Copyright

New Publication in the Texas IP Law Journal!

In a scholarly article, recently published in the University of Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal (Vol. 28, No. 1, p. 87-98, 2019), New Media Rights' Executive Director Art Neill and Staff Attorney Erika Lee consider some options for modernizing copyright registration. The Texas Intellectual Property law Journal is a top 15 ranked Intellectual Property Journal according to Washington & Lee's rankings. 

The article, Fixing Copyright Registration For Online Video Creators: The Case for Group Registration of Published Videos, considers the history of published group registration since the Copyright Act of 1976 and argues that future modernization efforts should include group registration of video. The article also posits that current options for registering videos are ineffective and cost-prohibitive for online video creators, and proposes opening a rulemaking with the Copyright Office to establish group registration of published videos (which is currently not permitted). READ MORE

From Here: A story about an international generation's fight to redefine what it means to belong

New Media Right is proud to have worked on FROM HERE, a documentary film by Christina Antonakos-Wallace that follows four young people who represent the future of global citizenry. Filmed over the better part of a decade in two of the world’s largest immigration countries–the U.S. and Germany–FROM HERE captures an international generation’s fight for belonging in an era of rising nationalism. 

Set in Berlin and New York, FROM HERE interweaves the stories of Tania, Miman, Sonny and Akim – artists and activists raised in the Global North to parents from the Global South. The film accompanies them as they move from their 20’s into their 30’s, facing major turning points: fighting for citizenship, creating a family, surviving violence, and finding creative expression. Beautifully shot over the course of ten years, the film captures their struggle to define belonging for themselves in societies increasingly hostile to their existence.

Event: Legal Considerations for Startups at the REC Innovation Lab

New Media Rights will be at the REC Innovation Lab at San Diego Miramar College this week! Assistant Director Erika Lee and Student Fellow Jackie Taitano-Johnson will be speaking about copyright, contracts and other legal considerations that startups should be thinking about. We'll be focusing on common areas where it can be easy to make mistakes, and talk about ways that you can prevent some of these common missteps early on. We'll also talk about moments where it's probably time to reach out to a lawyer along the way. 

This presentation is made possible with support from the City of San Diego Economic Development Department. READ MORE

New Partnership Highlights NMR’s Work with Early-Stage Startups

“Our partnership with REC allows us to reach a new generation of technology entrepreneurs here in San Diego.”

So said Art Neill, California Western's New Media Rights' (NMR) Founder and Executive Director, as he commented on NMR's latest partnership following the first in a series of REC online Advice Days held at the end of March.

“California Western law students will see firsthand the challenges these entrepreneurs face getting their businesses off the ground,” continued Neill. “Our law students will then advise on early-stage intellectual property, privacy, and other legal issues that could become critical to the viability of these businesses.”

The San Diego Miramar College REC Innovation Lab provides resources to anyone in the region who is interested in starting or scaling a business. READ MORE

Nevertheless: shining a light on sexual harassment and how we can shift our culture

Nevertheless Trailer from Sarah Moshman on Vimeo.

New Media Rights was proud to work on Sarah Moshman's recent documentary film, Nevertheless.

Taking a look behind the headlines of #MeToo and Time’s Up, Nevertheless follows the intimate stories of 7 individuals who have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace or school context. From a writer's assistant on a top TV show to a Tech CEO and 911 dispatcher, the film shines a light on the ways in which we can shift our culture and rebuild.

Adios Amor - New Media Rights helps bring the story of farm worker's advocate Maria Moreno to PBS

New Media Rights attorneys and law students recently worked on Adios Amor, a powerful documentary by Jane Greenberg and Laurie Coyle.

In Adios Amor, the discovery of lost photographs sparks the search for a hero that history forgot—Maria Moreno, a migrant mother driven to speak out by her twelve children’s hunger. Years before Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta launched the United Farm Workers, Maria picked up the only weapon she had—her voice—and became an outspoken leader in an era when women were relegated to the background. The first farm worker woman in America to be hired as a union organizer, Maria’s story was silenced and her legacy buried—until now.

New Media Rights Joins the Free Expression Legal Network!

We are thrilled to announce that we joined the Free Expression Legal Network. Supporting journalists and nonprofit news organizations has always been an important part of our work. Journalists face many of the same intellectual property, privacy, and media law issues that challenge other creatives and entrepreneurs.

The Free Expression Legal Network is a nationwide coalition of school clinics, academics, and practitioners focused on promoting and protecting free speech, free press, and the free flow of information to an informed and engaged citizenry. The creation of the network was led by the Reporter's Committee for the Free Press and Yale Freedom & Information Access Clinic.  Members work on media law, transparency, and/or access issues, either as their primary focus or as it intersects with their work on other issues. READ MORE
 

Event: KPBS Explore Program Orientation Workshops

Staff Attorney Erika Lee and Student Fellow Alexandra Inman will be at the KPBS Explore Local Content Program orientation workshops on August 27th and 28th at 7pm!

They'll be speaking about what kind of legal issues filmmakers, podcasters and other content creators need to be aware of throughout all stages of production, as well as how copyright and music licensing affects production.

 

Event: Intersections Art and Law at the Border

Executive Director Art Neill will be speaking at Intersections: Art and Law at the Border on Saturday, April 6 at 10am! He will be discussing intellectual property for artists in the digital age, including copyright, fair use, licensing, and some of the key issues that artists face on a global spectrum. 

Copyright & The Classroom: Using Copyrighted Material In Classrooms and Distance Learning

There are many situations, particularly in a classroom environment, where you might want to use copyright-protected material but you can’t obtain permission from the copyright holder. A common example would be a teacher who wants to read a poem from a book or show an educational cartoon to her class. Thankfully, copyright law addresses these particular types of uses directly, in 17 U.S.C. § 110. Section 110 provides important exemptions for certain performances and displays of copyrighted works in the classroom (and certain limited online learning situations) that would otherwise be considered infringement.

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