It has happened. The work you spent months, possibly even years developing has shown up in someone else’s song/photo/screenplay, on another company’s website or in “exciting new product.” You’re concerned about losing your audience, your profits and your rights. Can you bring an intellectual property lawsuit to enforce your trademark or copyright? Is it even worth it?
The first step:...Read More
You aren’t the first artist, game designer, songwriter or other creative entrepreneur to wonder whether you can use someone’s name or ideas in your work, and you certainly won’t be the last. The concept of “public domain” can be tricky, but it’s an important one to grasp if you want to stay out of legal trouble down the road.
Public domain work and copyright law
What does it mean for...Read More
Contracts can be tough to read and even tougher to understand, even for trained practitioners.
Here is a recent article on Lexology.com that offers common sense advice for fixing contracts. If you can’t stand contracts you can’t understand, let’s work together to provide your business with clear, short, and enforceable agreements.
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The way that we make music has changed a great deal over the past five years. In the past, musicians would have to book expensive studio time to record a song and eventually release a record. Now, bands and artists can use apps such as GarageBand, Adobe Audition, or Pro Tools to record tracks and distribute new music.
Many of these apps offer extensive sample libraries, such as guitar riffs,...Read More
In 2011, on the small Indonesian island of Sulawesi, a monkey named Naruto stole a photographer’s camera and took hundreds of selfies. Some of those selfies were worthy of publication. The British photographer, David Slater, published and sold copies of the image in a book. Now, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit must decide whether Slater’s actions infringed Naruto’s copyrights....Read More
Millions of people share their life stories through blogs, social media updates and/or YouTube videos. Little do they know that creative minds are watching and reading their material, looking for ideas for the next story or screenplay. After all, characters are rarely created out of thin air.
But to what extent is someone’s life story protected? What should you be concerned about when you...Read More
As a screenwriter, you have probably heard stories of content and idea theft. Perhaps you have even experienced it firsthand. Protecting your script is important, but how many hoops do you really need to jump through to ensure your work is legally yours? Is registering with the Writers Guild of America-West (WGAW) necessary? How does it compare to copyright protection?
What is the WGAW...Read More
What to Consider Before Jumping Headfirst Into the Gig Economy
So you’ve been living that full-time, nine-to-five life for awhile now. You’ve got some solidly marketable skills, an entrepreneurial spirit, and you’re craving a new challenge, so you’re seriously thinking about getting out of the grind and going for it on your own.
Gulp.
It’s a big step! Many people crave the...Read More
Formidable, Rigorously Prepared Advocacy For Your Business Dispute
When money, as well as other valuable assets and egos, are on the line in any business endeavor, conflict can be difficult to avoid. For the creative professionals we advise and represent at Adam J Schwartz, Attorney at Law, in Los Angeles, every legal dispute can be an opportunity or a disaster, depending on how it is framed...Read More
Practical, Focused Protection Of Your Investment And Assets
If you are a creative professional with big aspirations and key assets to protect, we identify with you at Adam J Schwartz, Attorney at Law, in Los Angeles. Adam is an entrepreneur himself, as well as an accomplished trial lawyer, and you will know from your initial consultation forward that your unique business and...Read More
