforce the...

What can I do?

Yes, in America you can sue anyone for anything. You can also get thrown out of court and have attorneys fees awarded against you. You can also...

If a contract was never signed, who will be responsible for a lawsuit or fines?

Both of you are liable for infringement. This is why you should never copy an image off the web without a license or documentation that it is...

Was being accused of trademark infringement and cuber-squatting and now the lawyer has disappeared . What could be the reason?

It is possible that the lawyer was not getting paid and stopped working on the matter. It is possible that the lawyer misplaced your communication...

Can I use the name of my town on t-shirt "I love x" with my own created visual? if so, can I use this format with other towns?

If the X is your town, then yes. There is nothing which prevents you from using the name of a city. Just be careful if the name of the city is...