Intellectual Property Law

Chapter 13 Discussion Questions

1. Alex Holland wrote a screenplay that he assigned to Paramount Pictures. When a
copyright application is filed, who will be identified as the author, and who will
be identified as the claimant?

2. Identify the proper deposit materials for the following published works:

a. A textbook

b. A large painting

c. A movie

3. Liam intends to sue Abby for copyright infringement of his book Eastern
Vampires. Liam’s book is not yet registered. What should Liam do so that he can
initiate an infringement action in federal court?

4. A copyright registration referred to the author of a sound recording as Katherine
Keene. The author’s name is actually Katherine Keane. Should anything be done
to correct this error? Discuss.

5. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. is concerned that its upcoming movie in its
Wolverine series will be leaked over the Internet before its actual theatrical
release. Is there anything that the film company can do? Discuss.
The film company should seek preregistration of this work.

6. What does it mean to say that the Copyright Office has issued a copyright
registration under its “rule of doubt”?

7. Draft proper copyright notices for the following:

a. A book written by Ethan Garcia in 2015

b. A sound recording of a 2009 song owned by Sony Music Entertainment

c. A music video performed by Beyoncé in 2013

8. The author of two books, one published in 1974 and one published in 2014, has
not used copyright notices on the books. Discuss the effect of the lack of
copyright notices.