Celebrating 20 Years of IP Excellence

The image is a picture of Quintin Tarantino. The post is about a copyright claim by him. Click on image to view post.

Is Reporting Leaked & Copyright-Protected Material Equal to Contributory Infringement?

This post was first published on 17th May, 2014.   "No", says a federal judge in California, dismissing Hollywood's star director, Quentin Tarantino’s claim against Gawker Media, LLC. Gawker, a magazine on a lookout for juicy news in the entertainment biz, reported the leak of Tarantino's unpublished work by providing a direct link to the copyright protected "leaked script" for the film, "The Hateful Eight". Tarantino, a multiple Oscar winning/nominated writer-director, discovered that his copyright protected script was leaked. Gawker, on its website, reported the leaked Tarantino’s…

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The image has multiple copyright symbols in different colours. The post discusses some cases on fair use exception. Click on image to read post.

Fair Use vs. Copyright Infringement

  This post was first published on 1st September 2014.   1. Cariou vs. Prince Photograph: Patrick Cariou - 2000; Adaptation: Richard Prince – 2008(both via artnet)  Richard Prince, the well-known appropriation artist - one who transforms the work of others to create new meaning in his work was sued by Patrick Cariou, a lesser-known photographer when Prince used several of Cariou’s photographs in a series of collages that were sold for tens of millions of dollars. Richard Prince, for an exhibition in…

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The image has a huge copyright sign at the center of it. The post is about copyright assignment. Click on image to view post.

Conceptualizing Copyright Assignments & Licenses Part – I

This post was first published on 25th June, 2014.   This blog series is intended to conceptualize the principles behind copyright assignments and licenses. Copyrights, like any other Intellectual Property Rights are considered a part of Property Rights and hence can be transferred just as corporeal properties. This transfer of ownership under Copyright Law happens in three different ways; first, by executing an Assignment deed; Second, by executing a License Agreement; and third, by transmission of rights by way of operation of law. In…

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This Image depicts a seedling is being protected by two hands on it This Image is relevant as the article deals with the Copyrights and protection of ideas. Click on this Image for more Information.

Ideas, Concepts, Scripts & Stories – Protecting Ideas in the Entertainment Industry Part V

This post was first published on 11th August, 2014.   Last week, we discussed the Urmi Juvekar Chiang case.  Today we will look at the case of (1) Mr. Anil Gupta and (2) Another. vs. (1) Mr. Kunal Dasgupta and (2) Others - A landmark case, indeed, in the area of protecting ideas and concepts. This case elucidates the dos and don'ts of Idea Protection and Breach of Confidence in the Entertainment Industry. Plaintiff No. 1 - a Media Consultant Defendant No. 2 - a…

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Harmonious Construction Can Ignore the Term Clause

This post was first published on 25th May, 2012.   The plaintiff Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd. has filed this petition in the Delhi High court against Amit Sharma & others. The case has been decided on 16th May 2012. Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd. contended that it held copyrights over the song “Thodi si jo pee le hai” from the movie “Namak Halal” and prayed towards restraining the Defendants from using the “Thodi si jo pee le hai” in their film “Department”; from releasing or…

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This Image depicts the Word Art of 'Copyright'.This Image is relevant as the article deals with the Bombay High Court's Clarification on grey areas in Copyright Amendments Act,2012. Click on this Image for more Information.

India’s Copyright Societies & Collective Rights Management – Part VI

This post was first published on 4th August, 2014.   The primary purpose of a Copyright Society, also referred to as a Copyright Collective, is Collective Rights Management. A typical society acts as a middle man between authors/owners of copyrighted works and the Licensees of such works. Simply put, authors transfer all or some of their rights to the society and the society, in turn, licenses those rights, collects royalty and distributes the royalty among authors. The society also collects an administrative,…

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Copyright and Entertainment Laws News

Bombay High Court Rules that CBFC has no ‘Intellectual Morality’,US Copyright Office forms a Mechanical Rights Society,Rapper Sues Insurance Company over Copyright Infringement Lawsuit, and more

  Bombay High Court Rules that CBFC has no ‘Intellectual Morality’; Upcoming Film “Roohi Afza” Averts Copyright Infringement; Copyright Infringement Lawsuit filed against the film ‘Mission Mangal’; Rapper Sues Insurance Company over Copyright Infringement Lawsuit; US Copyright Office forms a Mechanical Rights Society; Huawei continues to remain on US Export Blacklist; Restrictions on Sale by E-Commerce Platforms; Etsy asks Sellers to include Shipping Price in their Items; E-Commerce Policies in India under Budget 2019, and more. NATIONAL NEWS Bombay High Court Rules…

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Copyright and Entertainment Laws News

Swiss Supreme Court Finally Approves Registration of the Sign “APPLE”, Xiaomi Introduces Mimoji Similar to that of Apple’s Memoji, Federal Court Holds Amazon Liable for Defective Third-Party Goods, and more

Xclusive-Lee Responds to Gigi Hadid’s Fair Use Defence; Swiss Supreme Court Finally Approves Registration of the Sign “APPLE”; Xiaomi Introduces Mimoji Similar to that of Apple’s Memoji; Federal Court Holds Amazon Liable for Defective Third-Party Goods; Apple Music has Crossed 60 Million Subscribers; A&M Studio and OneLoop Collaborate to Expand Digital Music Distribution; Court Rules in Favor of Andy Warhol in a Copyright Infringement Lawsuit; Top Chinese E-Commerce Platform Shein Shuts Down Partially, and more. COPYRIGHT QUOTE "You may be in…

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The image depicts a hand holding a cut out piece of paper containing the Pirate Bay logo.

An Effective Method Towards the Protection of IP

This post was first published on 5th July, 2012.   John Doe orders are generally issued against someone whose identity is unknown. This is usually served to online service providers and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to obtain the identity of the author of an anonymous post. In the current instance John Doe orders were obtained by 'Reliance Big Entertainment Pvt' to block websites containing file sharing links, such as 'Pirate Bay' and 'Vimeo'. Recently, the producers of the Tamil films “3” and  “Dammu”…

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Copyright and e Commerce Law News x

Gigi Hadid Claims Copyright, Disney to Re-Release ‘Avengers: Endgame’, and more

  Kabir Singh and Toy Story 4 Leaked on TamilRockers, Kerala HC Permits Screening of Patwardhan’s ‘Reason’ at Film Festival, Mumbai Doctor Writes to Maharashtra Health Minister Against ‘Kabir Singh’, Gigi Hadid Responds to Copyright Infringement Suit with Ownership Claim, Prenda Copyright Mastermind Sentenced to Prison, Artist's Widow Loses Copyright Suit Against Beer Company, Gibson Urges Guitarists to Become Whistleblowers, Apple Responds to Spotify’s Anti-Competitive Claims in EU, US Companies Resume Selling Products to Huawei, Disney to Re-Release ‘Avengers: Endgame’, ASOS…

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