Let’s start with five fundamental concepts:
Law Office of Elizabeth T Russell LLC
The Law Office of Elizabeth T Russell LLC is a legal practice specializing in arts and entertainment law, copyright law, and related intellectual property matters. The firm provides analysis and commentary on legal issues affecting artists, including contract fairness, copyright registration, and moral rights under statutes like the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA). It addresses practical concerns for artists and legal professionals, such as the implications of copyright registration, fair use disputes, and the drafting of agreements for public art commissions. The office also discusses litigation and legal principles relevant to creative works and estate considerations, emphasizing the importance of informed legal advice in these areas.
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Working on Vacation
The other day I was learning about a fellow lawyer, by reviewing her website. Her trademark practice is similar to mine. The site was inviting. She has a sense of humor.
“Nice,” thought I, “we should connect.”
I was reviewing…
Getting a Cut When Your Work Re-Sells
You’re a visual artist. You sell a work for $1000. Over time the value appreciates. Your buyer re-sells the work for $50,000. You get nothing (except requests to speak about your work, for no money!)
There is no law permitting
…
New Copyright Registration Option for Blog Entries; Social Media Posts
The US Copyright Office is establishing a new option for registering multiple “online short literary works” as a group, with a single application and a single fee.
In plain English, that means: blog entries; social media posts; and short online…
Three Tips for Web-Conferencing
Many of us, sheltered in place, are using video and web-conferencing services such as Zoom. How fortunate we are, to have such tools at our disposal.
While keeping physically healthy, here are three tips for staying legally healthy in…
Plagiarism v Copyright Infringement. What’s the Difference?
“Please don’t copy my work.”
They do it anyway.
Is it plagiarism or is it copyright infringement?
Plagiarism is a question of attribution. Let’s say GoodGuy actually created The Work. BadGuy not only copies The Work, but passes it off…
3 Copyright Tips About {old} Sound Recordings
TIP #1. In recorded music there are almost always two separate copyrights:
The musical work (the composition); and
The sound recording (the fixation of sounds that were produced during a particular performance).
TIP #2. Until recently, sound recordings that were
…
VARA: The Normal case
No such thing as a “normal” VARA case? Ha! Maybe not. But this one is taking place in Normal, Illinois.
The Town of Normal wants to destroy a mural that appears on a building, to make way for development. The…
Copyright Small Claims: Weighing the Pros and Cons of the CASE Act
Bringing a copyright action in Federal court is expensive. There’s no question; the costs bar many aggrieved copyright owners from justice.
Several organizations representing copyright owners — along with the United States Copyright Office itself — have been working on…
The Music Modernization Act HURTS Indie Songwriters
The Orrin G. Hatch – Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act (“MMA”) became law on October 11, 2018. It enacts sweeping changes to provisions of the United States Copyright Act affecting the compulsory license for making and distributing phonorecords of musical…