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Council debates ethics and copyright after city assets appeared in private 'Solvang Passport' app
Summary
Council heard staff that a city marketing video had been used in a privately developed 'Solvang Passport' app and debated whether the mayor's involvement with the app posed a conflict of interest; staff will inventory city intellectual property, advise on copyright/trademark registration options, and propose enhanced council protocols for disclosures.
Council spent significant time on March 23 discussing a privately developed 'Solvang Passport' mobile application that, staff said, had used a video asset from the city's SolvangUSA marketing site. The mayor had the video removed from the app after staff raised concerns; no formal enforcement action was taken at the meeting.
Staff counsel reported that the city owns the contractor‑produced video in question under its contract with TJA and that the mayor voluntarily removed the clip from the app after staff identified its reuse. Counsel noted that copyright protection generally attaches at creation but that federal copyright registration is required to file a federal enforcement action; the city currently…
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