Nebraska Entertainment Legal Questions

It is very likely that the custom print from Converse would be intended for your personal use. You would need permission from Converse to sell their shoes - even with your custom print - since the would still be Converse branded shoes - labeled as Converse. They control the trademark CONVERSE - as well as the "trade dress" - the look of the Converse shoe. Good luck with your project!... Read More

I would want to see what the shoes look like and how your customizations change the trademarks and copyrights of Converse. Feel free to contact me about a consultation. Generally, you will have the right to resell the shoe because you purchased it. However, there could be instances where you may violate the Converse trademark and/or copyrights. You also need to make sure that you don't violate any of your states laws. I would need to know how and where you are selling the products, because your presence in another state through your sales operations may make you liable.... Read More

I need more details before I can answer. Are you asking if the app is patented or copyrighted? Whether the developer has the legal authority to rebroadcast a TV program or a local or national TV signal? Whether a particular app is licensed by Android? Whether the material on the app violates any state or federal laws about content?... Read More

In California, you definitely need a very well-written release form for this and give notice in very prominent lettering on all materials, as well as at the door. In the Los Angeles area, particularly, many people who may attend such a workshop may be actors or models, and may have agents or belong to a performer's union. You cannot just snap a photo of such a person and use it in your marketing materials. You must arrange for this in advance, sign a contract for their services, and pay them their rate. Therefore, particularly in California, you are best off to separate your workshop from your marketing, and either hold a special staged event for taking photos, or use great caution to take only photos of those who have agreed in writing to be on your marketing materials.... Read More

Yes, you should copyright your music. It is inexpensive and registration offer you protection that being unregistered does not. There are several types of copyrights you might need. Feel free to contact me for a free consultation and I can give you a quote once I have more information.... Read More

Congratulations on your great success as a musician! As a business operator, you will to have all of the documents, certificates, and licenses that are required to establish and conduct a business in your state, county, and town/city. Since these can vary from location to location, I recommend that you talk to a private music teacher (preferably of another instrument) in your community about his/her business set up. You will also need to pay personal income taxes on the money you make so keeping records will be important.... Read More

If the art can be considered fine art it might meet the requirements for Fair Use under Copyright law. To be considered Fine Art in this context, it might need to be a single original work of art. Think of the Andy Warhol paintings of Campbell Soup cans. If you need a further examination of whether your art might violate copyright or trademark, please discuss with a lawyer.... Read More

Openly carrying any fake weapon can result in being stopped by police, or even shot or killed. Such things happen now with some frequency. The legal technicalities of whether it is legal or not to carry a prop sword are not really what matter. What will happen if you carry such an item matters. What is your purpose in openly carrying such an item? Where are you going with it? Expect to be treated as an armed, potential assailant.... Read More

As long as it happens only at home, infrequently, and the child does not become intoxicated, it is usually legal. However, if this happens frequently, occurs in other places, and/or the child becomes intoxicated, the parents can and will be arrested for child abuse, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, etc. FYI: statistics show that many children who are allowed or encouraged to drink alcohol or take other intoxicants at a young age have problems with excessive drinking or drug use as adults.... Read More

If you are talking about a tournament of an online game, you have set your business up backwards. You should have been asking this question before spending a year on the website development. You must obtain the appropriate trademark and copyright licensing from the owner (which may be the developer but also may be multiple parties). If you operate without such licensing and you are deemed to have willfully violated their copyright you could be subject to up to $150,000 in damages (per violation), plus attorney fees and costs; and if you are found to have willfully violated their trademark the actual damages could be tripled, plus attorney fees and costs. You need the assistance of a qualified intellectual property attorney to move forward without incurring substantial liability.... Read More

Consent given on camera is often considered valid consent to be filmed. However, it may not be consent as to where, for what purposes and in what ways, and for how long you may use the footage. It is best to spell all these things out in a written consent form. The person should be given time to read the form and carefully consider it. It is most valid if the print is reasonably large, the wording is clear, and the agreement is not too long. That way, people on location can read the form, know what it says, and either agree or disagree. If there is any form of coercion, the agreement may not be valid. For example, if the person has been offered a discount on the car in exchange for the endorsement on the spot, then the permission granted may not be valid. Also be aware that if person has a talent agent or is in a talent union, the permission they give may be superseded by other contracts and requirements. Your best bet is to work with an entertainment lawyer on this.... Read More

One of the main things you need to do this is permission from the game company in writing, because you will be using the name of the game, which is their trademark. If you are running the tournament in a rented space, you will need to have whatever zoning and licensing is required to run an event in that space. That is why it would be best to rent a space that is already zoned and insured to hold events, such as a convention center. Much of what you need to know, you will learn by doing.... Read More

Downloading child pornography is illegal and the penalties are severe. Just because someone says the models are all of age, don't believe it or rely on it. If you think a model is underage, erase the image immediately and don't go back to that website. If you are pretty certain the model is underage, contact the police and report the website.... Read More

Usually a contract can be cancelled because of impossibility. If they are renovating the place, they cannot hold weddings. To avoid any legal complications, they have asked you to sign the cancellation and they will send your refund. You have plenty of time to find a different venue. Places like wedding halls have to perform renovations every now and then to keep the place looking nice and also to keep up with building code and fire safety requirements. You might think you want your wedding to take place in a construction site, but that is not very pleasant. Take my word for it, I have stayed at hotels and eaten at restaurants and such where renovations were being done. It is a very bad experience. Do you want the sound of hammers and electric drills during your reception? I stayed at a hotel and convention center where the hammers started at 6:30 in the morning. Do you want your guests to have to walk far to a bathroom? Do you want areas blocked off with plastic sheeting? What on earth are you thinking? There are hundreds of other places to hold a wedding on that very same day. Being successfully married requires being an adult, including being flexible, understanding the normal disappointments of life and being able to change plans. If this wedding hall cancellation is too difficult for you to handle, take it as a sign that you are not prepared for marriage.... Read More

This is a vague question and more details would be helpful. It sounds like you made a payment while aware of the terms of the deal. To me, it sounds like you will be held to those terms, since you knew what they were and made a payment. Also, you made the payment knowing what you were paying for. But I am not sure what you are saying. Did you pay money to the school organization for materials you needed as a member of the organization? Or did you act on behalf of the school organization and buy materials from an outside store or vendor? Usually if a person is buying items on a no refunds basis, then those are the terms if notice of those terms was given, unless there are some other circumstances, such as if the items were not delivered in usable condition.... Read More

It sounds okay, but you should post the rules clearly. You may also want to state that the winner must be present at the time of raffle. You may also want to limit it to one prize per person or per household. Also, you may want to have insurance and a waiver for the event in case anyone is injured. It would be easy to break an arm in a potato sack race.... Read More

It is pretty much standard practice to require users of government venues to obtain a liquor permit in order to have alcohol at the event. About all you can do is meet with the county commissioners and explain why serving alcohol is an important part of your plans and what you will do to make sure no one abuses it.... Read More

I think you might be asking the wrong question. The bigger question is whether a pay to play scheme is ethical or acceptable. I think it is not. If you are planning a multi-state pay to play scheme, please be aware that acts with a manager or agent are not likely to be involved. In fact, acts with musical skill or brains are not likely to be involved.... Read More