Intellectual Property

California Supreme Court Rules In Taster’s Case

The California Supreme Court has ruled in a case I have been following for some time, namely the dispute between the maker of Taster's Choice coffee and one of its former Tasters over an allegedly unlawful use of the Taster's…


Russian Court Says Band Needs License to Play Its Own Songs

On June 15, a court in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don (not to be confused with the other Rostov, which is not on Don), fined the English band Deep Purple after finding that the band had illegally performed copyrighted songs at a…


Oprah Stole My Poetry, Man Claims In $1 Trillion Lawsuit

In July, Damon Goffe sued Oprah Winfrey, alleging that Winfrey had infringed his copyright in a series of poems.  Goffe demanded 1.2 trillion dollars ($1,200,000,000,000) in damages for what were, presumably, the greatest poems in the universe, poems so good…


Internet Blamed for Latest Face-Stealing Incident

Just the other day I was writing (again) about the Case of the Taster's Choice Guy, a former model who posed for a picture in 1986, forgot about it, and sixteen years later happened to see his own face on…




Don Henley Sues Candidate to Stop Song Parodies

Again we learn the lesson that suing somebody who's saying something you don't like is guaranteed to get them more publicity (often now called the "Streisand Effect").   This time the teacher is Don Henley, a founding member of The Eagles, who…


“Octomom” Seeks Trademark

Nadya Suleman, also known as the “Octomom” for her amazing ability to give birth to eight offspring at once (or at least in rapid succession), has applied to trademark that nickname, according to reports on April 15. If she ever…