Let’s Go Crazy: Legal Battle Heats Up Over Unreleased Prince Recordings On the anniversary of Prince’s death, a battle is being waged over the late musician’s work. Last week, Prince’s estate sued a sound engineer who was planning to release a six-song EP containing previously unreleased Prince recordings. The estate alleged that this engineer, George Ian Boxill, was in unlawful possession of the recordings and did […] Continue Reading →
Did You Know WIPO Could Do That? Patent Offices around the world – including the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office – are continually improving websites through enhanced user interfaces and also providing new tools. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is no exception. WIPO has long been a references for searching and downloading international applications, namely Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) patent applications. […] Continue Reading →
Anticompetitive Practices or Protecting IP? 1-800 Contacts Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Keyword Advertising Agreements Contact lens company 1-800 Contacts is currently facing a class action lawsuit for agreements it allegedly entered into regarding online search advertising as early as 2004. Earlier this month, a class of consumers who had purchased contact lenses through the 1-800 Contacts website, including Florida resident Kathryn Champion, filed suit in federal court against the […] Continue Reading →
Three Cheers for Copyrights: SCOTUS Establishes New Standard for Determining Separability On March 22, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling aimed at resolving “widespread disagreement” over an important aspect of copyright law. Under U.S. copyright law, “original works of art” are capable of protection, whereas “useful articles” are not. However, the distinction between works of art and useful articles can often be hazy, particularly when […] Continue Reading →