While preparing a lecture on fashion law, trademarks and intellectual property, a strange thought occurred to me: "Is my skin an illegal artwork?" Don’t get me wrong, I’m no masterpiece. I do, however, have tattoos. One illustration by Audrey Kawasaki, one of my favourite Japanese-American artists, is sizeable and took nine hours to complete.The tattoo was completed long … [Read more...]
#PopLaw: Do You Need Permission To Cover A Song Live?
always look forward to a Friday night of live music especially when it involves listening to covers of my favourite songs, like The Kooks' 'Naïve' or Bon Iver's 'Skinny Love' at a local café.What didn't cross my mind, until recently, is how performing a cover of another musician's song may actually be against the law. Copyright Protection Of Songs Copyright law exists to … [Read more...]
Hurry Up, Parliament! We’re Dreaming Of Copyright Law Reform
News of the release of the Copyright Amendment (Disability Access and Other Measures) Bill 2016 exposure draft was probably drowned out by the tiresome election coverage and any hope of immediate action in the first few months of the new government is pipe-dreaming. This is indeed a bothersome state of affairs for copyright reform advocates.Copyright law is … [Read more...]