Popeye’s copyright entered the public domain on January 1, 2025, with almost immediate consequences. The horror film and derivative work “Popeye the Slayer Man” was released in 2025, bringing Popeye’s intellectual property back into the spotlight. And now Hearst Holdings, Inc., owner of the POPEYE trademark, has filed a trademark opposition to block the application of Free [ ... ]
On January 26, 2026, the Supreme Court agreed to weigh in on the meaning of the term “consumer” under the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), a federal law that prohibits “video tape service providers” from disclosing “personally identifiable information” regarding their “consumer[s].” 18 U.S. Code § 2710. The issue arose after Michael Salazar challenged the Sixt [ ... ]
Not a typo, but a new-ish term! According to nonument.org, which maintains an online database, nonuments are “twentieth-century architecture, monuments, public spaces and infrastructural projects that have lost or undergone a shift in symbolic meaning as a consequence of political and social changes.” In essence, it is a call to redefine what constitutes a monument, bringing d [ ... ]
Insights & News
This series relates to the legal landscape of podcasting. Lutzker & Lutzker has been advising major publishing and individual clients in this area since 2010. Sixteen years later the industry has evolved significantly, but the underlying premise remains unchanged: creators benefit from a proactive legal strategy for content creation and distribution.
Intellectual prope [ ... ]
As podcasts continue to proliferate, the legal considerations are increasingly complex. Some podcasts are solo episodes, some have co-hosts and guests, some are produced by the podcaster, and some are produced by an agency. Some consist solely of audio, while others include accompanying video. To avoid cease and desist letters, infringement suits and takedown alerts, there are steps [ ... ]
Licensing intellectual property is often a significant component of producing a podcast that incorporates material created by others, such as music, photographs or film clips. Most often a podcast’s third-party content should either be in the public domain (for example, once the copyright term has expired) or be authorized for use. If it is not clear that a work is in the public d [ ... ]