Nintendo shut down a Metroid fan project in late August. A little more than a month later, the anticipated Metroid Dread will release. Historically, Nintendo has shut down fan projects, and they have every right to defend their intellectual property. But what power does Nintendo actually have? The apparent fan project was a 2D remakeContinue reading “Nintendo Defends Copyright – Shuts Down Metroid Fan Project”
Tag Archives: copyright
Copyright Act §106
When someone creates a work of art, whether that’s a book, a script, a photo, or a movie, copyright protection is automatically granted. Copyright law also gives the author, (or authors) the rights listed below. (1) To reproduce the copyrighted work in copes or phonorecords; The right to reproduce, or make more copies of theContinue reading “Copyright Act §106”
Licensing: Copyright
Last time, I wrote an article about the basics of licensing. This time, I will go into a deeper discussion about the complications of “owning the rights” to something. A lot of people ask about “owning the rights” to something. It can be a copyrighted work, a trademark, or something else. This article will focusContinue reading “Licensing: Copyright”
Licensing: Why does it Matter?
Many creative industries have to deal with the question of owning the rights to their creations, and giving up some or all of those rights for certain reasons. What does the rights owner need to do? They need to license their work! What does licensing mean? A license is permission to use the current owner’sContinue reading “Licensing: Why does it Matter?”
Why Does A Video Game Publisher Have So Much Influence?
In the video game industry, the maker of the game is the developer. The one who puts the game out to the public is the publisher. Why does this matter? In general, when a contract is signed between the developer and the publisher, they work together on their respective responsibilities. However, the publisher may endContinue reading “Why Does A Video Game Publisher Have So Much Influence?”
Right Of Publicity, Or Copyright? Explaining Selena Gomez’s Cause Of Action
On April 14, 2020, Variety reported that Selena Gomez has filed a lawsuit for $10 million against a mobile game company (Guangzhou Feidong Software, and MutantBox Interactive Limited) for stealing her likeness for use in the game Clothes Forever – Styling Game. The game allows users to buy “diamonds”, a kind of in app currencyContinue reading “Right Of Publicity, Or Copyright? Explaining Selena Gomez’s Cause Of Action”
Immense Damages for Music Copyright Infringement.
This article was originally published on March, 27, 2020 and also appears as a guest blog post at http://www.ipiustitia.com. Remember when Napster first came out? It was a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing service that allowed people to download music. While Napster was eventually shut down (and later brought back), the issues of downloading music on P2PContinue reading “Immense Damages for Music Copyright Infringement.”
Marvel Wins Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Regarding “Iron Man 3” Movie Poster
In April 2016, Horizon brought a lawsuit against Marvel alleging copyright infringement, saying that the Iron Man 3 poster was had copied a promotional piece of art for the Radix comic (called the “Caliban drawing”). In March 2017, Radix was able to succeed against Marvel’s motion to dismiss, arguing that there was a “total conceptContinue reading “Marvel Wins Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Regarding “Iron Man 3” Movie Poster”
Dance Lawsuits Against Epic Games’s “Fortnite” Have Been Paused
Remember how many people were suing Epic Games, over dances being used as emotes in the game Fortnite? The lawsuits have been put on hold, following a recent ruling from the United States Supreme Court. The ruling stated that a copyright infringement lawsuit may only commence once the copyrighted work in question is successfully registeredContinue reading “Dance Lawsuits Against Epic Games’s “Fortnite” Have Been Paused”
Opinion: Thoughts Regarding Supreme Court Ruling on Fourth Estate v. Wall-Street.com
On March 4, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a ruling on Fourth Estate v. Wall-Street.com, saying, “We hold, in accord with the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, that registration occurs, and a copyright claimant may commence an infringement suit, when the Copyright Office registers a copyright. UponContinue reading “Opinion: Thoughts Regarding Supreme Court Ruling on Fourth Estate v. Wall-Street.com”
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