IoT Baby-Steps: The Feds Enact Cybersecurity Improvement Act

By: Howard Zaharoff On December 4, 2020, the Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2020 (H.R. 1668, 116th Cong.) (the “Act”) was signed into law. This bipartisan bill requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to create minimum cybersecurity standards for IoT devices purchased or used by the federal government. Guidelines are to be developed over the next several months, so …

Protect Your Blogs and Posts: Copyright Office Announces New Group Registration Process for Short Online Literary Works

By: Howard Zaharoff Good things come to those who register their copyrights, including the rights to sue for infringement (you can claim copyright in any original work, but you can sue for infringement only if you’ve registered the work with the Copyright Office) and to recover statutory damages and attorneys’ fees when your registered work …

Trademark Attorney Stacey Friends Joins Morse

Morse is pleased to welcome Stacey C. Friends to the Firm as a Member of the Trademark and Intellectual Property Groups. Stacey's practice will continue to encompass all aspects of brand selection, as well as trademark clearance, registration, and enforcement, both nationally and internationally for large and small companies. She also advises clients on various copyright, fair use, and licensing …

Copyright Alert: Deadline for DMCA Registered Agents to Submit New Designation Electronically is Quickly Approaching

If you are a service provider that designated an agent with the Copyright Office prior to December 1, 2016, you must submit a new designation electronically using the online registration system by December 31, 2017. Any designation not made through the online registration system will expire and become invalid after December 31, 2017. We've posted a recap in this month's …

Howard Zaharoff Highlights 2016 Copyright Legislative and Regulatory Developments

While many are reflecting on the key copyright cases of 2016, Howard Zaharoff states the necessity of noting the important copyright legislative and regulatory developments that also took place. In his most recent article, Copyright Law: Legislative and Regulatory Developments, Howard discusses developments by the House Judiciary Committee, the Small Copyright Claims Tribunal, and the new …

Contours of Copyright #4: No Protection for Game Play

The battle between an Ancient Chinese themed game, and a Wild-West game, reminds us that rules of game play are generally not protectable by copyright, but certain expressive game aspects may be. Discussion: The plaintiff in DaVinci Editrice v. ZiKo Games (S.D. Tex. 2016) published Bang!, a role-playing card game with Wild-West themes that became …

MBBP’s Howard Zaharoff Will Be a Panelist in Boston Bar’s 17th Annual Intellectual Property Year in Review

MBBP's Howard Zaharoff will be a panelist at this year's Boston Bar Association Intellectual Property Year in Review, one of Boston's premier annual IP events. Howard will be discussing some of the most important copyright developments of the past year, with his co-presenter, Attorney Lucy Lovrien. This annual panel has been organized for intellectual property specialists to …

Copyright Alert: New Copyright Office Electronic System to Register Designated Agents Under the DMCA

Effective December 1, 2016, the US Copyright Office rolled out a new electronic system for the online registration of designated agents under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”). Consequently, all online service providers who want the benefit of the safe harbor against copyright infringement claims are required to register under the new electronic system or, if they’re …

Howard Zaharoff and Erin Bryan Speaking at 2016 Intellectual Property Law Conference

Intellectual Property Law 2016: The 19th Annual New England Conference will take place on June 23rd at the MCLE Conference Center in Boston, MA. This conference will focus on new developments, trends, and industry-specific guidance that IP, business, and litigation counsel must know. MBBP attorneys Howard Zaharoff and Erin Bryan are both on the Faculty, with Howard …

Howard Zaharoff & Faith Kasparian Quoted in Lawyer’s Weekly

On April 28, 2016, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly newspaper published the article titled "Ex-'View' co-host Hasselbeck survives copyright suit by author". This article explains how Susan Hasset, author of "Living with Celiac Disease", took Elisabeth Hasselbeck, author of "The G Free Diet" and "Deliciously G Free", to court accusing her of violating copyright infringement.  U.S. District court Judge George A. …