Copyright law in the United States is a body of law authorized under Article I, Section 8 of the US Constitution that is intended to promote the progress of science and the useful arts. Under the Copyright Act, copyright law extends to all works of creative authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Thus, copyright rights exist upon fixation–as soon as a creative work is set into a semi-permanent form, copyright law applies. Copyrightable works include books, websites, movies, music, sculptural works, architectural works, dramatic works, choreographic works, an photographs.
Though copyright law extends to creative works, it does not protect inventions, ideas, facts, procedures, processes, short names, concepts, principles, or discoveries. Additionally, copyright law does not protect useful articles, that is, utilitarian articles that do not contain creative components that are either physically or conceptually separable from the functional aspects of the article. For example, though copyright law can protect an automobile creator’s logo, it cannot protect the body of a car unless there are features of that body design that are not dictated by the functional aspects of the vehicle.
Copyright owners are granted six exclusive rights in the copyrighted work:
The answer is legally complicated since the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has defined the term “healthy” to apply to foods, not dietary supplements. On the other hand, in some circumstances, certain types of oils — like olive oil — are now eligible to use the “healthy” label. Thus, if your supplement is an oil […]
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If nurtured properly, trademarks can continue to function indefinitely, bringing continued and increasing value to the owners. There are, however, ways that trademarks can be “lost.” As an example, a trademark can be abandoned through lack of use or can be lost to the general public through the process of genericide. That happens when the […]
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Social media influencing has become a big business. As such, influencers need experienced internet lawyers to help with their contracts and other legal needs. In early October 2025, there was a bit of a stir on the internet concerning claims that the Government of Israel, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was paying social media […]
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