Even though Benjamin Franklin…
March 13, 2019 March 13, 2019 Weirdo
Even though Benjamin Franklin is credited with many popular inventions, he never patented or copyrighted any of them. He believed that they should be given freely and that claiming ownership would only cause trouble and "sour one's Temper and disturb one's Quiet."
Facts Benjamin Franklin, copyright, inventions, inventors, patents Leave a comment
In 2016, 'Getty Images' sold some…
April 8, 2018 Weirdo
In 2016, 'Getty Images' sold some of the 100,000+ photos that had been donated, royalty-free, to the Library of Congress by the original photographer and Getty Images then demanded payment from the photographer, for using the photos she owned. She sued them (unsuccessfully) for over $1 billion.
Facts copyright, Getty Images Leave a comment
The people who falsely claimed the copyright…
February 3, 2018 Weirdo
The people who falsely claimed the copyright to "Happy Birthday to You" made $2M a year for decades until the song was ruled public domain.
Facts copyright, songs Leave a comment
UK prop designer Andrew Ainsworth…
January 11, 2018 Weirdo
UK prop designer Andrew Ainsworth, made the original Stormtrooper helmets, was sued by Lucasfilm for $20m for making and selling replicas, argued he did not hold the intellectual property rights, a point upheld by a US court. After spending £700,000 defending himself, Ainsworth won.
Facts copyright, Star Wars Leave a comment
The trollface meme "(Problem?)" is copyrighted….
August 28, 2017 August 28, 2017 Weirdo
The trollface meme "(Problem?)" is copyrighted. At the meme's height, when it was plastered on t-shirts the creator would would pull in between $10,000 and $15,000 every few months.
Facts copyright, meme Leave a comment
"Peter Pan" is the only UK copyright which has been extended in perpetuity…
October 21, 2015 Weirdo
"Peter Pan" is the only UK copyright which has been extended in perpetuity, meaning Great Ormond Street Hospital can receive royalties forever. This has earned it the name "The Copyright which never grows up".
Facts copyright Leave a comment
There is no place you can legally watch and listen to the entire…
June 14, 2015 Weirdo
There is no place you can legally watch and listen to the entire "I Have a Dream" speech for free, as the recording is owned and licensed by the EMI Publishing and the King Family. The only way to legally watch the speech in it's entirety is to buy a copy.
Facts copyright, Martin Luther King Jr. 1 Comment
Disney successfully lobbied Congress to extend the length of copyright protection….
February 21, 2015 Weirdo
Disney successfully lobbied Congress to extend the length of copyright protection in order to prevent Mickey Mouse from entering the public domain. The law was later referred to as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act.
Facts copyright, Disney 1 Comment
In 1996 ASCAP threatened Girl Scouts of America for singing campfire…
August 20, 2014 Weirdo
In 1996 ASCAP threatened Girl Scouts of America for singing campfire songs without paying licensing fees.
Facts copyright, music, music industry Leave a comment
Bikram Yoga was invented in the 1970…
Bikram Yoga was invented in the 1970's by a man called Bikram Choudhury, who decided to copyright poses developed from those available for free for centuries. He also compares himself to Jesus and sues everyone who tries to "copy" his business.
Facts copyright, yoga Leave a comment