Weekly Q & A Column

The Prinz Law Office has been a frequent contributor on intellectual property matters for the weekly "Ask a Lawyer" Question and Answer column published by Lawyers.com. Please check out our columns below:

Copyright Q & A | Trademark Q & A | Patent Q & A | Miscellaneous Q & A

Copyright Q & A

• How Do I File a Trademark or Copyright an Advertising Campaign? (JAN-9-08)
• Do Photos That I Took Before I Started Employment Belong to the Employer After I Leave That Employment? (JAN-2-08)
• Can You Enforce Rights in an Idea That Was Stolen From You?   (DEC-19-2007)
• Can I Use the Content From Other Websites On My Own Website? (DEC 12-2007)
• What is the Process for Copyright and Trademark Registration? (NOV-28-2007)
• Is it Legal to Trade Software that Has Been Legally Purchased? (NOV-21-2007)
• Can I Print Song Lyrics On T-Shirts And Sell Them As A Private Clothing Line? (NOV-7-2007)
• What Recourse Do I Have If A Treatment I Wrote For A Television Show Was Produced Without My Authorization? (OCT-31-2007)
  
• How Can I Market My Concepts, Ideas, and Storylines to a Production Company While Still Protecting My Work?       (OCT-17-07)
• Can I Sell Copyrighted E-books Without the Permission of the Author (OCT-10-07)
• What Rights Would a Company Owner Have in the Sequel of a Movie? (OCT-3-07)
• Can I Make Prints and Sell Them of Original Sketches Purchased from a Local Artist? (SEP-19-07)
• Do I Have To Sell the Website I Created to My Former Employer? (SEP-12-07)
• Can A Non-Profit Organization Use Copyrighted Material Without Permission for Educational Purposes (AUG-29-07)
• What Can A Designer Do About Customer Reusing Advertisement And Changing Design? (AUG-15-07)
• Art Dealer Reproducing and Selling Work Without Permission (AUG-8-07)
• How Do I Find a Sample License Agreement? (AUG-1-07)
• What Rights Do I Have to Photos I Took For a Client's Brochure? (JUL-25-07)
• How Can I Enforce My Copyrights in Marketing Materials I Created? (JUL-11-07)
• Notice Regarding Downloading of Music (JUL-4-07)
• How Should I Transfer Rights in a Book Cover Design to a Client Unable to Pay In Full for Work? (JUN-27-07)
• How Do I Protect My Advertising Idea After Disclosure? (JUN-06-07)
• Can a Corporation Purchase Copies of Photos & Then Use Those Photos in a For-Profit Context Without First Obtaining Permission? (MAY-30-07)
• Do I Need Permission to Publish Images From a Movie Referenced In Speech? (MAY-23-07)
• Is It Copyright Infringement to Copy Songs From CDs I Have Bought To A Compilation CD? (MAY-16-07)
• Is It Copyright Infringement to Use an Excerpt of a Pastor’s Sermon in My Song Without Permission? (MAY-09-07)
• Is a Dance Routine Learned in a Child’s Dance Class Protected by Copyright Law? (MAY-02-02)
• Can a Teacher Be Found Liable for Copyright Infringement for Copying Software for Use in Her Classroom? (APR-25-07)
• What Are My Rights In a Portrait I Commissioned Of My Dog? (APR-18-07)
• Is the "Work for Hire" Agreement Valid and Enforceable? (APR-11-07)
• Copyright Infringement: What Can I Do If A Book I Wrote Has Been Made Available In Digital Format For Free On The Internet? (APR-4-07)
• Copyright Infringement: How Do I Enforce My Rights In a Screenplay I Wrote? (MAR-28-07)
• Copyright Infringement: How Can I Limit Potential Liability Arising From the Work? (MAR-21-07)
• Copyright Law: Who Owns Software Created by an Employee on His Own Time (MAR-14-07)
• Copyright Infringement: What Resource Exists Against a Former Employee Promoting a New Business with Work Produced as an Employee? (MAR-07-07)
• Copyright Law: Is It Possible to Set Up a Business Selling Copyrighted Content to Churches for Use in Sunday Worship Services? (FEB-28-07)
• Copyright Law: Am I Permitted to Use the Analytical Output of a Website to Create a Separate Work? (FEB-21-07)
• Copyright Infringement: What Rights Do I Have in a Label I Designed but Was Never Paid For? (FEB-14-07)
• Copyright Infringement: How Can I Enforce My Rights In My Written Work? (JAN-24-07)
• Does The Fair Use Doctrine Extend To Cover For-Profit Educational Uses Of Copyrighted Works? (JAN-10-07)
• Is It Copyright Infringement To Post An Image On My Website That Is Owned By A Third Party? (DEC-20-07)
• Ownership Of Copyright In Advertisements: If A Magazine Creates the Design For A Company's Advertisement In That Magazine, Can The Company Re-Use The Same Advertisement In A Competing Publication? (DEC-06-06)
• Copyright Law: What Protections Are Available to Protect Architectural Designs? (NOV-08-06)
• Licensing of Rights In An Advertising Campaign. (OCT-04-07)
• Legal Rights to Demand Removal of Artwork From Third Party Site. (SEP-13-06)
• Is My Company Potentially Liable For the Copyright Infringement Of A Third Party? (SEP-06-06)
• Fair Use: To What Extent Does This Exception Permit Individuals to Reproduce a Book For Private Use?(AUG-30-06)
• Is Our Magazine Concept Protected By Intellectual Property Laws? (JUL-12-06)
• Fair Use: Is It Copyright Infringement When a Church Uses Clips Of Copywritten Works Without Permission? (JUL-19-06)
• Unauthorized Use Of Logo: What Recourse Is Available To The Logo Designer? (JUN-28-06)
• Software Training Videos: Avoiding Copyright Infringement? (MAY-31-06)
• Copyright Registrations: What Is The Process? (MAY-17-06)
• Who Owns The Copyrights In Commissioned Artwork? (APR-26-06)
• Intellectual Property Rights In My Magazine Column Idea? (APR-12-06)
• Copyright Protection Of Websites (MAR-15-06)
• Copyright Ownership Issue: Who Owns The Rights In A Software Program? (MAR-15-06)
• Work For Hire: When A Company Hires A Software Developer And Then Goes Out Of Business, Who Owns The Software? (MAR-08-06)
• When Is It Okay To Appropriate Information From Someone Else's Website For Use On Your Website? (FEB-22-06)
• Does a Purchase Allow for Reuse Of The Images? (FEB-15-06)
• How Can I Enforce MyCopyright In A Poem? (JAN-25-06)
• Can Software Licensed To A Single Computer Be Installed To A Network? (DEC-21-05)
• Who Owns The Intellectual Property Rights In Choreographed Routines? (DEC-14-05)
• Can The Listing Of Items in An Auction Be Copyrighted? (NOV-30-05)
• What Can I Do To Protect Script Submissions? (OCT-19-05)
• Work for Hire: How to Protect Intellectual Property Rights in Works Created by Contractors. (OCT-12-05)
• Is An Online Form Covered By Copyright? (SEP-21-05)
• Copyright Infringement Claim: How to Select a Lawyer. (SEP-14-05)

Trademark Q & A [Top]

• How Do I File a Trademark or Copyright an Advertising Campaign? (JAN-9-08)
• What is the Process for Copyright and Trademark Registration? ( NOV-28-2007)
• Who Owns the Domain of a Hosted Website?(JUL-18-07)
• How Do I Develop A Product that Would Be Branded With The NFL Logo? (JUN-20-07)
• Will I Infringe Playboy's Trademark If I Use Their Logo Without Permission? (DEC-27-07)
• Trademark Infringement: Did I Infringe When I Sold An E-book With A Similar Title To A Published Book? (NOV-29-06)
• Trademark Infringement: Is It Infringement If A Detergent/Softener Is Named After The Name Of A Previously Registered Compact Disk? (NOV-15-06)
• Trademark Prosecution: How Do You Register a Trademark? (OCT-11-06)
• Can You Trademark a Band Name That Has Been Used In Commerce? (SEP-20-06)
• If My Business Name Is Similar To An Existing Business, Could This Be Trademark Infringement? (AUG-23-06)
• Trademark Infringement: "Likelihood Of Confusion" (JUL-26-06)
• Trademark Prosecution: How to Register a Trademark (MAY-24-06)
• Is It Legal to Own a Website Domain That Contains The Name of Another Business? (APR-19-06)

Patent Q & A [Top]

• How Do I Make Money Off My Idea To Reconfigure and Combine Two Patents To Make A Third Product?          (OCT-24-2007)
• Do I Have the Right to Refuse to Assign the Patent Rights? (AUG-22-07)
• Patent Rights: How to Get a Patent On Medication (JAN-01-07)
• Marketing Strategy: How Do I Protect My Idea? (DEC-13-06)
• What Are The Rights of an Inventor in Patents Awarded as an Employee? (AUG-16-06)
• How to Defend Claim Of Infringement On A Design Patent (JUN-21-06)
• Can I Hire An Attorney On A Contingency Basis To Enforce My Patent? (MAR-01-06)
• Do the Intellectual Property Rights Belong To Me Or My Employer? (NOV-16-05)

Miscellaneous Q & A [Top]

• Can You Enforce Rights in an Idea That Was Stolen From You?   (DEC-19-2007)
• Using Non-Competes to Protect A Company’s Investment (JUN-13-07)
• Confidential Information: How Do I Protect My Idea? (FEB-07-07)
• Non-Compete Agreement in Software Industry: Is It Binding After a Lay-off? (NOV-22-06)
• Classification and Protection of Intellectual Property (OCT-25-06)
• Initial Consultations: What Should You Bring? (AUG-02-06)
• What Constitutes "Intellectual Property"? (MAY-10-06)
• Unauthorized Use Of Confidential Information (MAY-03-06)
• Is The Licensor Entitled to Sales on Products Sold By Licensee Outside theTerritory? (JAN-18-06)