Author Archives: Dave Rein

About Dave Rein

Dave Rein focuses on and will continue to focus on copyright, trademark and patent litigation until the National Geographic adds him to its staff of photographers. In addition to counseling and litigating on behalf of the firm’s clients, he also helps clients through the Kansas City Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts where he also serves as a board member. Prior to representing clients, Dave clerked for a federal district court judge who kindly provided invaluable advice and mentorship

Back!

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Dave Rein

It has been much too long since I posted, but I am looking forward to posting again in earnest.  Feel free to send me an e-mail with any topics you would like to see in 2014. Until then, Happy New … Continue reading →

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How To Find & Monetize Valuable Copyrights On University Campuses

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Dave Rein

Copyright licensing is probably the last thing on students’ minds as they return to college campuses across the country.  Yet with the increasingly difficult financial problems facing universities, there has been a renewed urgency to find ways to monetize inventions, discoveries … Continue reading →

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Only An Author Can Create A Copyright — That’s No Monkey Business

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Dave Rein

The author who creates a work initially owns the copyright in the work.  The writer who writes the next novel, the painter who magically makes the canvas come alive, the musician who records the next hit all initially own the … Continue reading →

Posted in Copyright, Photography | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

How To Stop Copyright Infringement Of Movies. Follow The Strategy The Music Industry Abandoned?

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Dave Rein

The flooding along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers will soon pass, but we should be on the lookout for the next flood of copyright infringement cases now that the courts are starting to authorize subpoenas that will identify tens of … Continue reading →

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If Mr. Tenenbaum Beats Sony & The RIAA, Do Artists & Other Creatives Lose?

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Dave Rein

“I don’t want to know the law.  Give me your best, bad argument.”  This was the critique of one of my first memorandum that I drafted after leaving the world of federal law clerks and joining the world of large … Continue reading →

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So You’re An Artist? Time To Learn Copyrights, Contracts & Business Formation.

Posted on February 22, 2011 by Dave Rein

There is the saying about the man who one night dreamed in sequences of five. Five swings, five trees on a hill, five people running for mayor . . . .  Throughout the rest of the day, he wondered what … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Formation, Copyright, Licensing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Cat’s Don’t Talk, But A False Advertising Lawsuit Says Plenty

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Dave Rein

It is not every day that news about a false advertising law suit between the leading sellers of cat litter generates much interest outside of the feline trade industry.  Church & Dwight (the makers of Super Scoop) claims that television … Continue reading →

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Some Answers Are Not So Hard In The Copyright Debate. Or Are They?

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Dave Rein

One of my favorite sports columnists is Joe Posnanski who writes for Sports Illustrated and periodically, for the Kansas City Star.  But, as insightful and funny as he is about sports and life, he’s not the first place to turn for intellectual property issues.  I don’t … Continue reading →

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Less Hope For Shepard Fairey In Obama Hope Poster Case?

Posted on April 14, 2010 by Dave Rein

If the street artist, Shepard Fairey, initially thought the copyright litigationover the Obama Hope poster would be a good-natured pillow fight with the Associated Press, he probably knew that it was going to get ugly once it came to light that he was less than … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court Rules On Copyright Registration: What Does It Mean?

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Dave Rein

I previously wrote that I was hoping the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Reed Elsevier Inc. v. Muchnickwould finally answer the question of whether copyright registration is necessary for courts to have subject matter jurisdiction. We now have a ruling – it … Continue reading →

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