Getting Rights for Clergy Abuse Survivor Play
Dear Rich: I am writing a play based on the life of Phil Saviano, the clergy-abuse survivor who was featured in the movie Spotlight (portrayed by actor Neal Huff). Phil was an avid fan and personal...
View Article007: License to Infringe
Dear Rich: Ian Fleming's Casino Royale entered the public domain in Japan in 2015, 50 years after his death. The same 50-year rule applies in Canada, where Fleming's character of James Bond is also in...
View ArticleRelease Me: Interview Consents and Multiple Uses
Dear Rich: If a reporter has consent to interview someone, can that reporter also play that recording during an interview on air? The reporter can probably play the interview on air, but the answer...
View ArticlePublicly Posted PowerPoint ≠ Public Domain
Dear Rich: I run a volunteer-run/non-profit educational program for students who have failed the Naplex several times. I saw PowerPoints posted publicly on a school's website, which I thought would be...
View ArticleBaby (Has Finally) Come Home!
Listen to Bessie SmithDear Rich: I'm trying to determine if a recording of a song from 1923 is in the public domain for use as background music in a film scene. The song is 'Baby Won't You Please Come...
View ArticleUpcycling: From Feedbag to Tote Bag
This dress was made by Mrs. G. R. (Dorothy) Overall of Caldwell, Kansas, in 1959 for the Cotton Bag Sewing Contest Dear Rich: Would it be a violation of trademark or copyright law to take an empty...
View ArticleWe're Off to Sue the Wizard
Dear Rich: I want to use a small portion of lyrics from a copyrighted song (We're Off To See The Wizard," by E.Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen) in a first novel currently being written. Songview, the...
View ArticleFair Use: Yes or No?
Trick photograph of man with two heads (1901) Dear Rich: I have a new, unique book soon to be published about judging the quality of art. Every image in the book, from ancient to contemporary art, is...
View ArticleThe Enchanted Copyright History of Nature Boy
Frank Sinatra with eden ahbez (ahbez did not capitalize his name believing that "only God and infinity deserved capitalization.") Dear Rich: I wrote a poem using the entire song "Nature Boy" with the...
View ArticleDo I Owe Former Collaborator for a Song He Didn't Co-Write?
Dear Rich: I used to write songs with a musician friend until we had a falling out. Fast forward four years, and I'm now releasing an album of original songs with a California-based indie label. My...
View ArticleMatricide, Movies and Salinger
Dear Rich: I have written a play and movie script around a public matricide. I gained access to years of diaries, photos, and scrapbooks through a university's special collections library. The entire...
View ArticleKick It! Marital Arts, Choreography, and Copyright
Dear Rich: I am writing a martial arts mobile phone app. The app includes text describing the martial arts movements and choreography illustrating the moves. The martial arts forms have been relatively...
View ArticleDoes Copyright Notice Protect a Website?
Dear Rich: Does putting "Copyright 2023" at the bottom of website pages protect the site from visitors who download an image or narrative content?Placing a copyright notice on your website is like...
View ArticleConverting Chinaware Designs to Needlepoint Patterns: Problems Getting...
Dear Rich: I am adapting needlework-like designs used in pottery/chinaware by creating patterns for needleworkers. Much of the chinaware was produced in the 1800's but some as late as the 1960s. I have...
View ArticleUse Frida's Paintings? (Yes!) Use Frida's Name? (Maybe)
Frida Kahlo age 12 (1919)Dear Rich: I'm filming a romantic comedy in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and refer to the artist Frida Kahlo in two scenes and show a photo of one of her paintings...
View ArticleTake What You Want From Sherwood Forest
Dear Rich: I am writing a historical fantasy novel, and I want to incorporate elements from Henry Gilbert's Robin Hood (1911). Despite the publication date, I can't tell if this book is in the US...
View ArticleCan They Back Out of the Deal?
Our favorite negotiation textDear Rich: I've been negotiating a license agreement with a company specializing in branding cleaning products for supermarket and box store chains. The negotiations have...
View ArticleAre Ads in Old Magazines Protected by Copyright?
Dear Rich: I am working on a book project which would use advertisements from a major U.S. corporation that were published in a popular U.S. magazine between 1918 and 1962. The magazine itself was...
View ArticleBobbleheads and Baseball Cards: Does Pairing Make it Less Risky?
Bo Jackson photo by Chris Putnam (altered)Dear Rich: I’m trying to figure out if I can pair a sports card displayed with a piece of matching bobblehead art featuring celebrity/athlete likenesses for...
View ArticleCivil War Letters Still Copyrighted?
Ulysses S. Grant - Virginia, June 1864Dear Rich: I am writing a book about the Civil War. I would like to include certain quotes from letters of Civil War soldiers. The question is, when were they...
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