Your friend is a victim of attempted extortion. He should report the kids parents to the police and hire a lawyer to sue them for civil extortion.

Under copyright law, if an Officer of a corporation has personal knowledge of the infringing activity, s/he can be held personally liable for the...

How can I pitch a show idea to a network/studio and protect that idea for fear they may steal it for themselves?

Have them sign a non-disclosure agreement" ("NDA") before you disclose anything. There are forms on the internet.

You are describing an ambitious project with a ton of legal issues, too numerous and nuanced to answer in this forum. You need a good copyright...

The permission (technically a "license") the owner of the copyright in the film granted to folks who buy a DVD only allows for private viewing---...

Can I continue to make and sell reproductions/prints, etc of my paintings after I sell the original??

Yes, unless you sell the copyright along with the painting. To transfer the copyright requires a writing signed by you indicating your intent to...

I have a simple copyright question. Do copyrights come up as part of employee background checks?

Not that I have ever heard of, but the Copyright Office database of registered copyright owners is public, so anyone can access it at any time...

Can a satirical newspaper offer one of its articles for individual sale, if the article contains a photo of a living celebrity?

Great question. The first case that comes to mind was decided in favor of the newspaper that sold posters of Joe Montana...

Will a lawyer take my wife’s defamation case on contingency?

Defamation cases are not usually handled by personal injury lawyers on a contingent fee basis. Especially without proof of "special damages"-- at...

Reproducing the sculptural image of Elvis Presley in the state of Tennessee on a cigar box for commercial use, is going to implicate copyright,...