Apparently, in August of last year, Frank Zappa’s widow, Gail Zappa, filed an application to trademark the name “Captain Beefheart.” That application was recently approved and the trademark has apparently issued. Captain Beefheart was the nom de plume of Don Van Vliet, a frequent collaborator of Frank’s and an amazing boundary-pushing artist whose albums, particularly […]
How to Respond to a Cease and Desist Letter
This is Part 1 of a two-part series on cease and desist letters. This Part discusses what to do if you receive a cease and desist letter. Part 2 discusses what to do if you need to send a cease and desist letter. Please note that the below is intended to help you understand the […]
Why Pandora Wants to Pay Less and What It Means for Licensing Reform
By John Seay, Atlanta Entertainment Lawyer: The Seay Firm LLC (@TheSeayFirmLLC) On September 21, 2012, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) introduced H.R. 6480, better known as the Internet Radio Fairness Act (IRFA). If passed, IRFA would drastically reduce the amount of royalties that webcasters like Pandora pay to owners of sound recordings by directing the Copyright […]
The Seay Firm LLC at Protect Athens Music Conference in Athens
On Wednesday, February 27, 2013, John Seay, attorney and founder of The Seay Firm LLC, was a panelist at the Protect Athens Music Conference in Athens, Georgia. The event was held at The Melting Point. John was on the first panel of the day, where alongside three of his colleagues he discussed the practice of […]