A Lawyer's Guide to the Galaxy Podcast: Recent Episodes
A Lawyer's Guide to the Galaxy Podcast
A podcast about geek culture..by lawyers.
Can I patent a time machine? Who owns the copyright to the Klingon language? Can I sell my original story set in the Star Wars universe? We are here to discuss the many weird and interesting ways that geek culture collides with the law. @LGGpod
Ben and Kirk talk about Disney+'s Maul: Shadow Lord animated series and where it shines and stumbles.
film, and explore some new wrinkles on those issues raised by the use of generative AI. And, of course, they find some way to make it about Star Wars.
We go over the cultural phenomenon of The Backrooms and examine the IP issues with building a movie out of the zeitgeist.
Ben and Kirk revisit the 1980s and a change in regulations influenced the explosion of toy tie-ins to children's programming, and look at how theaters are changing from content to social experiences.
Ben and Kirk saw the Mandalorian and Grogu on opening weekend and provide their thoughts.
Ben and Kirk talk about why content creatives struggle to maintain the quality of new content for old IP. Is it time to put Star Wars out to pasture?
Dive into how and why we ended up with the MPA rating system, how it shaped generations of content, and how markets, culture, and foreign films forced Hollywood to adapt, all resulting in a brief golden age of child-centric adventure films in the first half of the 1`980s.
Since we used our usual year-end Star Wars holiday special time slots for Stranger Things last year, we're doing it now! Check out our thoughts on Andor season 2, Mando season 3, and the Tales of Jedi/Empire/Underworld anthologies. SPOILER ALERT.Note: We had some microphone quality issues, you might get some overload here. We're trying to clean it up.
Ben and Kirk spend an hour complaining about the hour long epilogue to the series finale of Stranger Things. But it's not all bad! Find out what we liked, and what we didn't.
On the eve of the series finale of Stranger Things, Ben and Kirk talk about what made this series work, what's still working in season 5, and what isn't.
The Director of the USPTO has instituted a re-examination of the Nintendo Pokemon patents. But what does that mean?
Ben and Kirk dig into what made Stranger Things a cultural phenomenon and consider whether the 1980s might be the perfect decade for this kind of storytelling.
By popular demand, Kirk and Ben revisit the "Pokemon Patent" and talk about the challenges in finding relevant prior art.
Ben and Kirk talk about how spoof movies have changed over the years, and how the IP issues have changed with it.
Ben and Kirk do some theorycrafting in the IP of cosplay - what if you invented your own original character, prop, or vehicle/ship set in an existing universe?
Ben and Kirk go over the short but interesting dispute between the original Dragonlance authors and Wizards of the Coast at the height of COVID over the final trilogy of novels.
Ben and Kirk analyze the memes resulting from the famous "Coldplayed" incident and the impact on privacy.
Ben and Kirk dive into Skeleton Crew and two anthology series and provide their thoughts on why so much of the new Star Wars content is struggling to recapture the greatness of the original trilogy.
We go over the summary judgment rulings in the recent lawsuits against Anthropic and Meta for their LLMs, and then we zoom out and consider whether AI is the technology that will finally unravel copyright in a way that requires a complete institutional rethinking.
We talk about the recently-filed lawsuit against Midjourney by Disney and others alleging infringement of the copyright to iconic characters.
Ben and Kirk dive into different television content distribution models - binge watching vs. episodic. Why does it feel like some Disney+ shows mirror the narrative structure of syndicated television, but others are serialized?
Ben and Kirk break down some Star Wars content, mainly The Acolyte and season 1 of Andor. Originally recorded in Feb. of 2025.
Ben and Kirk go over their annual tradition of covering the new works entering the public domain this year.
In our season debut, we tackle trivia nights! Learn about all the weird IP issues that come up at your local bar trivia.
Kirk and Bed go over the 9th Circuit's holding in the dispute between a choreographer and Epic games over the use of popular dance moves as purchasable "emotes" in Fortnite. Other episodes referenced in this episode:Stairway to Heaven Episode: https://soundcloud.com/user-329223368/season-3-ep-11-the-edamame-episodes-part-3?si=316efde700464719ad52942ea937aae1&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharingGoogle v. Oracle Episode:https://soundcloud.com/user-329223368/s04e05-google-v-oracle?si=e1ec05aa97994891a35debd892f44835&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
Ben and Kirk dissect the final season of The Bad Batch. What went right, what went wrong, and where is the future of Star Wars content going?Bad Batch logo courtesy of Disney Plus (https://press.disneyplus.com/media-kits/the-bad-batch).
Ben and Kirk discuss what the Supreme Court's recent ruling really means. Could you now get in trouble for that time in 1998 whenyou posted the lyrics to a LeAnn Rimes on your Angelfire page?
Ben and Kirk discuss the tangled history of IP licenses to the Dungeons and Dragons brand, and the litigation required to sort through them before the recent film could be made. And, of course, they can't help but talk about the movie.Other related materials: S06E07 - The Open Gaming License (https://soundcloud.com/user-329223368/s06e07-the-open-gaming-license-kerfuffle) S04E07 - The TSR Trademark War (https://soundcloud.com/user-329223368/season-4-episode-7)* S02E05 - Why They Ban RPGs from Prisons (https://soundcloud.com/user-329223368/geek-culture-the-law)
At long last, Ben and Kirk dive into the open gaming license and the kerfuffle surrounding it.Image Credit: "Dungeons & Dragons dice 2" by lydia_shiningbrightly is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Kirk and Ben review the second season of the "Visions" series of Star Wars-themed anime shorts on Disney+.
Ben and Kirk at least tackle the ever-present subject of AI, and discuss some of the legal and practical issues. The cover art for this episode was generated by DALL-E after many, many, many failed attempts to produce a lawyer-Terminator.
In the first "In Camera" episode, Ben and Kirk discuss last year's hit zombie series, The Last of Us, on HBO.Image: Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in The Last of Us (2023), IMDB.COM.
Ben and Kirk are back after a long hiatus to go over the new works entering the public domain in 2024, not least of which is Steamboat Willie, the original public debut of Mickey Mouse.
A long-running LGG inside joke was recently killed by the Supreme Court. Why can't we have fun things? Check out our prior episode about this case:
https://soundcloud.com/user-329223368/s05e06-long-live-the-warhol-rule
Links and References:https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2023/LGG: In Camera:The URL for the new feed is not set up yet, we'll update this once it's ready.
We tried not to talk about Star Wars. We really did. But now that we both have Disney+ subscriptions, there's just too much Star Wars to talk about it. Ben and Kirk react to the recently dropped Andor and Mandalorian S03 trailers and run through the lengthy slate of upcoming Star Wars content as published by IGN here: https://www.ign.com/articles/upcoming-new-star-wars-movies-2022-tv-shows-release-dates
An educational, non-commercial, transformative podcast episode about "Weird" Al Yankovic parodies and 2 Live Crew at the Supreme Court in Campbell v. Acuff-Rose, the seminal fair use decision involving parodies.
Kirk and Ben discuss the ins and outs of the latest copyright case to make its way to the Supreme Court. Could this be the end of the Warhol Rule?
You can look at the 2nd Circuit opinion here: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca2/19-2420/19-2420-2021-03-26.html
Ben and Kirk go over their predictions for Kenobi, and require your help to break a veritable tie.
In this edamame episode, Kirk and Ben break from the usual format to talk about their favorite science fiction and fantasy books, ranging from classics to newer works by Ken Liu and Liu Cixin.
Ben and Kirk provide some predictions (of various levels of seriousness) for the upcoming Disney+ series Kenobi.
A DMCA reform act was introduced to Congress last week, and we plan to talk about it soon. To refresh you on some of the issues, we are running this Rewind episode, originally released Jan. 22, 2018, in which we talk about the legal issues around hosting third party works.
Ben and Kirk dive into some of the tangled legal issues with video game streaming and how pragmatic considerations sometimes become the ultimate mediator of how people use the IP of others.
In this rewind episode, original aired Aug. 11, 2017, Ben and Kirk discuss IP issues related to the things players create in Minecraft.
In his first edamame episode in some time, Kirk answers a listener's question about his unusual collection of unusual collectables, including some rare 1980s-era Transformer toys of uncertain origin.
In this rewind episode, originally released May 14, 2018, Ben and Kirk discuss the "Monkey Selfie" lawsuit and the potential implications for authorship by AI creators. We also provide our predictions for the then-upcoming Han Solo movie.
Your hosts break down the seven-episode Disney+ series, The Book of Boba Fett.
"Boba Fett Square Cut" by Jens Rost is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse&atype=rich
In this rewind episode of S01E26, which originally aired June 2, 2018, Kirk and Ben discuss the origins of intellectual property institutions and what happens when they don't fit in neatly with non-western cultures.
In this short bit that didn't make the episode, Ben and Kirk discuss David Lynch's 1984 adaptation of Dune, and why Herbert's empire-spanning novel is so difficult to adapt for cinema.
Kirk and Ben explore the intersection between NFTs and intellectual law in response to issues raised by the recent purchase of a copy of Jadorowsky's Dune bible, and discuss what exactly an NFT is and why they are perceived to have commercial value.
This is rewind episode of S02E12, originally released in June of 2019. Ben and Kirk begin with a brief discussion of the then-very-recent Stanley Cup championship won by the St. Louis Blues, and then proceed to break down various lawsuits over the years involving a favorite topic: Star Wars.
In a break from our usual subject matter, Ben takes a minute to talk about the greatest legal movie ever made, and what makes it so good. If you've listened to us before, this take probably won't surprise you.
Happy Public Domain Day 2022! Kirk and Ben talk about major works entering the public domain this year and discuss copyright term and whether it's begun to cost us some of the very works it was meant to foster and protect.
In this short review episode, Ben provides some general thoughts on the new entry in the Ghostbusters franchise, Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
For their 2021 Holiday Special, Ben and Kirk dive into some anime content and discuss the nine Star Wars: Visions short films released on Disney+ this year, followed by closing thoughts on The Bad Batch season 1.
After a long fall break, Ben provides an update on the show and we belatedly publish Kirk's Halloween episode (in December).
In one of the stranger twists and turns we've seen recently in copyright law, somebody registered a copyright to their Magic: the Gathering deck. Kirk and Ben dive into what exactly that means for the future of CCG tournaments.
Kirk provides a overview/review of The Mysterious Benedict Society, a curious show we briefly mentioned on a prior episode.
Kirk and Ben go over the complaint and affirmative defenses in the Roblox music lawsuit, with the usual assortment of digressions along the way.
Image Attribution: "Carnaby Records (Liège)" by Marc Wathieu is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
In the last of our set of four edamame episodes about television, Kirk discusses his reaction to Disney's Cruella live-action take on the villainess from 101 Dalmations.
In this edamame episode, Kirk provides a review of the Star Wars: Rebels television series.
Image Credit: "[135/365] The Rebel Yell" by pasukaru76 is marked under CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/cc0/1.0/
Kirk and Ben get into the details of a case that is being described in the press as the next Google v. Oracle, and discuss how various copyright doctrines interact in unusual ways with source code. This episode also features a special guest appearance by an interloping helicopter.
Image Attribution: "Python Source Code" by joncutrer is marked under CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/cc0/1.0/
Since Ben hasn't seen it yet, Kirk flies solo in this episode, providing his thoughts on the first season of The Bad Batch.
In this rewind episode, Ben and Kirk discuss intellectual property issues related to planned languages.
In this edamame episode, Kirk discusses the various ways that popular depictions of intellectual property get our day jobs right ... and more often, wrong.
SPOILER ALERT! Kirk gets into some discussion of the Season 3 of Roswell.
A short PSA announcing our new and improved web site, http://www.lggpodcast.com/.
PHOTO ATTRIBUTION: "the world wide web" by frankieleon is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
We break down the recent drama over who owns the revived TSR trademarks and associated registrations, including a side quest through who owns the rights to Gary Gygax's name and legacy.
Please see this episode posted on our website, www.lggpodcast.com, for the show notes. The show URL is: https://lggpodcast.com/?p=268
In this rewind episode, we collect our prior discussion of the rights of publicity issues (also known as "name/image/likeness" or "NIL") surrounding the retirement of the Electronic Arts title NCAA Football. Refresh your memory on the issues, as we may talk about how the 2021 anti-trust ruling against the NCAA could impact both the future of these video game titles, and how NIL issues may spill over into other genres.
After more than year of pandemic-impose separation , Ben and Kirk reunite to cover COVID-19 IP waivers, the recent anti-trust ruling against the NCAA by the US Supreme Court, and, of course, Star Wars and Star Trek.
Ben and Kirk break down the long-awaited Supreme Court opinion in the Google v. Oracle case, and speculate wildly about the potential consequences.
Catching up on new developments in the law from 2020, Ben and Kirk follow-up on their prior 3-part series on character copyright.
SHOW NOTE: Towards the end of the program, we reference the potential of an upcoming decision in the Google v. Oracle case. After we recorded this but before release, the Supreme Court did indeed issue an opinion in that case. We will be publishing a new episode covering that case as S04E05 shortly.
Bonus Material - In a cut from S04E03, Kirk challenges Ben to guess whether radiation-producing medical devices are regulated primarily by the Food and Drug Administration or the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
At long last, LGG dives into the background and history of the net neutrality debate to discuss common carriers how Internet services have been historically regulated, and Ben finally explains his remarks from prior episodes about why the sinking of the Titanic teaches us important lessons about net neutrality.
Celebrating Public Domain Day 2021, Ben and Kirk go over some classic literature that is now in the public mean, and just what exactly that means (and doesn't mean). They also discuss the curious copyright status of one of history's most odious literary works, and end with a discussion of some recent personnel changes in the federal government,
PHOTO ATTRIBUTION "happy public domain" by Laurel L. Russwurm is marked under CC0 1.0. To view the terms, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/cc0/1.0/
Ben and Kirk kick off Season 4 of LGGPodast by covering the new IP provisions enacted via the recent COVID-19 stimulus package, and they close out with thoughts on season 2 of the Mandalorian.
Wrapping up the 2020 season, Ben and Kirk resume the tradition of the annual Star Wars-themed Holiday Special, going through all of the recently-announced new Star Wars content.
Sleigh bell sound effect by GowlerMusic, available at https://freesound.org/people/GowlerMusic/sounds/265458/, and licensed under CC BY 3.0, available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode.
In this second-to-last of the edamame episodes, Kirk and Ben freewheel about the Baby Yoda phenomenon and the legal implications of the unlicensed products that initially flooded the market, and also discuss knock-offs that blend other IP.
"Hard Rock Cafe Guitar in Black & White" by Javcon117* is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
One of your beloved hosts binged watch Picard and is here to share his thoughts on the series (there will probably be spoilers). Your other beloved host got COVID-19.
Back together for the first time in a long time, Ben and Kirk talk about how they've been passing the time during the on-going pandemic and offer suggestions for board games, television programming, and preview upcoming legal topics.
Ben talks about key 1990s-era laws that made the Internet what it is today, and the technological challenges they face in 2020, notably the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, whose "notice-and-takedown" safe harbor provisions remain controversial.
Kirk and Ben talk about the appeal of complexity in video games as Kirk grapples with the nuances of Civilization VI.
In an LGG Podcast first, Ben and Kirk are forced by the COVID-19 pandemic to provide their predictions for a new Star Wars story without first spending hours hypothesizing and bouncing ideas off each other. Tune in to get our predictions for Season 2 of the Mandalorian.
Kirk descends deeper into the bottomless pit of Pokémon and discusses the legal protections and complications around the idea of a "universe" or fictional canon.
Ben and Kirk each give their thoughts on what they would have done differently with the Star Wars sequels. Note: part of Ben's segment was recorded in a vehicle, so there is some background noise.
Show Notes:
How Star Wars was Saved in Editing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFMyMxMYDNk
Kirk discusses an interesting piece of newly proposed legislation that could radically alter the patent system for decades.
Ben provides a 30-thousand foot review of patent eligibility and the Supreme Court's 2014 decision refining this body of law, through the lens of a recent Federal Circuit case finding that Ubisoft's patent on a mobile device application for self-guided guitar lessons is not eligible for patent protection.
Ben goes over the 9th Circuit decision in Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin and then provides a brief lesson in how rock and roll music is written to explain why apparently similar songs are nevertheless found not to infringe.
Resources references this episode include: 1, The Led Zeppelin Stairway to Heaven appellate decision, Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin, No. 16-56057 (9th Cir., March 9, 2020) https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2020/03/09/16-56057.pdf
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Minor Scales https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_scale
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Video Comparison of Taurus to Stairway by Rick Beato https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MBKJDmE-OQ
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The Minor Blues Scale used as an intro riff in The Lorax https://youtu.be/W_HUdf89hI8?t=25
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Examples of Line Cliches in Popular Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoBLi5eE-wY (Michelle, The Beatles, intro riff) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPBd8eHQqIw (Fixing a Hole, The Beatles, intro riff)
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Axis of Awesome playing 30+ pop songs using the same four chords https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOlDewpCfZQ
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Indisputable proof that every country song is identical. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0VXubTsAoE
In our second "edamame" episode (it's not quite a full pod, you see, just one bean), Kirk talks about one of his all-time favorite sci-fi films, Aliens.
"FEAR" by Kevin B 3 is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
In the first of our collection of bite-sized episodes, Kirk discusses goings-on at the USPTO pertaining to COVID-19 and related inventions.
Ben and Kirk each spent a few minutes sharing ideas for things to watch or do while we wait for this storm to pass.
May the 4th be with you! Ben and Kirk take a little time to talk about nostalgia, how we remember Star Wars, and why we keep watching it.
"May The Fourth Be With You" by Michel Curi is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Ben and Kirk talk about copyright fair use and how courts might look at the fair use factors in retrospect after the COVID-19 outbreak is behind us. Will they interpret the factors more generously for infringers who were just trying to get by during these unprecedented times?
Production Note: We had some network latency interruptions and there is a crackling sound during the first 15 minutes or so, but it disappears. We appreciate your patience with our remote recording systems!
Ben and Kirk record a quick episode to discuss the stimulus package for the coronavirus outbreka, specifically an unprecedented new power delegated by Congress to the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: the authority to extend statutory deadlines during a time of national crisis. Once again, we are adhering to the quarantine recommendations so we're recording using remote recording technology.
Ben and Kirk record from their respective home offices using some newfangled technology while the nation is in lockdown over COVID-19. Enjoy a little light discussion of fun things to do during the quarantine and Kirk's reviews of the new Rise of the Resistance ride at Galaxy's Edge and the Harry Potter attractions at Universal Studios. The audio quality isn't up to our standards, but we are living in strange times.
With the COVID-19 virus, our regular studios are closed and we're running a prior episode that seems appropriate to the challenges of the day.
Ben and Kirk are both on vacations this week. We'll be diving into Google v. Oracle when we get back, so this week's Rewind episode revisits our prior discussion of open source software, which we'll revisit next week.
"How university open debates and discussions introduced me to open source" by opensourceway is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
Ben and Kirk talk about recent proposals to use computer software to "write" every possible song in the 12-note Western system and either own all music forever, or set it free. We go through whether this work and (spoiler alert) why not. Unfortunately, we set the gain on Kirk's microphone wrong so he overloads the audio here and there.
Kirk and Ben discuss the first season of The Mandalorian (Spoiler Alert!). The Podcast also continues its rotation around new recording locations. Today's episode was recorded on the iPhones Voice Memo app and mixed on Audacity (open source!). This will be the last review episode for a bit as we get back to our regular show format.
At long last, Kirk and Ben release their Star Wars Episode 9: Rise of Skywalker review, and preview what's coming in Season 3 of A Lawyer's Guide to the Galaxy. The Podcast will be rotating around various recording studios in St. Louis during Season 3. Today's episode was recorded at the St. Louis Central Library, mixed by Ben using Audacity.
The final episode of Season 2 is a rewind to Season 2, Episode 15, original released September 16, 2019, in which Ben and Kirk offered their predictions about Star Wars, Episode 9.
Their weekly discussions of Star Wars is what started it all, and this week Ben and Kirk go back to the beginning for a special Holiday Edition of Lawyer's Guide to the Galaxy with an all Star Wars episode. Spoiler alert--don't listen if you haven't watched The Mandalorian yet! Listen in as they talk about their favorite and least favorite moments so far in the show, Episode IX, and how they speculate the saga will end.
Ben and Kirk discuss the government's decision to revisit the Paramount Consent Decree, an agreement from the early days of film in which the studios agreed not to also owns the cinemas and multiplexes due to anti-competitive activities. Will a Disney-owned multiplex will be coming to your neighborhood soon? And how will this impact indie filmmakers? Where do studio-neutral streaming services fit in?
Ben and Kirk cover 6 topics from various prior episodes ranging from whether EA Sports will be able to release its NCAA Football title soon to who can use "Gloria" to sell Blues swag.
In this episode, Ben and Kirk discuss a unique interaction between geek culture and the law involving the practice of prisons prohibiting inmates from playing roleplaying games. The episode discusses how the law's recognition of the penalogical interests of prisons allows prisons to ban roleplaying games without offending First Amendment principles.
Ben and Kirk discuss lawsuits involving the authorship and royalty stream that arose in the late 70's/early 80's from the popular Dungeons and Dragons tabletop roleplaying game.
In this episode, the guys set aside their love for the 80's and move forward to the 90's! and Kirk talk source code and reverse engineering in the context of recent efforts to revive and port legacy video games Diablo and Final Fantasy 8.
THE BLUES ARE STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS! Ben and Kirk talk hockey for a few minutes and then go over a set of four real-world lawsuits involving Star Wars. From the Strategic Defense Initiative to a strange tale of flooding in Los Angeles, Star Wars has been in our blood since the day it hit the theaters. Tune in and check it out!
In this episode, Ben and Kirk discuss the portray of in film, and run through the TNG episode "Justice" and the DS9 episode "Rules of Engagement." They also discuss the use of law in film generally, including a discussion of how law is used for character development and world-building purposes in Game of Thrones. WARNING: here there be spoilers!
in this episode, Ben and Kirk discuss open source software. What is open source software? Why does it matter? Ben and Kirk are here to answer these questions and make it more understandable and accessible to those of you who aren't as well versed in technology.
Ben and Kirk discuss the nuts and bolts of music copyrighting by examining the popular "Make It So" mashup of Captain Picard and the Enterprise crew "singing" the lyrics to Let It Snow.
With April 15th quickly approaching, hosts Ben Siders and Kirk Damman bring in special guest and tax expert, Mike Donovan, to talk about the weird ways the tax system interacts with geek hobbies. When can you deduct your ticket to GenCon? Do you have to report your Warcraft auction house earnings as income? This and more in S02E08! Also, check out our new website at: www.lggpodcast.com.
Join IP lawyers & certified geeks, Ben Siders and Kirk Damman, as they discuss Part III of law and video games. They give updates on the ever changing Fornite Dance case and also dive into the original NES control pad patent.
Hosts and IP attorneys Kirk Damman and Ben Siders delve further into the world of video games and its ties to law, including a discussion of the Fortnite dance lawsuits, the role of copyright in modern media, the roles of the MPAA and ESRB in the First Amendment, and why those old video game strategy guides always had inaccurate maps.
Join IP lawyers & certified geeks, Ben Siders and Kirk Damman, as they discuss the latest law cases and issues pertaining to video games.
But wait..there's more! The two also talk about this year's Public Domain Day and its significance.
Shaking things up a bit, hosts & IP lawyers Kirk Damman & Ben Siders bring in special guest, Billee McAuliffe - a fellow Lewis Rice member & Practice Group leader for Corporate Information Technology Group. The three delve into new world privacy laws which primarily pertains to data privacy.
Join IP lawyers Kirk Damman, Ben Siders, and special guest Charla Claypool for a discussion of the right of publicity and the FTC's investigation into loot boxes and other grey areas of gambling in video games. Also in this episode: you love NCAA football, the Sabacc trademark lawsuit between Ren Ventures and Lucasfilm is over, Wreck-It Ralph 2 is visually unsettling, and make sure you die in the right state.
Hosts and IP attorneys Kirk Damman and Ben Siders discuss the legal cases that ultimately put EA's NCAA Football video game franchise out of business. Also in this episode: AIPLA was fun, the Music Modernization Act was long overdo, and Deadpool 2 had too much plot.
Certified geeks and IP lawyers Ben Siders and Kirk Damman are back for Season 2 of "A Lawyer's Guide to the Galaxy." In a world where original screenplays are a lost art, the hosts discuss the ins and outs of reboots and sequels and the legal issues that lie within.
In Episode 28, we discuss commercial speech and copyright with an NBA2k lawsuit involving the reproduction of a player’s tattoo in the video game, followed by a discussion of body modification more generally, and close with a more philosophical discussion of how IP laws are created to respond to changes in technology.
In this week's episode, Ben Siders and Kirk Damman discuss themed events that go one step further from cosplay. Stay tuned as they discuss the legal issues one may run into with hosting private costume parties and the consequences of social media's exposure.
BEWARE! SOLO SPOILERS AT THE END OF EPISODE!
Join St. Louis-based IP attorneys Kirk Damman and Ben Siders, as they discuss IP rights in culture - what elements in culture are given IP protection and how western IP rights fits in with nonwestern cultures. Stay tuned till the end to hear Kirk & Ben's recap on their Solo predications!
St. Louis-based patent lawyers Kirk Damman and Ben Siders geek out about patent law, and discuss a number of strange patents, including an in-depth consideration of an attempt to patent "Godly powers," and design patents on vehicles from Star Wars.
Join St. Louis-area IP attorneys Ben Siders and Kirk Damman for a discussion of trademark shenanigans. Your hosts discuss the Grumpy Cat coffee lawsuit, and on-going litigation over people hiring themselves out to portray Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars characters without authorization. Also, Kirk reviews Deadpool 2.
In Episode 23, we discuss the "Monkey Selfie" case and what the court's decision may mean for "AI Rights" - can robots sue and be sued? What happens to a photo that has no copyright owner? Also, we offer up our Han Solo movie predictions at the end.
In Episode 22, we discuss a real world case where graffiti artists sprayed a building, but the owner painted over it and was sued for destroying works of visual art. Who won? Also, an architect tried to have a copycat home demolished. Did it work? The answers might surprise you. We also discuss whether you can build your own Hobbit hole, and talk about a Star Wars lawsuit involving the card game "Sabacc" in the upcoming Han Solo movie. Tune in for the conversation!
In the final episode of our three-part series on copyright law, we dig into specific cases about unauthorized works, including unauthorized works based on The Catcher in the Rye, Gone with the Wind, Rocky, Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter, Dr. Seuss, and others. Some are fair uses, and some aren't. What does this mean for Mickey Mouse when his copyright expires?
In Part 2 of our 3-part series on character copyright, we focus on copyright term, and examine how the copyright duration rules have changed over the last 100 years, and the popular belief that big entertainment media companies are to blame. But is it really that simple? As definitive works of American culture begin to enter the public domain, what should we expect? Also, stayed tuned for our Black Panther review at the end!
In Episode 19, we discuss character copyright and fan fiction, and explore the confusing and uncertain theory of this doctrine and how it impacts copyright term. We also compare and contrast Star Trek: Discovery with The Orville, discuss the divergence between the Game of Thrones books and TV series, and more.
In this episode, special guest Charla Claypool joins us to discuss the line between RNG and gambling, including the World of Warcraft auction house, Hearthstone cards, freemium game models, trivia nights, and more.
Season 1, Ep. 14 - Mailbag Day! + Your Questions Answered by A Lawyer's Guide to the Galaxy Podcast
Season 1, Ep. 13 - The Internet is Forever + DMCA Takedowns by A Lawyer's Guide to the Galaxy Podcast
Season 1, Ep. 12 - Star Wars Episode 8 + Predictions by A Lawyer's Guide to the Galaxy Podcast
Season 1, Ep. 10 - Fan Art + Copyright Defenses by A Lawyer's Guide to the Galaxy Podcast
What are the rules for making unofficial products based on something someone else has created?
What forms of legal protection exist for fictional universes?
The Star Wars: Rogue One Trailer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wji-BZ0oCwg