Memo from H&M to Forever 21: “Beach Please” Stop Copying Us
According to The Fashion Law, Swedish clothing retailer H&M is suing LA-based clothing retailer Forever 21 for copyright infringement, trade dress infringement, false designation of origin and unfair competition, over the design of one of its canvas tote bags, which features the groan-inducing or very clever play on words “Beach Please” set against a line of palm trees and a colorful background.
November 03, 2015
Google Books is Legal and It Only Took a Decade To Find Out
Google scored a major victory earlier this month when the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled that the company’s massive undertaking in creating a digital library doesn’t infringe on the rights of authors because it’s fair use.
October 28, 2015
“Let’s get crazy” with DMCA takedown notices
On February 7, 2007, a young Pennsylvania woman named Stephanie Lenz uploaded to YouTube a video of her two adorable children dancing to the Prince song “Let’s Go Crazy.” She titled the 29-second long video “Let’s Get Crazy #1,” and then (probably) went about the rest of her day.
September 22, 2015
Uber and The Many Legal Woes of Ride Sharing
Look, we’re a Brooklyn-located law firm. DUMBO, to be specific. And so like many Brooklynites and quite possibly the majority of DUMBO residents, we use and appreciate Uber. Why the apologetic tone? Well, if you’ve been following the local news, you know that Uber is not the most popular company among city politicians, or in Mayor DeBlasio’s office.
September 15, 2015
European Artists’ Rights Org Goes After SoundCloud for Copyright Abuse
Previously on this blog, we wrote about the current battles between the copyright holders of recorded works (you know these works as “music”) and certain scofflaw streaming services that seem to operate based on a policy of denying artists any share in the profit created from streaming their music.
September 08, 2015
My Business Was Sued in Juneau! Interstate Liability and Long-arm Jurisdiction in The Ecommerce Age
Get ready, because in this post, we’re going to tackle a topic that bedevils even eager law students, many of whom face it first on the bar exam and then not until a small business client served with a lawsuit walks into their office years later.
September 01, 2015
Advocates for the Creative Mind
