Helping clients achieve their intellectual property goals

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This series highlights the legal complexities of co-ownership of intellectual property — copyrights, trademarks and patents. The assets involved can be as varied as brand names, trademarks and logos, as well as creative works such as songs, artwork, plays, films, music, symbols, inventions and written materials. Co-ownership issues span all industries and affect individuals, c [ ... ]

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What is Co-Ownership?

In the Supreme Court’s seminal 1884 copyright case, the Court held that an author is the individual who originates, makes and produces the work. Burrow-Giles Lithographic Co. v. Sarony, 111 U.S. 53, 61 (1884). A joint work is a work created by two or more authors who intend that their contributions form a unified work. 17 USC § 101. The author of a [ ... ]

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A trademark is a word, symbol or device used by an entity or an individual capable of indicating a source of goods or services. 15 U.S.C. § 1127. A trademark functions as a source indicator of reputation and reduces consumer deception. Park 'n Fly v. Dollar Park & Fly, 469 U.S. 189, 198 (1985). Trademarks are powerful tools in commerce, enabling consumers to efficiently identify a [ ... ]

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Note: Inspiration and background for our periodic cultural heritage reports frequently come from the website of The Art Newspaper, a subscription-based service, journal of record for the international art world.

We are bombarded with reports and evidence of the destruction of tangible and intangible cultural heritage by both natural and human actions. So it is good to note, [ ... ]

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Update: On October 3, 2025 OpenAI responded to a widespread backlash by retracting earlier statements and promising guardrails for the use of third party copyrighted material. We will continue to monitor developments.

OpenAI’s new Sora 2, a social media video and audio generator, is in the process of infringing the works of millions of content creators. The latest vers [ ... ]

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The naming and renaming of public spaces, buildings and schools has historically involved an uneasy balance of legal, political and community goals and heightened emotions.

On September 9, 2025, District Judge Michael F. Urbanski issued a 71-page opinion holding that the Shenandoah County, Virginia school board’s decision to reinstate the name “Stonewall Jackson High [ ... ]

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