Shepard H. Samuels Attorney at Law

01/01/2026

Happy Public Domain Day.

On January 1, 2026, copyrights will expire for comics, books, movies, musical compositions and other creative works from 1930, as well as sound recordings from 1925

10/26/2025

Merch Sales Are Essential For Musicians In The Age Of Streaming's Small Royalties. Online Stores Such As TeePublic,Redbubble and Temu Are Selling Massive Amounts Of Counterfeit Merch And Should Be Shut Down.Counterfeiting Is A Crime.

It’s become easier than ever to make and sell counterfeit merchandise, while merch sales have become more important than ever to artists.

09/26/2025

Legit Merch Is Vital For Touring Musicians.

As streaming renders recorded music ‘financially worthless’, merchandise has never been more vital

06/29/2025

Stamp Out Counterfeit Clothing!

Pharrell Williams' fashion career spans from launching his own clothing brand to serving as an executive at Louis Vuitton.

05/25/2025

TeePublic Is Selling Counterfeit Merch.End Their Fraudulent Practices!

Hey

How about you take down all the counterfeit merch you are selling? We are building a Memorial Fund for Nell and it’s kind of f**ked that you think it’s ok to do something like this when we are raising money to support young musicians in a very tough industry in Nell’s name. We would appreciate a message explaining WTF you think you are playing at. Take it down.

04/15/2025

Free Copyright Webinar On Wednesday.

03/17/2025

This Is Why Registering Your Songs And Other Artistic Works With The Copyright Office Is Vital.

Atlantic Records wants a lawsuit that says Cardi B’s ‘Enough (Miami)’ ripped off an earlier track dismissed, because the earlier work wasn’t registered with the US Copyright Office, and an amended lawsuit trying to circumvent the registration issue by making a state law claim is invalid

02/27/2025

Do You Have To Let It Linger? Major Case On How Foreign Royalties Are Computed.

The Cranberries have sued Island Records for allegedly under-paying digital royalties by allowing foreign subsidiaries to take 40% of streaming revenue as it flows through their bank accounts and using Vevo to reduce payments on YouTube streams. The band are suing for more than $5 million in damages

02/13/2025

Major Fair Use And AI Ruling.

An AI company’s fair use defence in a copyright legal battle filed by Thomson Reuters has been rejected by an American judge. It’s a significant ruling because of the numerous US lawsuits against AI companies, including those filed by the music industry, that centre on the fair use defence

02/04/2025

"Double Shot" Of Copyright Termination Rights.

A ruling last week in a US termination rights dispute could have big ramifications for the music industry. Previously when songwriters exercised the termination right in US copyright law, it was assumed they only got their US rights back. A court has now said termination should apply worldwide