New York Criminal Defense Blog

When many people in New York think about intellectual property, they might think about patents or trademarks in the setting of what some may call traditional businesses. However, there are many creative forms of works that may be protected by copyrights as well. These protections are utilized by businesses across a wide array of industries. Artistic works including photographs may be copyrighted which opens up the possibility of legal action over them if any copyright is violated.

An example of this can be seen in a recently filed lawsuit involving a photograph and a social media post. The photo was taken by an agency that indicates it is the owner of all intellectual property rights regarding that particular image. In the photo was a woman who is a well-known model. The woman is said to personally manage her social media accounts. While it is not uncommon for a person to post a picture of themselves on social media, that does not mean it is acceptable to post a picture that is copyrighted even if it is of one's own self.

When many people in New York think about forgery, they might automatically think about one person illegally signing another person's name. That is one type of forgery indeed but it is not the only thing that can lead a person to be charged with forgery as a crime.

An example of a different type of forgery allegation can be seen in the case of a group of men who have been arrested for their respective roles in what is being called a vehicle forgery scheme. According to a report by QNS News, the group is said to have been operating essentially a forgery business for at least three-and-a-half years, going back to July of 2015. The allegations against them indicate they made forged temporary vehicle documentation including registrations and temporary license plates.

You've probably heard of money laundering. You know it has to do with moving money around to try to hide illegal activity. You know that the act of laundering it is also illegal in its own right. But have you ever wondered why they call it that to begin with?

You really just have to think of the end goal of the process, and it makes a lot of sense. Initially, you start off with "dirty money." This is usually money that is related to a criminal enterprise. Maybe you got it by selling drugs or embezzling money from a company or defrauding people who thought you were going to invest the money for them. Regardless, it comes from an illegal source.

You have likely seen examples in film or other popular media of kids destroying mailboxes for fun. While such images do typically represent delinquent behavior, few would likely the seriousness with which the destruction of mailboxes is treated by authorities. Indeed, the fact that vandalizing or destroying mailboxes is a federal crime has been detailed on this blog before. Recent years, however, have seen individual mailboxes become less common as communities are adopting the practice long utilized in apartment buildings of utilizing a community mail receptacle. These units make it easier for postal carriers to complete their rounds, and are built to be more secure than a standard mail box. Yet that added security does not necessarily mean they are immune from vandalism and theft. 

One might even argue that the fact that since you do not consistently have your eyes on your community mail receptacle, it is more vulnerable to abuse. That individual boxes require keys also means that more damaging effort is needed to open them. As is the case with individual mailboxes, it is also a federal crime to tamper with a community mailbox in any way.