Is it illegal to paint something that I see online painted by someone else?
It's only illegal if you would present your painting as being original, without mentioning the painting you copied. You can very well present it as a copy. It all becomes more complicated if you intend to sell your painting. In that case, the best thing to do is contact the painter of the original painting (or its heir) and tell what you're intending. Either he (or she) is honoured, and you come to some kind of arrangement, or he doesn't want you to exhibit and/or sell the painting and than you expose yourself to legal pursuit.A painter has the same exclusive rights under U.S. Copyright law as writers or musicians. Read more : http://www.ehow.com/list_6598138_copyright-laws-paintings.html But copyrights may be different from one country to another. It also depends on cultural background and context. For instance, in 18th century Japan it was considered an honour for an artist to be copied.Copying of artworks is often a very difficult question. It's not allways obvious an artist is copying. With the overwhelming amount of images circulating in the press and on the internet it's not easy to say on the first hand which image is an original, and which one is a copy. In many cases artists take an image or part of an image and rework it, turning it into something different, considering it as their own creation. You see that for instance with artists like Andy Warhol with his soup cans and photos of Marilyn Monroe. Andy Warhol faced a series of lawsuits from photographers whose work he appropriated. However, Warhol's works are generally held to be non-infringing, despite being clearly appropriated, because "the public is unlikely to see the painting as sponsored by the soup company or representing a competing product. Paintings and soup cans are not in themselves competing products", according to expert trademark lawyer Jerome Gilson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lis... Same is true for Jeff Koons Jeff Koons Accused of Plagiarism in Paris, Again
Can I legally shoot a trespasser in Washington state, when I have posted, No trespassing?
No. You have the legal right to call the police. You cannot legally use any force to remove them. The only way you can justify shooting someone is if they present a danger to you or your family. And honestly-- even then, it's sketchy and pretty damn hard to prove. If you did shoot them, you would actually be committing several crimes at once (in addition to shooting a person) it is illegal to discharge a firearm within city limits, as well as within a certain proximity of buildings and roads. The police can remove or arrest the individual from your property and they can be issued a fine of anywhere from $50-$500. In some states, you are allowed to use force, to remove someone from your HOME, but your property does not apply. Also, some states (I believe WA is one of them) hunters have the right to enter your property without your permission in pursuit of a wounded animal (although in a residential neighborhood I don't think that will be much issue) But the simple answer is: No, you cannot shoot someone for entering your property.
Is there a way to upload a video containing copyrighted songs to YouTube?
You ask the copyright owner for permission to use the music, and you make sure you can proof that he has given you permission. Just to be clear: it rarely happens that you get this permission, especially if it's popular music.Otherwise, you're always taking a risk. YouTube actually has some deals with some record labels, so they'll tolerate the use of their music in exchange for a share of the advertising revenue. But it's not like there's a big list of songs you can use. So if you use copyrighted music without permission, there's always a risk that your video gets taken down and you get a strike on your channel. Or the video won't play in certain countries where YouTube doesn't have a deal with copyright owners.The safest way to use music in your videos is to use Creative Commons music. YouTube itself has a nice Audio Library with music that you can use without restriction: https://www.youtube.com/audiolib.... And then there are also websites such as Royalty-Free Music and Jamendo - Royalty free music downloads - Licensing. If you take the effort to look around a bit, you can find several good substitutes for copyrighted music.
Is it against New York state law to tape record conversations between 2 people and use it as evidence in court
I would highly recommend that he get rid of the tape and that you never admit that you overheard the conversations. N.Y. Penal Law §§ 250.00, 250.05 makes it a class E felony to record or listen to a conversation without the consent of the other party. No state permits recordings of this nature to be used as evidence in court. Note: Two the 2 "lawyers" who think it is legal in NY, I highly suggest you re-read the penal code that states "N.Y. Penal Law §§ 250.00, 250.05: It is a Class E felony to overhear or record a telephonic or telegraphic communication if one is not the sender or receiver, or does not have the consent of either the sender or receiver. It also is a crime for someone not present to overhear or record any conversation or discussion without the consent of at least one party to that conversation." It's been on the books for about 10 years. I would have thought you would have heard about it by now in your capacity as a "lawyer". How odd. Note to Kelli: There are even problems when someone with a legal background attempts to interpreted the laws. By the way, the citation you provided deals with phone conversations where a minor is one of the two parties involved. Having said that, we don't need to get into legal terms of art. The definition of the terms is spelled out in the law itself. I just went back and re-read the statute and it would appear that you were right. The law states "EITHER the sender or the receiver." Many states, including California where I am based, require consent of BOTH parties, but New York only requires consent of ONE party. I read the statute too quickly and missed that part. Serves me right for answering questions too quickly and not going back to study the statute first.
How can writers legally use celeb photos on their Wattpad books?
Right, they should have gotten permission, but usually photographers, celebrities and artists do not allow just anyone to use their stuff. I'm betting it's a gray area where no one cares because no one makes money from the product.