Media Law

You don't have to be an investigative news reporter to find out what crimes people are committing in your neighborhood. All that is required is a little patience, research and knowledge of what is...

Many times the perception is that the government is hiding information from the public. Did you know that a great deal of what local governments do must be open to the public by law? You can...

Creating master resell rights (MRR) is a popular way for e-book, document, and other informational product creators to enhance the popularity and profitability of their own product. Establishing...

Copyright rules are essential to those who create original work. It protects their creations from being used without their permission or in ways that they do not agree to. These rules have been...

Music publishing rights refer to who owns the rights to a song and who gets money from it. You own your own rights as soon as you've written a song, meaning if it generates any money, you get all...

Many people own computers capable of burning DVDs, but few are aware of the laws regarding such behavior. Many times people buy computers with DVD-burning software pre-installed, and then never...

There often is no fee to view public records in the United States, particularly if they are routinely made available, such as from a county clerk's office or the courts. However, the federal...

Before home video technology, many people didn't think about film copyright laws. Now, technology allows people to copy films in ways that may violate the copyright owner's rights. DVD bootlegs of...

Musicians need a way to protect their creative work, and that's exactly why copyright laws exist. Securing a registered copyright is a simple process, but it will provide you and your work with...

According to a 2008 Gallup poll, cable and Internet news sources gained significant ground in the market since 2006 while Americans relied on national newspapers and public radio least of all. How...

The Freedom of Information Act sets the ground rules through which the public can request, view and copy public records. In addition to the federal law, states have their own open records acts...

We are living in a media mediated world. What this means, simply, is that we get most of our information and entertainment not from direct human contact or interchange, but through the filtering...

Vehicle tracking systems can be a great way to check on your teenagers, or your spouse. They can also increase the possibility of recovering your vehicle if it is ever stolen. There are some...

Writing legal essays is different from writing in other genres and can be a challenging undertaking. The writer needs some legal background and a good amount of legal insight. Moreover, he should...

The ongoing debate over media censorship is an important one in today's changing media climate. With many media outlets heading toward more convergent formats, media outlets and the authorities...

The entertainment field can be difficult to break into regardless of your specialty or qualification. It is not impossible, however, especially for those who begin the process, which will include...

Although U.S. law states an "automatic copyright" applies once a work is created in a fixed medium, a formal copyright creates a public declaration of ownership for work of an artistic or...

Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing is rampant in Canada. Canadian law and federal courts thus far have had little to say about the situation. Critics cite an urgent need for reform of the copyright...

Obtaining a copyright for a name is not possible since copyrights are used only to protect an author's "original work of authorship," be it of audio, literary, dramatic, artistic or other form of...

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates most forms of electronic transmission in the United States, including radio, airborne TV, cable and wireless. All of these require licensing...

There are two common myths about copyrights. One is that registration is required. This is not the case. The US Copyright Office recommends registration for two reasons. First, registration...

Creators of several types of intellectual property regularly use copyright law to ensure their work is not plagiarized or otherwise improperly used. The Copyright Act of 1976, Title 17 of the U.S....

The personal right to publicity is the right to be compensated for a name or likeness being used commercially. Discover how the personal right to publicity prevents people from appropriating names...

The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights says that Congress is not abridge to freedoms of speech, press, religion, the right to peaceably assemble and the right to redress the government with...

A derivative work is not an original work, but something that was previously published. Look at the Web site for the United States copyright offices with tips from a certified civil mediator in...

When learning about collective work under copyright law, check out the definition provided at www.copyright.gov. Put together and copyright a collection of poems that share a common theme with...

Work made for hire under copyright law involves a person that has created an idea or invention and works for an employer. Learn how to copyright a commercial jingle with tips from a certified...

The personal right to privacy in the U.S. is a doctrine that developed through the Supreme Court and a combination of amendments. Discover how Supreme Court decisions have formed the personal...

Defamation is a false statement, either verbal or written, that causes harm, subjects a person to ridicule or lessens their reputation. Hire a lawyer that specializes in defamation with tips from...

When trying to prove slander, remember that it is a verbal form of defamation and that the defense to slander is truth. Hire a lawyer to deal with the complexities of slander laws with tips from a...

In order to sue for defamation of character, someone must have made a false statement that causes harm, ruins reputations or hurts the defamed person's ability to engage in their occupation. Sue...

Slander, a form of oral defamation, is a complex area of law that usually requires hiring an attorney that specializes in personal injury cases. Find a lawyer that has knowledge of state-to-state...

An entertainment lawyer is involved in many aspects of law, including labor law, immigration, securities law, contract law, intellectual law and property law. Check a state's bar association for...

Slander, a form of oral defamation, is a complex area of law that usually requires someone to hire an attorney that specializes in personal injury cases. Find a lawyer that has knowledge of...

Everyone's seen the little "c" in the circle, and read the text that goes with it. "This work is the sole property...." It's the copyright symbol, and it's been in the news in recent years...

It is too easy for anyone, from students to media professionals, to infringe on the copyright of an artist. As the law is written, there are many gray areas. Some choose to err on the side of...

The explosion in computer technology, e-mails and Internet records during the past quarter-century has had repercussions in every facet of society, and the law is no different. The sheer volume of...

Thousands of music lovers download tracks or whole albums from commercial music sites or from peer-to-peer networks every day. The laws on downloading music vary from country to country, and the...

Copyright is the protection afforded the original author(s) or creator(s) of certain works of art and some intellectual properties. These works include, but are not limited to, books, computer...

A copyright is a legal protection used for intellectual property such as writings, pictures, graphics and music. The United State Copyright Act of 1976 gives creators the right of ownership from...

You worked hard writing your book. Having it finished is like a dream come true. For some author's, it's more like giving birth. It can be really difficult for a writer to submit their work for...

An entertainment lawyer engages in the practice of several different types of law. Through the Madrid Protocol, an entertainment attorney can register a trademark in multiple countries with a...

Are you trying to figure out how to enter into the entertainment law profession? Do you like this specialization of law but are not sure how to get start? Follow our easy steps and you will be...

The saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" is popular, but it's not realistic. The average reader will pick up a book that has a cover pleasing to the eyes. There was a time when book covers...

Yellow journalism is regarded as the lowest form of journalism. It uses sensationalism, bias and distorted facts to create shock value in the news, usually to attract more readers or viewers. If...

Making a Freedom of Information Act request could be intimidating for an ordinary citizen. They must be in proper form and could only be mailed. Luckily organizations like the Reporters Committee...

There have been a growing number of lawsuits in which movie screenplays have been "stolen." Writers devote themselves to finishing a script or screenplay and before they can get their...

Here's a Hillary Clinton joke that was probably thought up by Karl Rove: "The hottest selling political bumper sticker these days is "RUN HILARY RUN" because it sells well to...

Occasionally we need information that the government has. This information may be something about our own social security account or a traffic accident in which an employee was involved. It may...

AFTRA is the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. The national labor union has more than 70,000 members. Musical performers, journalists and other entertainment artists are...