Copyright

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 Wed, 03/27/2019 - 12:50pm

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

Copyright Week 2019: Modernizing Copyright & Expanding the Public Domain

New Media Rights responds to over 500 requests for legal services every year, and over two thirds of these involve copyright law.  Copyright law protects the work of these creators, but it also controls how the existing culture around us can be reused and commented upon.  That’s why it’s our mission to make sure that copyright related legal services are available to all regardless of ability to pay. This way we can assist creators who are facing unfair copyright takedowns from people who want to troll or bully them, and we can also work with artists whose rights have been infringed to get justice responsibility and without overreaching in their claims. Read more

 
Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Fri, 03/22/2019 - 2:42pm

Urban Beats works to de-stigmatize mental health issues through creative expression

New Media Rights works with a variety of different local organizations that use the arts and media to have a positive impact on their local community. One of these organization is Urban Beats, located here in San Diego.

Urban Beats is a program for Transitional Age Youth (TAY) that works to de-stigmatize mental health issues and enhance wellness through creative expression. The program also provides a space for TAY to freely express themselves, and encourages members to explore the creative arts and job opportunities within the San Diego community. 

New Media Rights Staff Attorney Erika Lee and Student Fellow Brittany Hernandez recently spoke to Urban Beats staff about copyright, licensing, and fair use.

 
Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Thu, 03/21/2019 - 12:26pm

Forbes Blog: Freelance Contributor Agreements

New Media Rights published a 6-article series all about Freelance Contributor Agreements! No matter what type of creative professional you are, it can be difficult to make a living as a freelancer.

"But don’t be too quick to jump at an opportunity to have your written work, photos, or video published. You want to make sure before you start working with the publisher that you have a written and signed contract that outlines each party’s rights and responsibilities." The series focuses on the importance of having an agreement in place if you're working freelance and producing content.

Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Thu, 11/15/2018 - 12:00pm

Paul Detwiler's Documentary "San Diego's Gay Bar History" illuminates San Diego's LGBTQ history

San Diego’s Gay Bar History is a documentary by Filmmaker Paul Detwiler that traces the development of the gay bar as a community institution in San Diego. The documentary examines the role gay bars have played in community gathering and organizing during four time periods: before the birth of the modern gay rights movement, during the 1970’s, during the AIDS epidemic (1981-1990’s), all the way through their role in the present day. 

Documentaries often need a variety of legal services, from hiring a crew, to copyright, fair use and licensing, to distribution agreements. New Media Rights works with a variety of documentary and fictional video creators to overcome the legal hurdles to making their productions a reality. Read on to see to see the story of how New Media Rights helped this filmmaker.

 

Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Wed, 11/07/2018 - 4:21pm

The New Narrative: Storytelling and Community in San Diego, California

The New Narrative is a storytelling series started by Nathan Young in San Diego, California. The events have a theme (ie. Family, Communication, Identity, Relationships) and 6-8 speakers, with hundreds of people in attendance. The events go beyond storytelling, the goal being to "define the narrative for our lives and shape it towards the path of creating a healthier, more fulfilling, equitable, and sustainable world." New Narrative events create a community gathering space, and forum to discuss important subjects in novel and productive ways. To make such an event work, there are legal needs along the way. New Media Rights was glad to be able to provide services to the New Narrative to help draft documents and address questions that arise when hosting and filming storytelling events. Read more to learn how we helped the New Narrative make their Storytelling events and online presence a reality.

 

Submitted by New Media Rights last modified Wed, 11/07/2018 - 4:17pm

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