Law Office of Alicia Porter

This article is about a friend of mine, (and former classmate) who’s an all around great guy, and is in the process of trying to protect his copyrights. Click HERE for the link.

Burt Krages wrote a fantastic article about copyright for photographs – it was recently published on the Oregon State Bar Association web page. Click here for the full link

One of the list serves that I subscribe to recommended this copyright web site for a basic overview. It is written by professors at Columbia Law School, and is a nice review.

Click here for the link.

One of the issues that comes up in Alaska frequently is the issue about whether something can be copyrighted or not, particularly as it relates to traditional knowledge. Can you obtain a copyright for your beautiful parka if you have used a design that indicates that it was made in Point Hope? If a basket is woven in a pattern unique to Hooper Bay, can you create a basket like that and prohibit someone else from using the design?

The short answer is no. Traditional patterns that have been used as time immemorial are considered to be part of the public domain, and cannot be copyrighted.  You can only obtain copyright for what is your original design or creation.

Some of the articles that deal with this issue can be found on the attached link.