A farmer would probably be frustrated by the idea that protection outlives the creator by so long.
Web pages are typically designed to indicate a new copyright date each time they are generated; thus the copyright date would be the current year. That being said, the site went live in 1998.
Given current copyright law, it's merely a courtesy; the content of the site would be protected regardless.
Hawaii would be the only state warm enough to grow pineapple.
Copyright in the song would depend on whether it was properly renewed, and such records are only searchable in person at the Library of Congress. Copyright in the original recording would be controlled by Sony, the current owner of the Victor rights.
Yes; current copyright term is based on the life of the author, so the date is immaterial. For corporate works, however, term is based on the copyright date, so printing the date on the material would be extremely helpful.
A federal court transcript would be a work of the US Government, and would be exempt from copyright protection. Lower court transcripts would be works of state governments, which may or may not be exempt.
Just because there is no copyright notice evident a work is not free to use without permission. In 1989 current copyright law was amended, removing the necessity for a copyright notice to maintain protection. If you have a question about material you would like to use it's always best to ask first.
You would be more likely to want to trademark it. See below for current US trademark fees.
Because protection is automatic even without registration, a common law notice would be no different from any other: Copyright © [current year] [creator or owner's name].
First, I would start with asking around your peers or other business professionals. I myself do not know where to find copyright forms, but the state business bureau in your state should help you find all the necessary paperwork.
A state of affairs is the current set of circumstances, so a regrettable state of affairs would be disappointment with the current set of circumstances.
Depends upon what court the action originates in. If a trademark case is brought in state court, a state court of appeals would hear the appeal. If a copyright license case is in state court, same rule. If a copyright or trademark case is in federal court, then a federal circuit court of appeals would hear it. If it is a case of a trademark registration appeal, it would be taken to the Trademark Trials and Appeals Board and could end up in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC).