Copyright
Fun Rogue Fact:
Standards-developing organizations like ASTM, NFPA, and ASHRAE, though non-profit, often recoup costs by selling copies of their standards. However, when they sought to block another non-profit, Public.Resource.Org, Inc., from sharing legal materials freely online, they learned that Public Resource’s sharing is fair use. That is, yes, although verbatim copies were shared, certain copying is considered fair use, for the public good. (In addition, Public Resource transformed the words by making them searchable, printable, and magnifiable, like a 2023 consumer expects.) Am. Soc'y for Testing & Materials v. Public.Resource.Org, Inc., 82 F.4th 1262 (D.C. Cir. 2023)
This seems right, doesn’t it? Imagine trying to engineer a product but being blocked from knowing the ASTM standards…
Check out the Public.Resource.Org page below. It’s pretty useful.
What is copyright?
Copyright is the right a creator has over his/her literary and artistic works. This can include books, music, paintings, sculptures, and films, as well as things most people don’t consider, like software code, databases, advertisements, maps and technical drawings. Regarding the second group above, it is the artistic assimilation or approach, not the information itself that may be subject to copyright.
Just like the name implies, copyright is intended to protect the creator from having works copied without permission. Many who create something awesome suddenly find their product splashed all over the web, and this is where online enforcement comes in. Rogue.law can assist by removing knock-off ads from online platforms and, in some cases, even force the bad actors to transfer their domains to you, the rightful trademark owner. Yes, sharp reader, we mention trademark in this copyright section, because there is a lot of overlap between trademark infringement and copyright infringement.