Attorney Steve® Blog

Attorney Steve® IPTV Defense Essentials - Dish/Sloing case comes to a surprising end Introduction   The case ends with a settlement   Contact an IPTV defense law firm

Attorney Steve® Software Audit Essentials - Post-letter purchase Introduction One of the most common mistakes I see my clients make is scrambling to purchase software after they receive a demand letter from a software company (or their agent - for example, the Business Software Alliance) noti...

1. Swarovski AG v. David Yurman, Inc., 841 F.3d 133 (2d Cir. 2016): Swarovski sued David Yurman for infringement of its “whirl and twirl” design. The court awarded Swarovski $11.2 million in damages. 2. Cartier v. Costco Wholesale, Inc., 754 F.3d 782 (9th Cir. 2014): Cartier sued Costco for selli...

 As a music producer, you understand the importance of having a comprehensive agreement in place with the artist you are working with. When dealing with composition and master recordings, it is essential to include certain key terms in the agreement to protect both parties. Here are five of the m...

  You may be able to create a DMCA takedown notice using a generator like this one. And then to email the notice to the nice folks at [email protected].  We haven't finished verifying whether this works or not, but we will update this blog post when we do.  Thanks for reading. If you have anyth...

summarizing the top California trade secret verdicts California is known for its robust trade secret laws, and its courts have seen a number of high-profile verdicts related to trade secrets. Here is a summary of some of the top California trade secret verdicts. In 2018, a jury in Northern Califo...

Attorney Steve® Entertainment Law Case Briefs - Smith v. The Weeknd (2021) Introduction Smith v. The Weeknd was a copyright infringement case in which a songwriter, Yasmina "Yas" Smith, sued Canadian singer-songwriter Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye for allegedly infringing on her copyright in he...

Attorney Steve® - California Right of Publicity - Using celebrity photos and images for commercial purposes   Introduction Using celebrity photos for commercial purposes can be a risky endeavor in California as it can lead to allegations of violating the Right of Publicity. The Right of Public...

Attorney Steve® Copyright Law Essentials:  Architecture and Copyright. Introduction Research Description: An architect in California is known for unique and creative home designs. He typically copyright registers all of his plans and blueprints. A client hired him to create a home design for...

Attorney Steve® Copyright Law Essentials - Music Law [Background Music]       Introduction Is it legal to post videos on Vimeo or youtube that have background music playing (for example, you are at a park and music is playing, or music on a tv set). This blog takes a look at fair use in the ...

Attorney Steve® Crypto Law - Coinbase Lawsuits and their Arbitration Provision Introduction Coinbase, one of the largest and most popular cryptocurrency exchanges, is facing legal issues as a result of recent alleged customer losses in crypto transactions. Coinbase is currently facing multi...

Attorney Steve® Software Audit Essentials - Wolfram demands   Introduction   Wolfram licensing agreement   Prohibited uses According to their website, certain uses of Mathematica software are prohibited.  For example: Prohibited Uses All uses of the Software and other elements of the Pro...

Attorney Steve® Copyright Essentials: Orphan works explained [contact us for infringement and licensing issues]. Phone (877) 276-5084. Introduction The concept of copyright orphan works is one that has been discussed in the legal world for some time. This issue came to the forefront of le...

Attorney Steve® Copyright Course Introduction If your college or university is looking to implement a course on copyright law, I may be able to assist in implementing such a course, either physically or online.  Here is a general outline of the course I would propose. COPYRIGHT LAW  Are you...

Attorney Steve® Copyright Law Essentials - Andy Warhol Foundation   Introduction   Casebrief   The four fair use factors   General overview of "transformative use" under federal copyright law       Holding   Contact a copyright IP & technology firm

Attorney Steve® Copyright Law Essentials - Creative Commons Licenses - Non-commercial fair use   Introduction From WikiCreativeCommons: Creative Commons NC licenses expressly define NonCommercial as “not primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation....

BitTorrent Litigation Updates 2022 Year-End - Strike 3 Case List with Case Number and IP Address Introduction Northern District 4:2022cv09013 IP Address: 73.63.206.156 4:2022cv09014 IP address 24.5.153.165 3:2022cv09015 IP address 76.14.1.154 5:2022cv09016 IP address 24.5.196.37 5:2022...

a list of 25 questions you should ask before hiring a copyright lawyer 1. What experience do you have representing clients in copyright disputes? 2. Are you familiar with the laws governing copyright in my jurisdiction? 3. Could you provide me with a list of cases in which you have represented cl...

Attorney Steve® Music Law Essentials - Top Music Infringement Cases   Introduction   Important Music Caselaw 1. Roy Orbison vs. 2 Live Crew 2. Spirit vs. Led Zeppelin  3. Queen & David Bowie vs. Vanilla Ice 4. Rolling Stones vs. the Verve 5. Creedence Clearwater Revival vs. John Fogarty ...

glossary for important words used in defending BitTorrent file-sharing cases BitTorrent: A peer-to-peer file-sharing protocol and system. File-sharing: The process of exchanging files between two or more devices. Torrent File: A computer file containing information about files and trackers, which...

Attorney Steve Trademark Law Essentials - What does it take to prove dilution of a famous trademark C. Dilution Mattel also appeals the district court's grant of summary judgment on its trademark and dress dilution claims. The district court found that Forsythe was entitled to summary judgmen...

Attorney Steve® Federal Court Resources - How are the Judges?   California Easter District Court 1. Hon. Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers 2. Hon. Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr. 3. Hon. Jon S. Tigar 4. Hon. James Donato 5. Hon. Charles R. Breyer 6. Hon. Edward M. Chen 7. Hon. Vince Chhabria 8. Hon. William H. O...

Attorney Steve® Copyright Law Essentials - De minimis Defense in the 9th circuit.   Introduction   Case Holding The district court granted summary judgment to Wilmott on the de minimis use defense and therefore did not reach either the fair use or the statute of limitations defenses. Althoug...

Attorney Steve® - Copyright Law Essentials - The history of BitTorrent law in U.S.   Introduction The history of BitTorrent in the United States is a complex one. It has been both praised and criticized for its ability to facilitate the sharing of large files quickly and easily. In its early d...

Attorney Steve® Copyright - The Leaderboard doesn't lie, and we are at the top! Copyright law is our passion.  It's what we do, and we handle more federal court litigation cases by a fairly large margin.  When it comes to choosing counsel in this area of law, there is no substitute for exper...