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Stranger things have happened – Netflix writes funny cease and desist letter
Sharon Givoni Consulting Consumer Law, Copyright, Entertainment Law, Film, Intellectual Property
When Sheriff Hopper knocks – Netflix cease and desist letter gets media attention The words “cease and desist” letters often get used in intellectual property matters. We think of bigwigs in Hollywood going after fans and creators of fan fiction, sending cease and desist letters threatening legal action if people are using content without appropriate […]
Social Media Policy in the Workplace – Who Owns an Account?
Sharon Givoni Consulting Copyright, Intellectual Property, Internet Law, Social Media
We all know that social media accounts can be a valuable asset to any business. In the early days when an account was linked to a person, ownership questions were far less contentious. However, those days are long gone, and the revenue stream which comes from social media connections means that the ownership of those […]
A Short Guide to Copyright Law in Australia
Sharon Givoni Consulting Arts and design, Copyright, Intellectual Property, Protecting ideas, Street art
Only one thing is impossible for God: to find any sense in any copyright law on the planet.[1] – MARK TWAIN As the famous quote by nineteenth-century author Mark Twain suggests, and this guide will demonstrate, copyright may be a complex area of the law, but the underlying message is quite simple: don’t copy! The […]
Photography without Permission: Is it Always Legal to Snap?
Sharon Givoni Consulting Copyright, Intellectual Property, Photography
Many people believe that photographing people without their knowledge or consent is an invasion of privacy and therefore against the law. However, you might be surprised to learn that leaving aside the moral issues that this might raise, in Australia photography without permission it is (on the face of it) perfectly legal. This issue has […]
Protecting yoga and dance moves – How far can you stretch copyright law?
Sharon Givoni Consulting Copyright, Intellectual Property, Protecting ideas
Imagine this scenario. You come up with an amazing sequence of 26 yoga poses and an accompanying dialogue so that yoga class could be taught throughout the world. People could go to a class in Australia or LA and know it would pretty much be the same. This is exactly what happened to well-known Indian […]
Why being ‘pretty sure’ is not enough to justify threats of copyright infringement
Sharon Givoni Consulting Copyright, Intellectual Property
Takeaway tips Don’t take matters into your own hands if you think someone has copied your work. Don’t make your copyright infringement claims public. If you think your copyright has been infringed, seek legal advice right away. In 2015, a copyright infringement dispute arose 6 years after a British woman, Sarah Scurr, entered a photo […]
Avoiding the Gaps in the Copyright/Design Overlap
Sharon Givoni Consulting Arts and design, Copyright, Intellectual Property
Takeaway tips The copyright/design overlap aims to deal with and eliminate dual protection under copyright and design law. Don’t assume your designs are protected by copyright. Consider design registration before you publicly disclose your design. Recently, our firm assisted a client who sold unique handmade jewellery through an online store. He shockingly discovered that another […]
Copyright And Wrong?
Sharon Givoni Consulting Copyright
Copyright or Wrong? You work it out with this short introduction to the rules, by Sharon Givoni*. Content on the internet is not ‘public domain’ and intellectual property rights exist in the technological age. Potentially serious consequences exist when it comes to using and appropriating content found online without permission. In this blog post, Intellectual […]
Lifting the blinds on copyright law
Sharon Givoni Consulting Copyright
With so much product imagery now easily accessible via the internet, intellectual property lawyer Sharon Givoni analyses the potential copyright pitfalls for window furnishings businesses, and offers practical solutions. Read more… The article has been kindly reproduced with the permission Window Furnishings Australia magazine (WFA)