Trademarks can be trickier than a lot of people realize. Although it would be wonderful to simply tell the government you’re trademarking something and rest assured that it will be protected from that point on, the realities of applying for and protecting one’s trademark status are much more blurry. This…
NPR reports: Spotify, the groundbreaking streaming music service, is facing a class-action lawsuit alleging that it violates the copyrights of thousands of independent musicians. If the songwriters prevail it could cost Spotify tens of millions of dollars in unpaid royalties. And according to experts in the music industry, this may…
NPR reports: Where do you draw the line between inspiration and appropriation when it comes to musical compositions? That question is at the heart of several high-profile court cases, including the recent “Blurred Lines” trial and a current copyright-infringement lawsuit involving “Stairway to Heaven.” But it isn’t always easy to…
When a person feels that they have been wronged and seeks redress, there is sometimes debate as to which person or entity is really responsible. In a recent case against Getty Images (US) Inc., the judge agreed that the defendant had been wronged, not by the company being sued.…
The internet, which is still a new phenomenon to many areas of the law, has greatly expanded the potential for infringement of trademarks and personal names. The act of registering someone else’s trademark or personal name as an internet domain name without authorization is known as “cybersquatting.” While proving a…
Our Chicago defamation and libel attorneys represent consumers and businesses in internet defamation and libel suits including consumers who have posted negative reviews of businesses on the internet. We also represent businesses who are the victims of misleading websites set up by competitors to poach business. The First Amendment provides…
Movie Studios Can Subpoena Internet Users’ Names, Data In File-Sharing Cases AP reports: A federal judge on Friday allowed the holder of a movie copyright to subpoena the names of people accused of illegally downloading and distributing a film over the Internet. Courts have held that Internet subscribers do…
The below article on internet defamation appeared in the New York Times: Venting Online, Consumers Can Find Themselves in Court Stephen McGee for The New York Times Justin Kurtz with his car, which was towed from his apartment complex parking lot near Western Michigan University. By DAN FROSCH Published:…
Larry Lessig gives an interesting and entertaining lecture on how copyright law is strangling creativity on the internet: Based in Chicago and Oak Brook, Illinois, Lubin Austermuehle represents clients in business litigation throughout Illinois, the Midwest and the United States. We represent Chicago area businesses of all sizes, from family-owned…
Google, the target of multiple online trademark infringement lawsuits, made a preemptive strike back in early August when it countersued the named plaintiff in a pending case against it. According to law professor Eric Goldman’s Technology & Marketing Law Blog, Google sued John Beck Amazing Profits, LLC, in the…