“Empire Records” (1995), A conversation between Ethan Embry (“Mark”) and Rory Cochrane (“Lucas”):

Mark: Oh! I’ve decided I’m going to start a band.

Lucas:  Really?  [Leaning in], the first thing you need, is a name.  Then you’ll know what kind of band you’ve got.

Mark: Yeah. I know.  I know.  I was kinda thinking about, umm, “Marc”.  What do you think of that?

Lucas:  Is that with a “C” or with a “K”?

Mark: Well, my name is with [checking his nametag], a “K”, so I was thinking maybe my band could be with a “C”.  So that way, its kinda like that psychedelic, you know, trip thing.

So Mark, in an effort to know what type of band he has, goes to the Trademark Electronic Search System and conducts a search of *Ma{“r”1:2}{“ckqxh”1:2}*[bi,ti] in International Classes 009 (downloadable music sound recordings) and 041 (Live performances by a musical group).  He believes the results to be promising and decides to move forward with his trademark application.
Continue Reading Bona Fide Intent to Use as Applied to “Empire Records” (1995)

If you make your living from selling or performing your original works of authorship, it is good practice to register that work of authorship with the United States Copyright Office.  Registration creates a public record of your ownership, and if done within 3 months of publication or prior to infringement, it gives the author the right to seek statutory damages and attorneys’ fees from an infringer in a lawsuit.  Most importantly, though, registration is prerequisite to bringing a copyright infringement lawsuit in federal court.

Many authors, however, don’t bother to register their works until after an infringement occurs. 
Continue Reading Do You Have to Register Your Copyright Before Filing Suit? The US Supreme Court Will Soon Decide.

Law360 recently published an article about the Fifth Circuit case of BWP Media USA, Inc. v. T&S Software Associates, Inc.   The issue in BWP Media was whether “volitional conduct” is required for direct copyright infringement.   Defendant T&S Software Associates hosted an internet forum in which users posted images that infringed copyrights owned by Plaintiffs BWP Media USA and National Photo Group.  The plaintiff sued T&S for direct and secondary copyright infringement, but the trial court granted summary judgment for T&S. 
Continue Reading Brackett & Ellis Copyright Case Featured in Law360 Article

Companies often debate as to whether their software code should be treated as a trade secret or should be registered as a copyright. There are many variables to consider, but perhaps the most important is whether the company wants its source code to remain a secret. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals provided this recent breakdown of the intellectual property considerations for software code:
Continue Reading What is the Best Intellectual Property Protection for Software?