If you are starting or running a business that involves selling goods or services, chances are you are using brand names, logos or other identifying words, symbols, sounds, or colors that function as trademarks. Trademarks are a form of intellectual property which, if...
I got a call last week from an organization which had commissioned a sculpture in the mid-1980s. For over 30 years, they had been making small-scale reproductions of the sculpture and using them as part of an annual award ceremony. The sculptor died recently, and the...
In a previous blog post, I addressed the question of when you need to get permission to use a copyrighted image – see my February 22 post “When do I need permission to use a picture I found online?” Before you use an image, you first need to determine whether the...
When I mention that Lehmann PLC now offers valuation services including fine and decorative art appraisals, people often comment “Oh, you mean like on Antiques Roadshow?” Well, sort of – although I don’t wear a bow tie. While many people are just curious about what...
When talking about their legal needs, prospective clients often use the terms “copyright” and “trademark” interchangeably. These are two different types of intellectual property with distinct legal requirements and implications. When seeking legal advice in protecting...
I am often asked if images that are posted on the internet are protected by copyright. Like many legal questions, the answer is “it depends.” The first question that needs to be answered is if the image (and the underlying work if the image is depicting a creative...
Lehmann PLC has added valuation and personal property appraisal services to its art, entertainment and museum practice. In the spring of 2021, the firm's managing partner, Walt Lehmann, completed the two semester Comprehensive Appraisal Study Program offered by the...
Lehmann PLC's managing partner, Walt Lehmann, again taught a law school course on museum law at Mitchell Hamline Law School. The course "Introduction to Museum Law" was offered as part of Mitchell Hamline's January term. Law students and museum professionals from...
A newly revised and updated edition of the museum law textbook Museum Administration: Law and Practice is now available from publisher Rowman & Littlefield. The second edition includes additonal commentary, study questions and an index, among other...
Lehmann PLC managing partner Walter Lehmann is teaching a course entitled “Museum Law and Ethics” at Case Western Reserve University Law School during the spring 2020 semester. The course will cover all aspects of museum law including museum organization and...