New Life for Old Classics, as Their Copyrights Run Out; The New York Times, December 29, 2018

Alexandra Alter, The New York Times; New Life for Old Classics, as Their Copyrights Run Out

"This coming year marks the first time in two decades that a large body of copyrighted works will lose their protected status — a shift that will have profound consequences for publishers and literary estates, which stand to lose both money and creative control.

But it will also be a boon for readers, who will have more editions to choose from, and for writers and other artists who can create new works based on classic stories without getting hit with an intellectual property lawsuit...

 

Still, many scholars and legal experts argue that American copyright law, which is mind-numbingly complex, has skewed toward enriching companies and the heirs of writers and artists at the expense of the public. When the first Copyright Act was passed in the United States in 1790, the maximum term was 28 years. Over the decades, lawmakers repeatedly prolonged the terms, which now stretch to over a century for many works. “It’s worse than the tax code,” said Rebecca Tushnet, an intellectual property expert at Harvard Law School. “The copyright term is way too long now.”"

China's Supreme Court to take on intellectual property cases; Reuters, December 29, 2018

Reuters; China's Supreme Court to take on intellectual property cases

"Intellectual property rights cases can from next month be taken to China’s Supreme Court, the government said on Saturday, as the country seeks to strengthen protections in the face of complaints from the United States about the issue."

Athletes Don’t Own Their Tattoos. That’s a Problem for Video Game Developers.; The New York Times, December 27, 2018

Jason M. Bailey, The New York Times; Athletes Don’t Own Their Tattoos. That’s a Problem for Video Game Developers.

"Take-Two has argued in court papers that Solid Oak’s tattoos are seen rarely, fleetingly and hazily in the NBA 2K games, but the judge rejected a motion for dismissal in March.

A verdict for either side would set an important precedent on how the owner of a tattoo copyright can enforce it, said Yolanda M. King, an associate law professor at Northern Illinois University who has extensively studied the issue."

Disney trademarked ‘Hakuna Matata.’ A new petition demands the company drop it.; The Washington Post, December 19, 2018

Sonia Rao , The Washington Post; Disney trademarked ‘Hakuna Matata.’ A new petition demands the company drop it.

"The company has received similar criticism before."

Hakuna Matata™? Can Disney Actually Trademark That?; The New York Times, December 20, 2018

Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura, The New York Times; Hakuna Matata™? Can Disney Actually Trademark That?

"Trademark experts said the talk of colonialism and robbery was overwrought, and that the trademarking of phrases, particularly those from other languages, is commonplace.

“People talk about appropriation,” said Phillip Johnson, a professor of commercial law at Cardiff Law School in Wales and a specialist on intellectual property law, “but a trademark is all about appropriation of language within a narrow commercial sphere, outside that space people are free to use the language as they wish.”

“What’s difficult about this case is whether it was a sensible commercial decision for the Disney brand, rather than whether, legally, the mark should or should not be registered,” he added. “The question is, does their brand benefit from having trademark or does it get damaged from bad publicity from having that trademark?”"

Video, Andy Sheehan, CBS KDKA; Ohio Clothing Company Seeks To Trademark ‘Yinzer’ For T-Shirts, CBS KDKA, December 21, 2018

Video, Andy Sheehan, CBS KDKA; Ohio Clothing Company Seeks To Trademark ‘Yinzer’ For T-Shirts   

"KDKA’s Andy Sheehan: “Are you a yinzer?” 

Grbach: “Yeah, I think so, yeah. I think deep down I am, absolutely.”

Sheehan: “You don’t use the word yinz.”

Grbach: “I tell my kids not to, but sometimes it slips out.”

For the First Time in More Than 20 Years, Copyrighted Works Will Enter the Public Domain; Smithsonian Magazine, January 2019

Glenn Fleishman, Smithsonian Magazine;

For the First Time in More Than 20 Years, Copyrighted Works Will Enter the Public Domain

 

"At midnight on New Year’s Eve, all works first published in the United States in 1923 will enter the public domain. It has been 21 years since the last mass expiration of copyright in the U.S."