Tag Archives: Law

Is it Possible to Get Through Electronic Discovery With Your Pocket Book Intact?

The 2006 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure focused on the discovery of “electronically stored information” (“ESI”) and emphasized early communication and cooperation in an effort to streamline information exchange and avoid costly unproductive disputes. Since that time, a growing number of problems have emerged—namely, that the courts are being bogged down with [...]

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Protecting Your Trademark On Facebook

Protecting Your Trademark On Facebook

Facebook recently announced that users can create a personalized URL to their facebook pages. [For example, facebook.com/ErinEWright] This option goes into effect on Saturday June 13, 2009 at 12:01 a.m. EST. Facebook has also created an online form for TM owners to prevent their trademarks from being registered as usernames by other Facebook users. Trademark [...]

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Is Copyright Right For You?

Is Copyright Right For You?

Are you in a creative industry where you thrive on generating ideas? Are you a freelance writer, software designer, architect, or professional dancer? Whether you are or not, protecting an idea may be important to you at some point, now or in the future. A copyright allows the creator of an original work to control [...]

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Why Virtual Property Rights Matter To You

Why Virtual Property Rights Matter To You

The virtual property an avatar acquires in a virtual world can have meaning and significance in the real world. After my last post, I wondered if people were thinking: “Who cares?” To answer this question, my goal is to show how virtual world activity can touch everyones’ lives, even if you do not have an avatar. [...]

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Do Virtual Property Rights Constitute Real Property Rights?

Do Virtual Property Rights Constitute Real Property Rights?

Second Life, World of Warcraft, and the Sims Online are some of the many popular virtual worlds that exist online. Known as Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs), these virtual worlds boast larger populations than many countries on this planet. Strikingly, these games are not only popular, but profitable.  Anshe Chung, for example, was the first virtual millionaire [...]

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Tools to Tweet on Twitter

Marck Cuban recently asked whether his tweets were protected by copyright. This is an interesting question that I’m going to think over.  In the meantime, I came across some interesting Twitter tools that you might find useful: Chirpcity shows the latest tweets from and about your city. TwitterLocal also filters by location. Filttr decides which posts [...]

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You v. Facebook: Facebook Wins, But You Can Trump

You v. Facebook: Facebook Wins, But You Can Trump

Facebook was in the news a few weeks ago when it changed its Terms of Use so that it could own and use all of the information you posted, even after you deleted your account. Within days, public outcry was so severe that Mark Zuckerberg reverted to the old Terms of Use. I check out facebook [...]

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Wiretapping Blago: Legit or Bunk?

Wiretapping Blago: Legit or Bunk?

By now it’s old news that Blago was arrested and impeached based on those infamous tapes where his voice could be heard bargaining away Obama’s vacant Senate seat. This scenario poses an interesting question as to wiretapping in Illinois: who can do it, and how are they limited? First we should probably start with the why: [...]

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To Trademark or not to Trademark, that is the question . . .

To Trademark or not to Trademark, that is the question . . .

Involved in a start-up that’s trying to craft an image? What about a small business that sells products online? Do you want to get the word out about your service to increase the volume of sales? These are typical situations where people ask whether to trademark their business identity. Even though we see trademarks every [...]

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Obamarama: Obama’s “Hope” infringing on the AP’s copyrights?

Obamarama: Obama’s “Hope” infringing on the AP’s copyrights?

Call is Obamarama, Obama mania, or just plain change, our Commander-in-Chief is part President, part rock star. President Obama’s celebrity is apparent; you can buy shirts, pins, yard signs, coffee mugs, key chains, ties, and even buy Ojamas. These goods are appealing because they appropriate Obama’s likeness. Yet, Shepard Fairey asked a federal judge to declare that [...]

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