The law of copyright is relevant to anyone who is a creator or user of creative works of authorship. Traditional copyright rules have been challenged by new technologies that simplify the copying, alteration and distribution of works. Interpreting traditional rules in today’s environment — and, in appropriate cases, bringing creative legal challenges — is at the heart of the firm’s practice. With Arnold Lutzker’s experience as a drafter of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and other reforms to the Copyright Act, and Janet Fries’ service as Vice Chair of the American Bar Association’s Copyright Reform Task Force, the firm offers both historical perspective and practical insight into the challenges that define today’s copyright landscape.
Representative Matters
- Representing television program owners and distributors before the Copyright Royalty Board of the Library of Congress in contested proceedings to determine the allocation of billions of dollars in annual cable and satellite royalties
- Protecting clients’ creative and commercial interests through complex copyright infringement litigation
- Preparing fair use opinion letters that help clients assess copyright risks and make informed business decisions
- Advising government contracting clients on copyright and data rights issues in technical data and software
- Providing strategic counsel to clients on the applicability of the DMCA’s safe harbor provisions
- Negotiating, drafting and enforcing complex copyright licensing and assignment agreements for creative professionals and well-established companies
- Enforcing the rights of photographers and other creators against online infringements of their works
- Using DMCA subpoenas to identify anonymous online copyright infringers and enforce clients’ rights
- Resolving disputes over the post-termination use and ownership of materials produced by employees and independent contractors
- Advising schools and educators on copyright issues, including the use of digital and advanced technologies in the classroom
- Developing comprehensive and practical strategies to secure copyright registrations and protect clients’ creative works