linking website URLs

can I legally link my website to other

home pages. Example: for more

information go to

URL hypertext to another sites

homepage

Trademark infringement with t-shirt graphic

I own an online retail store. I only resell and do not create my own designs. I received an email from a consulting firm that specializes in intellectual property issues. They emailed me requesting a very large sum of money and for me to remove a particular t-shirt I was selling on my site and to send the shirts to them. The graphic is apparently a parody of another brands logo. Being that this is a parody and I am not the creator of the design, can they legally fine me? Shouldn't they go after the original designer/distributor? I've read articles online about this company using extortion to scam small sellers, like myself. I don't want to fall for a scam. Any advice for this situation will be appreciated.

copyright for original work

Need to know the costs involved, and would like to have a recommendation of a lawyer IN GOOD STANDING WITH THE BAR ASSOCIATION in the Winston Slem area

Using song lyrics

If I use lyrics to songs in arts n' craft projects do I need to get permission from whoever wrote the lyrics or do I have to credit the writer in any way on the project?

Copyright

I started an estate sale business using the name ''Needful Things''. I wasn't sure where I came up with that name but it sounded good. Not too long ago I realized it is the name of a Stephen King novel. Am I in violation of copyright law? Should I change the name?

Need to get paid for intellectual property(artistic designs)

My husband and I are artists who agreed to create many (over 50) designs for props to be sold for the halloween industry. We were never paid for r&d or the designs themselves. We were paid to make master molds of them and make foam painted copies of them for the company to sell. We never received our compensation for designing them which took many hours. This has been over a two year period. In this industry usually artists are paid per design or given a lump some to buy the rights to these designs. We have dated photos of these designs in clay form to show we are the persons who created and sculpted them. We have helped build this companies product line ten fold, but never received payment for the designs. Now that we have made this owners company better and he is getting many orders for our ideas he wishes to let us go. We worked in his shop making and painting these copies so he could sell them earning an hourly wage. He also prevented us from working because he would not keep in stock the materials needed to make these copies and we could not go in to work. He has also on numerous occasions asked us to do dishonest things so he could benefit. We refused and are now being let go with no pay for our designs. What can we do?

Copycat site of my phpBB Message board

I own a website that has an active phpbb message board attached to it. I have found that someone has copied my message board to a ''t''. My Logo, my fonts, my categories, etc. Do I have any recourse? My objective is to have it shut down.

website using wiktionary

I would like to create a website that uses audio files and definitions from wiktionary. According to wiktionary, ''This information is being given to you gratuitously and there is no agreement or understanding between you and Wiktionary regarding your use or modification of this information beyond the GNU Free Documentation License''

My questions:

1) could I be sued for creating such a website?

2) would it be possible for me to copyright or otherwise protect original content (not from wiktionary) on my website?

Thanks very much!!

Copywrite laws and commissioned artists?

I'm an artist. Recently I've been asked to do comissioned pieces based on some of the popular superheros of the day and have so far turned down quite a few paying customers because I'm not sure this is legal. However many artists on areas like devianrtart and livejournal offer these surfaces and make a ton off them. If the copywrite is acknowladged is creating my artistic representation legal or not? Why or why not?

Trademarking

I want to trademark a clothing line that I came up years ago and the name that I chose was being used by somebody else. But I feel as if they havent went through the process of trademarking there name or anything like that. If I was right and they didnt do the required things to be official could I come up behind them and trademark the name and all required filing(s) to take over the name?

Using someones name in a pulication without prior consent

I have an idea for a book I want to publish which involves a compilation of professional people (ie: attorneys, doctors etc) with funny sounding names. ie: Richard ''Dick'' Bag and Phil Hershaft. These names are in public records and nothing defamatory would be mentioned. Only the actual name and maybe occupation and state of residence would be published. Can I do this without the person's permission or prior knowledge? Are there any possible negative implications?

pahrmaceutical trademarks

What can be considered use in commerce of a drug by a pharmaceutical company before the product is brought to market (i.e., shipments for clinical trials, etc)?

served

Is there a ''resonable'' time of day to be served? I was served at midnight by someone who is directly connected to the lawsuit. He also video tapped the proccess.

Copyright and Trademark Name Infringement

I have a name of my office that has been incorporated in the state of IL and today I saw another facility 1.5 miles down from me on the same street using the same name. I have been incoporated for over 5 years and they just opened the other day performing same medical services. Is there something I can do to prevent them from using my name?

Trademark Threats By Large Company

I have a blog called ''Rear Naked News''. It is a mixed martial arts news site. I was recently contacted by a lawyer from ''Naked News'' who told me I am in violation of their trademark.

The title of my site is from ''Rear Naked Choke'' which is a common martial arts move. I never describe my site as ''Naked News'' without ''Rear'' included. My site description on search engines and meta tags do not feature anything other than mixed martial arts news terms.

Do I have anything to worry about?

I think they are just trying to threaten me into changing it. To me just because someone has a trademark for ''Naked News'' that should not give them the right to own every phrase that ends in ''Naked News''.

Any help would be appreciated.

Images Copyright

My small business manufactures it's own products. We sell these products online and through catalogs. When I recently went to a trade show, I saw a competitor selling products just like mine but using MY images in their catalog they stole from my website. When I confronted them, they denied it but there is no doubt these are my images. Can I sue and what can I expect to get in terms of monetary compensation given that these are not very unique products? The issue is complicated by the fact that they do their manufacturing in India but they do sell their products here in USA.

using the name of a college for my website

I want to build a website and use the name of a college in it. Would there be any problem with doing this.

eg: www.xyz.xom/harvard

the page would then have graphics and text indicating that this is people of harvard college.

New LLC Legal Needs

I am starting a business that I wish to create as an LLC licensed to do business nationwide. There will be two, possibly three managing members all of whom live in different states. The business will be web-based and adminstrative functions mainly handled by software. The company will have business partners and an affiliate program. Our personnel will all be independent contractors.

Below is a listing of our legal needs that I have identified. I am seeking advice regarding whether I need one or more attorneys to carry them out and as a start-up, how can we keep our legal fees as low as feasible. Assuming that since I am starting the business and am located in NJ, this is where the business would be formed. Thank you in advance for your input.

1.LLC Business Formation

2.LLC Operating Agreement

3.NJ Certificate of Business Formation

4.NJ Business Registration

5.Partnership Agreement with other businesses

6.Affiliate Agreement

7.Client Contract

8.Independent Contractor Contract

9.Trademark Registration

10.Review of Website Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Recycling Idea

I need a patent lawyer for my craft recyling idea asap before someone take my idea because i was speaking to someone and i just did a search and foud that they a scammer..My idea is dedicated to helping and giving back..

use of a name without permission

I signed a model release for a company under the name Chloe Belle and had pictures taken in aug of 2007. i released my rights to the photographs. i have since changed my model name to--name removed--Vu and opened my own site. the old company is now using my new model name. i need to know if legally they are allowed to use my new name without my permission or can i pursue legal action if they don't stop using it.