Work Made For Hire – Who owns the copyrights?
Under the Copyright Act in the U.S., the author of a creative work automatically owns the copyright. Whether you are a writer, composer, visual artist, filmmaker, or anyone who creates a copyrightable work, as a general rule you...
Sex, Lies And Cyber Exploitation — The Revenge Porn Plot
Characters do the darndest things, especially when there is an emotional break-up involved. Which is why Bruce from Northern California had a question about revenge porn. Is it illegal? Just to be clear, that is a character in...
Search and Seizure and Plots – A Few Tips For Writers (Part 2)
Last week, I covered the basics of search and seizure, the warrant requirement, and limitations imposed by the 4th Amendment. Today’s article explores warrantless search and seizures with examples to consider when developing your...
Search and Seizure and Plots – A Few Tips For Writers (Part 1)
Recently I received a question from a writer about police search and seizure. It is a common subject in the headlines. Usually these news stories and commentaries cover an illegal search and seizure by police of a home, business,...
Six Common Misconceptions About Criminal Cases
Last week I was talking to a writer friend about Miranda warnings for an episode of a crime series. We smoothed over a minor misconception, one of many misconceptions about criminal cases that, as an avid lover of crime dramas, I...