According to the Washington Post, George Carlin’s estate is suing the creators of an online comedy special that claimed to imitate the late comedian’s voice and sense of humor using artificial intelligence. Questions: Source: Chery, S. (2024) George Carlin’s estate sues over AI comedy special. The Washington Post, January 26 (Retrievable online at https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/george-carlin-s-estate-sues-over-ai-comedy-special)
Posts Tagged: intellectual property
Overstock.com Wins Bid To Acquire Bankrupt Bed Bath & Beyond
According to the New York Times, if the acquisition of Bed Bath & Beyond by Overstock.com is approved at bankruptcy court next week, the company will own the intellectual property of the bankrupt home goods retailer. Questions: Source: Holman, J. (2023) Overstock.com Wins $21.5 Million Bid for Bed Bath & Beyond’s Assets. The New York… Read more »
Micron Technology – Trade War, Ground Zero
According to the New York Times, Micron Technology, an Idaho semiconductor company, is at the heart of Mr. Trump’s trade war. Questions: What products does Micron make? How is the trade deal meant to help Micron? How will the trade deal hurt Micron? What does the trade deal fail to do? Source: Swanson, A. and… Read more »
The End of Another Department Store Icon
According to the New York Times, the end of Barney’s, the famed department store, involved executives crisscrossing the globe, all-night strategy sessions, last-minute alliances, and attempts to sway public opinion. However, all these attempts led to bankruptcy. Questions: What happened to Barney’s in bankruptcy court? How many full-time employees will be affected? Gene Pressman, a… Read more »
More fun with intellectual property
A cloud hangs over the music industry four years after the copyright trial of No. 1 song where writers Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, were ordered to pay more than $5 million for copying Marvin Gaye’s disco-era hit “Got to Give It Up.” Questions: According to intellectual property lawyers and music executives interviewed for this… Read more »
Changes in some copyrights
According to the New York Times, this coming year marks the first time in two decades that a large body of copyrighted works will lose their protected status — a shift that will have profound consequences for publishers and literary estates, which stand to lose both money and creative control. Questions: 1. Where can this… Read more »
What will be the distributional consequences of this tax overhaul?
According to Neil Irwin, our current tax system is infinitely complicated and it gives companies incentives to borrow too much money and move operations to countries with lower tax rates. With the House, Senate and presidency all soon to be in Republican hands and with all agreeing that a major tax bill is a top… Read more »
All I got was a Plaque!
In April 1967, hamburger lovers in Uniontown, Pa., south of Pittsburgh, met a newer, bigger burger. Introduced by a local McDonald’s, it was called the Big Mac, and for 45 cents it delivered, as a 1970s jingle would have it, “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed bun.” Questions: 1…. Read more »
Want to Buy a State? OMG!
When Colin Fultz, the grandson of a bootlegger, opened a gourmet distillery in Kentucky last fall, he ran afoul of University of Kentucky basketball. He trademarked his moonshine with the name Kentucky Mist Moonshine and that is when the trouble began. Questions: 1. Do you think anybody should own the rights to the name of… Read more »
What good is a logo?
Australia, which has already banned the public display of tobacco products in retail outlets, wants to outlaw logos on cigarette packs and force them to be sold in plain dark-olive packaging, carrying health warnings instead of company logos. Cigarette brand names will appear on the packages in the same size and style of printing. The… Read more »