Copyright

New Publication in the Texas IP Law Journal!

In a scholarly article, recently published in the University of Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal (Vol. 28, No. 1, p. 87-98, 2019), New Media Rights' Executive Director Art Neill and Staff Attorney Erika Lee consider some options for modernizing copyright registration. The Texas Intellectual Property law Journal is a top 15 ranked Intellectual Property Journal according to Washington & Lee's rankings. 

The article, Fixing Copyright Registration For Online Video Creators: The Case for Group Registration of Published Videos, considers the history of published group registration since the Copyright Act of 1976 and argues that future modernization efforts should include group registration of video. The article also posits that current options for registering videos are ineffective and cost-prohibitive for online video creators, and proposes opening a rulemaking with the Copyright Office to establish group registration of published videos (which is currently not permitted). READ MORE

Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Tue, 02/25/2020 - 1:39pm

Nevertheless: shining a light on sexual harassment and how we can shift our culture

Nevertheless Trailer from Sarah Moshman on Vimeo.

New Media Rights was proud to work on Sarah Moshman's recent documentary film, Nevertheless.

Taking a look behind the headlines of #MeToo and Time’s Up, Nevertheless follows the intimate stories of 7 individuals who have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace or school context. From a writer's assistant on a top TV show to a Tech CEO and 911 dispatcher, the film shines a light on the ways in which we can shift our culture and rebuild.

Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Thu, 05/28/2020 - 2:07pm

Adios Amor - New Media Rights helps bring the story of farm worker's advocate Maria Moreno to PBS

New Media Rights attorneys and law students recently worked on Adios Amor, a powerful documentary by Jane Greenberg and Laurie Coyle.

In Adios Amor, the discovery of lost photographs sparks the search for a hero that history forgot—Maria Moreno, a migrant mother driven to speak out by her twelve children’s hunger. Years before Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta launched the United Farm Workers, Maria picked up the only weapon she had—her voice—and became an outspoken leader in an era when women were relegated to the background. The first farm worker woman in America to be hired as a union organizer, Maria’s story was silenced and her legacy buried—until now.

Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Thu, 05/28/2020 - 2:06pm

New Media Rights Joins the Free Expression Legal Network!

We are thrilled to announce that we joined the Free Expression Legal Network. Supporting journalists and nonprofit news organizations has always been an important part of our work. Journalists face many of the same intellectual property, privacy, and media law issues that challenge other creatives and entrepreneurs.

The Free Expression Legal Network is a nationwide coalition of school clinics, academics, and practitioners focused on promoting and protecting free speech, free press, and the free flow of information to an informed and engaged citizenry. The creation of the network was led by the Reporter's Committee for the Free Press and Yale Freedom & Information Access Clinic.  Members work on media law, transparency, and/or access issues, either as their primary focus or as it intersects with their work on other issues. READ MORE
 

Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Mon, 09/09/2019 - 1:00pm

Event: KPBS Explore Program Orientation Workshops

Staff Attorney Erika Lee and Student Fellow Alexandra Inman will be at the KPBS Explore Local Content Program orientation workshops on August 27th and 28th at 7pm!

They'll be speaking about what kind of legal issues filmmakers, podcasters and other content creators need to be aware of throughout all stages of production, as well as how copyright and music licensing affects production.

 

Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Fri, 09/06/2019 - 1:34pm

Event: Intersections Art and Law at the Border

Executive Director Art Neill will be speaking at Intersections: Art and Law at the Border on Saturday, April 6 at 10am! He will be discussing intellectual property for artists in the digital age, including copyright, fair use, licensing, and some of the key issues that artists face on a global spectrum. 

Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Mon, 04/08/2019 - 3:58pm

Copyright & The Classroom: Using Copyrighted Material In Classrooms and Distance Learning

There are many situations, particularly in a classroom environment, where you might want to use copyright-protected material but you can’t obtain permission from the copyright holder. A common example would be a teacher who wants to read a poem from a book or show an educational cartoon to her class. Thankfully, copyright law addresses these particular types of uses directly, in 17 U.S.C. § 110. Section 110 provides important exemptions for certain performances and displays of copyrighted works in the classroom (and certain limited online learning situations) that would otherwise be considered infringement.

Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Thu, 04/23/2020 - 3:50pm

Event: SD Media Pros Meeting - Let's Talk Business

Staff Attorney Erika Lee and Assistant Director Shaun Spalding will be at the March SD Media Pros meeting to discuss copyright and creative contracts! 

Join us on Wednesday, March 27th as we cover some advanced copyright topics, including licensing and fair use, and a big picture discussion of contracts for creative professionals. What do you need to include in your freelance contracts? What do terms like "indemnification" and "representations and warranties" mean? How can I protect my interests when I enter into a contract with a distributor?  Join us to learn more about how you can use your creative content as leverage in your contracts.

Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Fri, 03/22/2019 - 2:41pm

Fair Use Week 2019: Fair Use is an Indispensable Part of Our Economy and Culture

It's Fair Use Week 2019 this week, but every week is Fair Use Week for New Media Rights, because every day we fight for artists and innovators against legal bullies who don’t respect fair use and work to empower creators by providing them with important information on the law.

Fair use is the vehicle millions of individuals use to exercise their freedom of expression every day. That's why this week, we'll be highlighting why fair use is important to creators and what New Media Rights is doing and has done to support it. Read more

 
Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Wed, 03/27/2019 - 12:51pm

New Media Rights Supports Copyright Registration Modernization in Copyright Office Study

While a person doesn’t need to register their work with the Copyright Office in order to receive copyright protection, registration provides significant benefits when copyright owners need to enforce their rights against infringers. But our current registration system is a two-tiered system. It benefits large copyright holders with deep pockets, but can be complicated, expensive, and time-consuming for individuals who produce a lot of works (like video creators, bloggers, podcasters and more).

On January 15, 2019, New Media Rights filed comments with the Copyright Office requesting modernization of the online copyright registration process to level the playing field.

 

Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Thu, 01/31/2019 - 4:52pm

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