Entertainment Law FAQs

GAMING

Q: How do I get a job in the gaming industry?
A: Contact specific gaming properties for employment opportunities.

Q: How old do I have to be to work in a gaming position?
A: Generally speaking, gaming employees must be at least 21 years of age. However, count room employees may be 18 years of age.

Q: I am an immigrant and do not have a Social Security card. Can I get a job in gaming?
A: Yes. You must have a passport and/or visa allowing you to be employed in the United States and you must apply for a Social Security number.

Q: Why do I have to be registered with the Gaming Control Board in order to work in the gaming industry?
A: According to Nevada Revised Statute 463.335 and Nevada Gaming Commission Regulation 5, employees of a gaming licensee (casino, slot route operator, manufacturer, distributor, etc.) employed in a gaming position, as defined in Nevada Revised Statute 463.0157, are required to register with the Gaming Control Board.

Q: How do I register with the Gaming Control Board?
A: First, you must be offered employment as a gaming employee with a licensee. The licensee will provide you with an application packet. You will be responsible for completing forms, in addition to obtaining a complete set of fingerprints. You will need to return the complete packet, including a receipt from the fingerprinting agency, to the licensee. The licensee will submit the complete application packet to the Gaming Control Board.

Q: How much does it cost to register with the Gaming Control Board?
A: It will cost $75 to register with the Gaming Control Board.

Q: Does the $75 include the cost for fingerprints?
A: The $75 includes the fees for processing fingerprints by the Nevada Criminal History Repository and the FBI. It does not include the fees for having your fingerprints taken.

Q: Are personal checks or cash accepted?
A: No personal checks or cash will be accepted. Only cashier's checks and money orders payable to the Gaming Control Board will be accepted.

Q: Where can I get my fingerprints taken? How much will it cost?
A: Fingerprints may be taken by your local law enforcement agency or an authorized business. The cost varies by agency/business. You may contact the agency/business for exact fees.

Q: I already possess a sheriff's card (work card). What happens if I lose my card?
A: If you lose your card prior to January 1, 2004, you must get a new card (duplicate) from the licensing agency that issued your card originally.

Q: Do applicants need to carry their registration cards?
A: No. After January 1, 2004, there will no longer be a physical card for gaming employees to carry showing that they are registered with the Gaming Control Board.

Q: How often do I need to register?
A: Gaming employees will need to register every five (5) years.

Q: I transferred from a gaming property in Las Vegas to a gaming property in Carson City. Do I need to register again?
A: No. Registration is statewide. You will need to submit a "Change of Location/Additional Gaming Employment Notice" to the Gaming Control Board within 10 days of hire.

Q: Can I get copies of my work history from the Gaming Control Board?
A: No.

Q: What do I do if I change my name?
A: You will need to fiile a "Change of Location/Additional Gaming Employment Notice" and check the box at the top for "Change of Name."

Q: Can I work in the gaming industry if I am a convicted felon?
A: Criminal history (arrests, citations, indictments, summons, etc.) and convictions are evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine suitability to work in the gaming industry. Depending on the type of arrest, conviction, etc., and other determining factors, it is possible that a convicted felon may work in the gaming industry.

Q: Does this program cover applicants who need work cards for serving liquor?
A: No. There may, however, be local or county ordinances requiring a non-gaming and/or TAM card.

Q: Where does the registration packet get returned to if it is incomplete?
A: Incomplete registration packets will be returned to the applicant by the Gaming Control Board for completion. Notification will also be made to the licensee.

Q: If an incomplete packet is returned to the applicant, how long does the applicant have to return it to the Gaming Control Board?
A: A specific date will be indicated on the return letter to the applicant.

Q: Is the employee eligible to continue to work in a gaming-related position if the registration packet is returned to them as incomplete?
A: Yes. Incomplete packets returned to the applicant will contain a checklist specifying where the packet is incomplete. Applicants will have the opportunity to complete the packet and return it by a specific date to avoid possible suspension of registration.

Q: Once the packet is completed and mailed to the Gaming Control Board is the employee eligible to work?
A: Yes.

Q: Does a complete packet have to be submitted for renewing registration?
A: Yes.

Q: If an employee has a card showing an expiration date of 2008, will this change to the 2005 date mentioned in Regulation 5?
A: The expiration date of 2005 applies only to those individuals whose gaming cards do not show an expiration date.

Q: When an applicant's registration expires does he need to fill out the application packet again?
A: Yes. A complete registration packet must be submitted every five (5) years.

Q: Will the definition of a Gaming Employee be on the Gaming Employee Registration website?
A: Yes. Nevada Revised Statute 463.0157 provides this information.

For more information, go to: http://gaming.nv.gov/

COPYRIGHT

What does copyright protect?
Copyright, a form of intellectual property law, protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section "What Works Are Protected."

Can I copyright my website?
The original authorship appearing on a website may be protected by copyright. This includes writings, artwork, photographs, and other forms of authorship protected by copyright. Procedures for registering the contents of a website may be found in Circular 66, Copyright Registration for Online Works.

Can I copyright my domain name?
Copyright law does not protect domain names. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a nonprofit organization that has assumed the responsibility for domain name system management, administers the assignation of domain names through accredited registers.

How do I protect my recipe?
A mere listing of ingredients is not protected under copyright law. However, where a recipe or formula is accompanied by substantial literary expression in the form of an explanation or directions, or when there is a collection of recipes as in a cookbook, there may be a basis for copyright protection. Note that if you have secret ingredients to a recipe that you do not wish to be revealed, you should not submit your recipe for registration, because applications and deposit copies are public records. See FL 122, Recipes.

Can I copyright the name of my band?
No. Names are not protected by copyright law. Some names may be protected under trademark law. Contact the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, 800-786-9199, for further information.

How do I copyright a name, title, slogan or logo?
Copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, or short phrases. In some cases, these things may be protected as trademarks. Contact the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, 800-786-9199, for further information. However, copyright protection may be available for logo artwork that contains sufficient authorship. In some circumstances, an artistic logo may also be protected as a trademark.

How do I protect my idea?
Copyright does not protect ideas, concepts, systems, or methods of doing something. You may express your ideas in writing or drawings and claim copyright in your description, but be aware that copyright will not protect the idea itself as revealed in your written or artistic work.

Does my work have to be published to be protected?
Publication is not necessary for copyright protection.

Can I register a diary I found in my grandmother's attic?
You can register copyright in the diary only if you own the rights to the work, for example, by will or by inheritance. Copyright is the right of the author of the work or the author's heirs or assignees, not of the one who only owns or possesses the physical work itself. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section “Who Can Claim Copyright.”

How do I protect my sighting of Elvis?
Copyright law does not protect sightings. However, copyright law will protect your photo (or other depiction) of your sighting of Elvis. Just send it to us with a Form VA application and the $30 filing fee. No one can lawfully use your photo of your sighting, although someone else may file his own photo of his sighting. Copyright law protects the original photograph, not the subject of the photograph.

Does copyright protect architecture?
Yes. Architectural works became subject to copyright protection on Dec. 1, 1990. The copyright law defines “architectural work” as “the design of a building embodied in any tangible medium of expression, including a building, architectural plans, or drawings.” Copyright protection extends to any architectural work created on or after Dec. 1, 1990. Also, any architectural works that were unconstructed and embodied in unpublished plans or drawings on that date and were constructed by Dec. 31, 2002, are eligible for protection. Architectural designs embodied in buildings constructed prior to Dec. 1, 1990, are not eligible for copyright protection. See, Circular 41, Copyright Claims in Architectural Works

Can I get a star named after me and claim copyright to it?
No. There is a lot misunderstanding about this. Names are not protected by copyright. Publishers of publications such as a star registry may register a claim to copyright in the text of the volume [or book] containing the names the registry has assigned to stars, and perhaps the compilation of data; but such a registration would not extend protection to any of the individual star names appearing therein. For further information on copyright protection and names. See, Circular 34, Copyright Protection Not Available for Names, Titles, or Short Phrases

See more at: http://www.copyright.gov

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	Did You Know?
	Talent is a factor in entertainment The general term for an artistic contributor to a project, talent usually refers to actors, directors, and writers. In the studio world, atttaching talent, or bringing necessary key artists to a project, is necessary in getting the film made. Agencies usually reserve the term 'talent' for actors and classify talent agents as those who represent thesipians.