Civil Litigation,
Law Office Management,
Intellectual Property
Nov. 13, 2013
A not-so-elementary copyright case
When it comes to literary characters - including Sherlock Holmes - it's not so easy to detect when something enters the public domain.
Andrew J. Thomas
Partner
Jenner & Block LLP
Phone: (213) 239-5100
Email: ajthomas@jenner.com
Harvard Univ Law School; Cambridge MA
Andrew represents content owners in copyright, trademark and First Amendment matters. CONTENT MATTERS is a monthly column devoted to matters of interest to those who create content of all kinds (entertainment, news, software, advertising, etc.) and bring that content to market. Our hope is to shed light on key issues facing the creative content community. If you have questions, comments or topic ideas, let us know. Because content matters.
CONTENT MATTERS
When does a recurring literary character qualify for copyright protection, and in what form can he enter the public domain? The question becomes especially vexing when a complex, richly delineated character is depicted in multiple works now in the public domain, but also is featured in works that are still under copyright protection.
It may take the world's greatest detective, along with an Illinois federal court, to ...For only $95 a month (the price of 2 article purchases)
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