Tag Archives: Comparison

Copyright v. Trademark v. Patent

22 Jun

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“The Sleeping Virtue” by MissNickiPink

To Be in Copyright or Not To Be in Copyright. . . That is the Question.

Here in China, I’m currently teaching my darling students Business Law, which includes a healthy dose of Art and Cultural Heritage law surprisingly enough.  Although, if you think about it, Businesses deal in Art and Words as much as anyone–and I’ve discovered the rules for them are often similar to those for individual artists.  

But one of the most basic questions my students get stumped with is what is the different between a copyright, trademark, and patent?  Many of them have created their own companies on the side and are trying to figure out how to protect their resources.  

Lawyers like to throw around those words like they mean something, but it’s a big pile of nothing for anyone else.  Still, many of your rights and protections are caught up in the relevant Copyright, Trademark, or Patent. So if you want to adequately protect yourself (in business or in art), you need to know what to do and what laws are on your side.  

As I help my students, I thought I would share some information here as well.  I’m teaching basic overview of the law, so this is all simple information 🙂  Please Note: This is not intended to be Legal Advice! Every situation is different, and if you have a situation you need to speak with your own Attorney! Continue reading →

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Then and Now: Kyoto in 1988 and 2013

17 May

 

Then and Now:
Kiyomizu-dera temple in 1988 when my Mom went. And the same temple when I went in 2013. Cool!!

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Book Disclaimers: Wheel of Time

25 Apr

Book Disclaimers: “Wheel of Time” will Steal Your Time

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First off, I adore this series of books, or at least I did for a very long time.  Many, many years ago, I picked up a friend’s copy of “The Eye of the World” and ran straight through the first six books within less than a month.  I consumed them with a passion that was fierce and undying; Robert Jordan was just an amazing author. 

A lot of people have a problem with the fact that much of the series seems kind of reminiscent of LOTR, and that is certainly true.  There are “dark riders,” a collection of men that went terribly evil and sold their souls to the dark lord, there are trolls, and of course wizards. But Jordan’s work is also incredibly unique and wonderfully in-depth. Who can reject a fantasy series that has it’s own maps? And its own university webpage dedicated to the dozens of associated games. There is even supposedly a movie coming out before too long.  To put this series into perspective for fantasy newbies, this book was more of a cult classic than GOT.  It spins hundreds of little webs and tales, making it as complex (if not more) than George R. R. Martin’s series.    You may be following as many as twenty side stories at any given time, all of them vital to the main theme.  Combine the intricacy with the beautiful writing style, and the books are sheer magic.  You get an incredibly beautiful, LONG series of books. Continue reading →

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