Death threats against actress prompt unique copyright claim

Lawyers' Forum

By E. Leonard Rubin

E. Leonard Rubin practices copyright, trademark and entertainment law in Chicago with the firm LRubinLaw. He also teaches entertainment law at The John Marshall Law School and can be reached at lrubin@lrubinlaw.com, (312) 476-7690 or www.lrubinlaw.com.

Posted August 31, 2015 2:47 PM

Can every player in or contributor to a movie make “Swiss cheese” out of the copyright status of that motion picture by owning a copyright to his or her performance or contribution?If so, that would make it possible for there to be hundreds of owners of a film, so that seeking permission to simply show it would be a mind-boggling task.Cindy Lee Garcia, an actress, was cast in a documentary film she was told would be titled “Desert Warrior.” It was a small role, in which she only had an innocuous …

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