Gary S. Fergus Law Blog

The story of the aging Hollywood has-been is too familiar and too tragic. It always involves an actor or actress or faded recording artist, years past their heyday and living like a pauper. They had great fame. Their work was acclaimed, and they worked a lot. Their old TV shows or movies or songs are still seen on television today or heard on the radio. ... Read More

Everyone wants their products associated with celebrities. Many companies pay a small fortune for the privilege of having famous actors or athletes mention or use their product publicly, and then pay even more for the celebrity to endorse their product actively. Every year during the Super Bowl, advertisers pay more and more to have celebrities do increasingly outlandish things endorsing their products.... Read More

What is the best way to find an intellectual property lawyer? For starters, never choose a lawyer in any field based on flashy advertisements or gimmicky commercials. However, when it comes to intellectual property issues like patents and trademarks, you need an attorney who is more than just competent.  Intellectual property is an unusually thorny and involved area of the law, and good IP law practitioners combine years of legal experience with broad technical interests and knowledge.... Read More

In an industry where one hit can make a career, protecting intellectual property can be crucial for young artists.  Young artists rely heavily on revenue their music generates, for both personal and professional expenses.  Nevertheless, they, like most artists, are susceptible to music piracy and unauthorized use.  A report compiled by the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) and cited by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), estimates the annual cost of music pir... Read More

The Recording Industry Association of American (RIAA) began its consumer litigation campaign in 2003, when surveys reported that 20 percent of U.S. Internet subscribers age 13 and older participated in peer-to-peer sharing of music files.  After several highly publicized cases, and many quieter cases that settled out of court, the RIAA ended its policy of pursuing lawsuits against individual Internet subscribers and peer-to-peer file sharers.... Read More

The story of the aging Hollywood has-been is too familiar and too tragic. It always involves an actor or actress or faded recording artist, years past their heyday and living like a pauper. It could be a much rosier picture, if they had employed an entertainment attorney, who had been looking out for their best interests. But the contracts and ownership rights of creative products were different several decades back.... Read More

The rules on trademark registration are relatively straightforward, and Internet-based legal documents companies advertise that they can help small businesses and artists (creators as they are referred to in a legal context) with standardized forms and a list of instructions.... Read More

Copyright and intellectual property lawyer Gary Fergus tells us what types of media are protected under copyright laws, and what one should do to protect their copyrighted materials and media.... Read More

Intellectual property lawyer, Gary Fergus discusses how intellectual property rights should not be an afterthought, but instead an integral part of your business model.... Read More

Intellectual property lawyer, Gary Fergus provides a few examples of when to contact an IP lawyer to enforce your intellectual property rights.... Read More