Assignment #10

1. Under what Act of congress are your rights protected today pertaining to original
works of authorship? (Be sure to locate the latest Act)

The current Act of Congress for protection on original works is under the
Copyright Act of 1976.

2. How is the Act that you are protected by today different from the 1909 Act?

The Copyright Act of 1976 is different than the one from 1909 by having a different
duration for standard copyright. 1976 was the creation of federal copyright protection. It
also brought the idea of the concept of fair use for the first time in law. 1976 have a
nonwaivable right to recapture their copyrights 35 years after the transfer. In 1978 it lasts
the whole author’s life plus 70 years after death. 1909 had a protection grant of 28 years
and then had the right to renew it again for another 28 years.

3. Works of authorship protected by today’s copyright laws would include all of the
following…(?) (Complete list) (10 pts)

Original, a work of authorship, literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works

4. Explain the requirements and entire process for registering copyright? (10 pts)

Step 1 is to record a song or film what you need to do, step 2 complete the form
online on the website of the U.S Copyright Office, Step 3 fill out the form with all of the
information including contact info, Step 4 send a digital copy of the work you want to be
submitted. The fee is $35 per publication and work, or you fill out an application by
surface mail for a fee of $50, the copyright office will then send you a copyright certificate

5. Please explain what a copyright notice is providing an example.

An example would be seeing the “c” on logos showing that it is protected by

copyright and has the publication date and the owner’s name. A youtube video that
contains a copyrighted song has a copyright notice and all of their earrings with
going to the protected owner and not the channel.

6. What specific rights do you have that are protected under copyright law?
The right to reproduce and make copies of original work, prepare derivative works
based on the original work, distribute copies to the public by sale or another form of
transfer, such as rental or lending, publicly perform the work, publicly display the work,
perform sound recordings publicly through the digital audio transmission.

7. What role(s) does the Library of Congress play in the protection of copyright? (10 pts)

To register copyright claims and document then, provide info and record services,
administer the collection and distribution of royalties for the license, facilitating
acquisitions
8. Please define what is considered “Fair Use”. (Provide example)
Copying copyrighted material, types are commentary and criticism, and parody
9. What is the length or term of a copyright? (Does it last forever?)
Protected all of the author's life and 70 years after their death
10. Research & discuss a recent copyright infringement case explaining the circumstances and
outcome of the case. Include citation. (200-word minimum) (25 pts)
Disney filed a lawsuit against and online shop for copy clothes. Disney wants
damage and permanent injunctive relief. The online company was Mouseprint Media by
Eric Wichhart. It is a local business. He used similar designs and Disney told them to stop.
Disney claimed that Disgear is very close to the Mickey Mouse Logo and its store Mouse
Gear. They don’t want anyone to think they are buying Disney clothes when their not.
They said that he had no permission to use Disney owned logos and designs. Disney doesn’t
want people to think that Disgear is Disney products. Many of the products look like they
are from Disney like Mickey Mouse and Darth Vader to Tinkerbell and Goofy. Disney
states that Disgear copied many Disney told him to stop pon March 20 but according to
Disney, he did not stop. Apparently, Winchhart had a meeting with a Disney lawyer that
Wednesday, he told News 6. On the Disgear website, News 6 saw a message on the website
it is under current workings with the Disney company. News 6 tried to contact Eric
wichhart multiple times on Wednesday but he has not called them back. According to the
trademark, he asked for permission but they denied it because of confusion with similar
logos. Disney and Lucasfilm have filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement.
11. Do the copyright laws that exist today justly protect the interests of new and old authors? If
you believe they do, please explain why and if you feel they don’t, explain what might be
necessary to better protect authors or creators in the future. (15 pts)
Yes, I believe that copyrights help authors keep their works protected. They are able to
stay protected during their whole life and even after they die. They are able to get the
credit they deserve and no one can claim it as their own. It can be difficult for a new artist
to make a new song or such because since so many sounds have been made it’s hard to be
unique. It could be a case where the artist never heard the song before but makes a similar
beat, and they end up getting copyright and sued. Overall it does protect artists, but there
are still holes in the law.