You be the Judge: Judging Pretty Woman
Sometimes in order to play judge and fully investigate a situation, I have to acquire evidence. And so, many times when I read an intellectual property dispute regarding a musical work, I purchase and listen to the music at issue. Yes, truth be told, I have an “infringement” section on my MP3 player …
You be the Judge: The Orphan Works Act
In our regular series You be the Judge, we ask our readers to weigh in on copyright and infringement cases. In this case, we want you to role play a Congressperson!There has been a lot of talk in the arts community concerning a potential copyright law reform titled “The Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008 …
You be the Judge: Garfield Minus Garfield Minus Lawsuit
As a well-seasoned judge of intellectual property infringement, you’ve judged cases regarding apple logos, a Danish design, chocolate ads, and a final resting place. For today's case docket, it's time to decide the fate of a missing feline. Garfield is a daily-syndicated comic strip created by Jim Davis. The …
Legal Info for Artists: Electronic Copyright Registration Now Available
Dear Sellers,I am happy to report that the U.S. Copyright Office is now accepting electronic filing of copyright registrations. Previously, I reported that the Copyright Office was conducting a beta test of this system. Advantages of Electronic Copyright Office (eCO) system include:• Lower filing fee of …
You be the Judge: Copycat Caskets
In previous “You be the Judge” articles, Etsians offered opinions regarding the image of an apple, Vuitton and Darfur, and Naked M&Ms. This time, I invite our community to examine a pending case concerning a product not typically associated with the word “knockoff.” When walking through certain …
Etsy, I See Copyright Infringement
What's flagging? It's how Etsians can report items to Etsy admin. People flag for many reasons. Copyright infringement is just one example, and SarahSays will be discussing this below. Another example: if concerned members of the community spot someone selling a mass-produced item on Etsy, they can notify …
Legal Mumbo Jumbo: What's SarahSays Saying?
Sometimes lawyers (like myself) use words and phrases that should be reserved for a legal brief, a law school exam, or Black’s Law Dictionary. But why? Why do lawyers get all wordy with these words? Maybe because of tradition, or maybe because (apparently) attorneys used to charge by the word, and now many lawyers …
Etsy Trademark Permissions Program: This ain't no Cease and Desist
*UPDATE* This article was originally published on January 22, 2007. Since that time, a bunch of awesome Etsians have sent their information to trademark@etsy.com. Thanks so much for understanding why we have this program and thank you for your patience. Starting April 1, 2008, Etsy may approach members who …
Alchemy: Day One
UPDATE: So far we've added: a blurb at the top explaining a bit about Alchemy. link to Your Alchemy shop settings so you can easily update your announcement. ability to edit requests before they've been bid upon.more awesomeness to Alchemy search so it's more effective.Alchemy has been back up for just about …
