Article Center

Home|Article Center|Intellectual Property Rights|Copyrights

Copyrights

When it comes to protecting your creative work, copyrights are often the way to go. Learn more in our Copyrights section with articles ranging from protecting your website to understanding the definition of plagiarism.

Recent Stories

George Lucas Battles a Stormtrooper (Twice) and Loses (Once)
Feb 2012

When George Lucas decided to battle the creator of the original 1977 Stormtrooper costume, the Empire struck and won in the US. But when it struck again, in the British Empire, it was struck back. The lesson learned? Do the research before engaging in an overseas lawsuit, or on the flipside, taking your original work overseas. more...

What are Derivative Works Under Copyright Law?
Nov 2011

Have you ever thought about using part of a picture or story in order to create something new and different? If so, you may be in trouble with the original author and even the courts. Why? Because, your "new" project may be considered a derivative work. more...

The Copyright Commons: Works in the Public Domain
Nov 2011

Many of us have looked at a piece of art, watched a movie, or listened to a popular song and thought of using it to create something new. Well…can you? more...

Are Literary Parodies Protected Under the First Amendment?
Nov 2011

What if you decided to rewrite F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel The Great Gatsby? Good luck with that. But wait: your protagonist is not Nick Carraway, but instead is Jordan Baker—long-time friend of Daisy Buchanan. Jordan, like Nick, goes to Gatsby’s fabulous garden parties on West Egg, drinks and rubs expensive elbows. Jordan is also a professional golfer, and the original novel hints that she may have some skeletons in her closet. So you seek to address Gatsby from a new perspective—one hinted at in the original, but one wholly unexplored, and one that you think will beget a new, incisive and surprising result. So what’ve you got—groundbreaking literary copy or copyright liability? more...