Yes, fictional characters can obtain trademark protections. In the realm of Trademark law, trademarks are awarded to source indicators used in connection with the commercial exchange of goods and services. For example names, logos, slogans, phrases, sounds, colors, trade dresses and others. For a source indicator, such as a logo, to obtain trademark protection, it…   + Read More…

Yes, fictional characters have copyright protection. In copyright law, copyrights are awarded to literary and artistic works that are: (1) original works of authorship and are (2) fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Therefore, in order for a literary or artistic work to be eligible for copyright protection, it needs to be a product of the imagination of its author(s), rather than a copy of someone else’s work.

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is the statute that prescribes the policies and procedures governing the debarment and suspension of contractors by federal government agencies. It provides that all federal contractors debarred, suspended, or proposed for debarment are excluded from receiving contracts, and agencies shall not solicit offers from, award contracts to, or consent to subcontracts with these contractors, unless the agency head determines that there is a compelling reason for such action. 

The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) is the primary regulation for use by all executive agencies in their acquisition of supplies and services with appropriated funds. It became effective in 1984 to govern the policies and procedures for contracts to sell goods or provide services to the federal government. It was created with the intention of having a comprehensive set of rules for agencies across the executive branch, but over time agencies have created supplements to the FAR, adding their own specifications.

In Florida, there are various laws which prescribe limitations on payday loans. First and foremost, any company wishing to issue payday loans must be licensed. Notably, the additional restrictions under Florida law include limitations on the number of loans you can have outstanding per customer, the amount of the loan, the fees and costs that can be charged, and the collections process if a customer does not pay their loan back.

Once you’ve won your lawsuit and have a judgment against the defendant, you still have to go through the post-judgment process to collect on your award. Simply put, this entails a review of the defendant’s financials and assets to determine how the judgment will be paid. Some defendants try to avoid collection by transferring assets to another third party. How can this be remedied?

On a weekly or even daily basis, you might be receiving physical mail alerting you that your car warranty is about to expire. You may also be receiving calls telling you to renew your car’s warranty. You think it might be a scam, but can you be sure? A Florida Business Law attorney can help.

Generally, most songs are copyrighted works and therefore, a license is required for the public performance of the copyrighted work. This license can be obtained from a “PRO”, which legally allows the copyrighted work to be played at public events or venues.

On July 15, 2020, several political, corporate, and cultural leaders had their Twitter accounts hacked. Although still under investigation, it is believed that a group of young people, not sophisticated hackers, carried out the breach in an attempted Bitcoin scam. 

Massive security breaches occur every day—not even the most prominent politicians and businessmen are immune. On July 15, Twitter discovered fake tweets coming from Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk’s accounts. Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West were also subject to the hack.

A domain name is the web address that identifies a website. Any website with a “.com” will be the domain name for that website. While trademarks are federally registered through the USPTO, domain names for websites are registered through a domain name registrar.

In light of the events that have occurred in 2020, fraud claims are on the rise. In Florida, there are several mechanisms to report fraud. The Department of Financial Services has a Fraud and Consumer Protection Initiative. If one believes he/she is a victim of fraud, or suspect that fraud is occurring, he/she can report the individual and/or entity in question.

#5 Solicitar una Patente es una Inversión en sí. Obtener una patente es un ejercicio de mostrarle al USPTO que lo que estás solicitando es útil, novel y no-obvio. Si tus reclamos (“claims”) cumplen con esos criterios, se te puede otorgar una patente. La solicitud consiste a grandes rasgos en una descripción altamente detallada del…   + Read More…

La protección de los derechos sobre inventos, procesos, fórmulas y diseños le corresponde principalmente al régimen de Patentes. Las patentes forman parte del régimen de Propiedad Intelectual, donde se encuentran además: los derechos de autor; las marcas; y los secretos comerciales. Estos 4 campos están relacionados, pero no son lo mismo. Cada uno protege distintos aspectos de las creaciones humanas.

Una manera engañosa de incentivar a la otra parte es a través de promesas. Esto ocurre cuando las partes diologan sobre proyectos futuros, a cumplirse si se realiza el actual negocio. Estas promesas no forman parte de lo que se está pactando, y que no hay garantía de que existirán. Esto se conoce como “pajas mentales”. Descarta todo lo que no sea objeto de la actual contratación. 

Se negocia ante un conflicto de intereses opuestos; pues si no existiera conflicto, no hubiese necesidad de realizar concesiones. Pero sólo porque haya intereses encontrados, no significa que debe haber conflicto entre quienes los representan. Lo mejor que se puede tener al momento de negociar es una actitud de disposición.

El mercado se obsesiona con los unicornios – compañías que revolucionan industrias con sus innovaciones. Ejemplos comunes son Facebook, Uber y más recientemente, Snapchat. Sus historias de éxito hacen parecer que el ejercicio de concebir y llevar al mercado una idea sea más sencillo de lo que realmente es. Hay quienes, inspirados en estos unicornios (y quizás en pájaros en gestación), sueñan con generar una gran idea para presentársela a algún inversionista con la esperanza de que se la compre o le pague regalías sin más.

Aunque el smartphone es un “medio tangible” según la definición de derechos de autor, no es una “expresión de una idea” – es un objeto útil y funcional. Ahora bien, si coges ese mismo objeto del smartphone, y lo trasladas a una galería de arte, y lo exhibes como una obra de arte, ese objeto del smartphone se convierte en la expresión de una idea fijada en un medio tangible.

La propiedad intelectual consiste en cuatro regímenes de leyes que gobiernan distintos aspectos de las creaciones humanas. Por eso se le llama propiedad “intelectual”; nacen de la inteligencia e imaginación de los seres humanos. Estos regímenes de leyes son los derechos de autor, las marcas comerciales, los secretos de negocio y las patentes.

El artista musical – sea banda o solista – opera como un comerciante. Su objetivo es entregar un producto de valor a un mercado particular. Pero al igual que cualquier negocio, el éxito del no depende del producto o servicio al vacío, o de una persona solamente. Junto con la música convergen elementos igualmente esenciales que merecen la atención de expertos, como el artista a su arte.

Establece tu “rate” por hora: uno que cubra tu tiempo, materiales y toda la operación, salvando un porcentaje de ganancias. Cuando halles este número, podrás presentar con confianza ante cualquier cliente. No se trata de improvisar, se trata de cononcer tu “rate” por hora, y estimar a base de eso. Cobra a base de lo que cuesta toda la operación, porque de otra forma ese costo saldrá de tu ganancia.

El primer paso en una contratación de diseño no es enseñar el trabajo que harás. Es ganarte la confianza de la persona quien te contrata, y dar a entender en esos primeros minutos, que tú quieres hacer negocios, y que sabes hacer negocios. Es dejar saber que el cirujano, el ojo clínico y el especialista eres tú, por eso él debe depositar su confianza en tí para planificar un proyecto y llegar a una contratación.

Vendiste una obra en una exhibición. El comprador le toma una foto y la sube a su blog, reconociendote como autor. La cuelga en su sala, pero decide pasarle un pequeño brochazo para integrarle tonos más acorde a su pared. Retrata su sala y convierte la imagen en una postal. Hace doscientas copias y las regala en su blog. Al dorso de la postal, junto con su “copyright notice”, incluye tu nombre como autor de la pintura.

Retomemos el ejemplo del pasado artículo. El comprador le pasa un brochazo a tu obra para ajustarla a su pared. No favoreces la intervención; sin embargo, te percatas que la ley de Copyright federal no te protege frente a una alteración de esta índole. No se contempla en el “bundle of rights”.

Actualmente, el “Copyright Notice” es el mecanismo utilizado para hacer visible a terceros la protección de la obra por un derecho de autor. Consiste en incluir junto con la obra todo lo siguiente:  1) la letra “c” dentro de un círculo o la palabra “copyright”; 2) el año de publicación inicial y; 3) el nombre del autor o autores.

Este método se conoce como el “poor man’s rule”, y propone que si uno adjunta en un sobre copia de, por ejemplo, una composición en guitarra grabada en un disco, y se la envía por correo a sí mismo y no abre el sobre, hará constar, por el sello postal, la fecha de la creación de la obra.  En la eventualidad de surgir una disputa entre dos o más personas sobre la autoría de esta, el sello postal autentica al recipiente y la fecha.

Los derechos de autor son derechos patrimoniales otorgados por las leyes de los Estados Unidos, principalmente a través del Copyright Act de 1976, sus subsiguientes enmiendas y tratados, a creadores de trabajos artísticos y literarios (escritos, canciones, pinturas, fotografías, bailes, programas de computadora, compilaciones, entre otros) sobre obras que cumplan con dos requisitos: que sean originales, y que estén fijados en un medio tangible de expresión.

El problema con la industria no es que falte talento, es la sobredosis del mismo. Entonces el reto de cada artista debe ser crear una propuesta única dentro de todo el ruido saturado que son los medios.

Ahora consumimos, creamos y curamos el contenido todo a la vez. Ganar la atención de cualquier público es un ejercicio de suprema deliberación y ejecución incansable. Más que nunca, la popularidad de un artista depende de factores más allá de su música.

The entertainment industry is a broad categorization of fields including fine art, dance, music, theater, film, radio, opera, publishing, television, and more. Contracts are necessary instruments in these fields to protect the creative works of artists in a way that allows them to profit from them. 

Large entertainment companies, like record labels and motion picture studios, also use contracts to protect themselves against economic risk. Consumer interests can change quickly, leading some entertainment trends and artists to become immensely popular or to fall into obscurity. These changes in consumer interests create an economic risk for artists and the companies that work with them. 

Nobody likes to read long and tedious contracts, especially when it is the only thing separating you from the commencement of an exciting new project. However, there are some things you need to keep an eye out for when negotiating your artistic product and services, to ensure you are being justly protected and compensated. 

An entertainment lawyer is a lawyer who represents individuals in the film and television industry, music industry, comedy industry, and print and electronic media industry. Entertainment lawyers can represent artists in contract negotiations, talent acquisition, intellectual property matters and public or distribution rights for creative properties.

Businesses can have customers sign a Release from Liability Waiver, however, this cannot replace the requirement of maintaining a safe workplace. Businesses need to make sure they are in compliance with government agencies (CDC and OSHA), state, and local guidelines. Demonstrating that the business is following the published guidelines from these authorities is the best evidence an employer can provide to show they are reasonably reacting to COVID-19 risks.

Business Interruption Insurance Coverage is triggered when a disaster causes a suspension or reduction in business operations. This insurance is intended to restore the insured back to the position it would have been in had operations continued as expected, by covering the expenses and income loss incurred.

The OSHA wants to ensure certain safety measures in a working environment, yet, also want to make certain that an employee is asserting an issue or concern in good faith. If your employer fails to implement proper guidelines or does not take reasonable steps to safeguard your well-being, then the law offers you, as an employee, the right to refuse to come into your workplace, until the imminent fear is no longer apparent.

Covid-19 has forced many industries to adjust their business operations so that they can comply with the distancing needed. The legal industry is not unlike others, as they have put efforts to make all court hearings virtual or over the phone. One of the many procedures that have made this change is the taking of a witness’ depositions. It is important that even attorneys with years of experience take the following factors into consideration when conducting a virtual deposition.

The measurements taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the US have caused an economic downturn that is dramatically affecting our country’s small businesses. While Congress was able to enact the CARES Act to provide emergency financial aid to those applied for one of its programs; unfortunately, it has now been reported that funding for these programs has been exhausted. 

Navigating the complex process of applying for reemployment assistance in the wake of an unexpected layoff is never a simple task.  That difficult process is made even more complicated during a crisis that creates mass unemployment, such as the one which we are currently experiencing as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  This guide is designed to answer some of the most commonly asked questions with regard to the Florida Reemployment Assistance program and to discuss changes in this area of law that have been made in light of the ongoing pandemic.

Over the past several weeks, thousands of businesses have applied for and (some) have received the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program loan. An attractive condition of this loan is the potential it to be forgiven. However, the SBA has continued to issue guidance on how to remain eligible for forgiveness, and there are strict protocols that businesses must follow.

Instagram reserves the right to disable accounts that it believes violate their Community Guidelines or Terms of Use without warning. Accounts that have been determined to be in repeated violation may be permanently removed.  So, what exactly are Instagram’s community standards and terms of use?

What are the Rights of Data Subjects? Persons (i.e “Data Subjects”) are entitled to several rights in regard to their personal data, including: Right to be informed – about the collection and use of their personal data; Right of access – to their personal data; Right to rectification – data subjects can ask data controllers…   + Read More…

This regulation relates to both data privacy and data security. Data privacy is the right to control how information is collected and used; focusing on the use and governance of data. Data security, on the other hand, is focused on protecting data from, for example, attacks and exploitation of stolen data.

Typically, an author does not receive royalties until the advance has been recouped. The advance is an advance against royalties. Usually, the amount paid to the author will depend on the format of the book being sold as well as on the book retailer selling it.

The general trend in the publishing industry today is the growth in sales of ebooks and a decline in the print market. In 2018 it was observed that the bestseller lists have become dominated by mostly political works. Additionally, there is an ever-increasing boost in sales of works adopted for movies and TV series. 

California enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) on June 28th, 2019, made effective on January 1st, 2020. The CCPA is the nation’s first comprehensive state data privacy law. The CCPA provides several new rights for California consumers regarding their Personal Information.

An escrow occurs when property is held by a third party until the occurrence of a predetermined event, at which time the third party delivers the property as instructed by the parties to the transaction.  Thus, an escrow agent is the intermediary third-party depositary assisting the parties to the transaction.  Escrows are used to ensure that the parties to the underlying transaction act as agreed upon.

It is worth noting that the granting of the patents still remains in control of the national or regional patent offices. This is due to the fact that there is no universal patent law, and each nation has different legal standards for granting patents as well as enforcing them.

The expression of the idea, being the artist’s intention – the artist’s purpose in creating that work. If we assume that the work is called “post post post modernism”; that would be the expression.

Intellectual property consists of four regimes of law that govern different aspects of human creations – that’s why it is called “intellectual” property; they are born from the intelligence and imagination of human beings. These laws are copyright, trademarks, business secrets, and patents.

The right of attribution refers to the author’s power to be recognized as the creator of his work, and therefore the power to affirm that he is not recognized as the author of a work he has not created. It also implies the alternative of attributing a pseudonym or remaining anonymous.

The Copyright Act of 1976 grants a series of exclusive rights to the authors of original works – reproduction of the work in copies; distribution of those copies; derivative works; public display; public execution and; transmissions.

The most important function of the Copyright mechanism, for works created today, is that it serves as a warning for persons who improperly appropriate them or infringe on any copyright.

The term ‘service provider’ means an entity offering the transmission, routing, or providing of connections for digital online communications, between or among points specified by a user, of material of the user’s choosing, without modification to the content of the material as sent or received.

Negotiating at times can be a step forward and two backwards. It is expected that mistakes will be made along the way; each negotiation is unique for its level of complexity, subjects and interests behind them.

Negotiations arise in the face of a conflict of opposite interests; because if there was no conflict, there would be no need to make concessions. But just because there are converging interests does not mean that there must be conflict between those who represent them.

An idea in a vacuum does not have much inherent value. The protection you may have over your “ideas” – that is, concepts and thoughts that have not yet been realized – arises primarily from two sources – intellectual property rights and contractual obligations.

You offer a service of which you are an expert; However, you have to justify that value. The goal is for the client to understand the value of the service.

“Winning the attention of any audience is an exercise of supreme deliberation and tireless execution. More than ever, the popularity of an artist depends on factors beyond his or her music.”

Along with registering an organization in the United States, many, if not all countries require proper registration within their governmental agency as well. This not only allows foreign countries to have control over U.S organizations operating within their nation’s borders, it also helps keep track of activities and allows the enforcement of local laws.

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is temporary work authorization, granted to F-1 “International Student” visa holders. OPT is offered to students that qualify under their degree program to engage in work directly related to their major area of study.

Do you want to know what is wrong in the music industry? The problem with the industry is not that talent is lacking, it is the overdose of it.

Most clients, in those first meetings, are looking to know what you are thinking as a designer, so they can then go to another one with whom they have more trust so they can do a similar job to the one you presented. Many times, they end up doing poor work.

…I can vindicate my rights without having to register it” – is not correct. This method is known as the “poor man’s rule,” and proposes that if one encloses in a copy of, for example, a guitar composition recorded on a disc, and mails it to his or herself and does not open the envelope, this will evidence, by the postal stamp, the date of the work’s creation.

Once the application is submitted, a rigorous evaluation by USPTO officials follows, to certify that what you present as your “claim” in your application is useful, novel and non-obvious. It is also used to check that there is no current patent on it.

Applying for a patent can be viewed as a contract between inventors and the public (government) in which inventors, in exchange for making their invention public, are granted a limited monopoly over it.

There are two requirements for copyright – originality and fixation on a tangible means of expression. 

Equally essential elements converge with music that deserve the attention of experts, such as the artist is to his art. Examples are image creation, distribution strategies, and alliances with entities that invest in, or subsidize, efforts.