Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Bit Parts

By Stan Soocher
August 26, 2003

Attorney Disqualification Denied

The Court of Appeals of Michigan has upheld a denial of a motion to disqualify songwriter Lamont Dozier's attorney in Dozier's royalty suit against the Motown Record Corp. and its principal Berry Gordy. Holland v. The Gordy Co., 231183. During discovery, the defendants unintentionally turned over a box of litigation files to Dozier's attorney. The defendants later filed a motion to compel return of the documents and to disqualify. In its unpublished opinion, the appeals court agreed with the trial court that there had been an ethical violation but denied disqualification because 'the trial court reserved the right to change its ruling if it was later established that plaintiffs had gained a tactical advantage by the disclosure. Moreover, discovery has been completed, which reduces the opportunity to utilize information gained from the documents to obtain other information. Additionally, a motion for costs and attorney fees is pending before the trial court and presumably will be acted upon on remand.'


Foreign Rulings Have No Effect

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York has decided that foreign court rulings didn't affect a U.S. court's decision regarding the ownership of rights to animated movies created by the Soviet-state-owned Soyuzmultfilm Studio. Films By Jove Inc. v. Soyuzmultfilm Studios, 98-CV-7674. According to the district court, French court decisions on Russian law weren't controlling on the district court. Furthermore, a decision by the high court of the Russian Federation hadn't directly considered the ownership issue. That left intact the district court's finding that the copyrights in Soviet films belonged to the studio that produced the films.


Royalties Subject To City Tax

The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has held that the Philadelphia Eagles' media receipts from broadcasts of its football games were subject to the City of Philadelphia's Business Privilege Tax (BPT) as royalties for the licensing of a property right and were not fees for services rendered. The Philadelphia Eagles Football Club Inc. v. City of Philadelphia, 14 & 15. But under the Commerce Clause of the federal Constitution, the city must apportion the receipts between games played inside and outside the city, the Supreme Court noted.


Class Certification Upheld

The Court of Appeals of Texas, Ninth District, has held in an unpublished opinion that the trial court properly certified a statewide class of BMG Direct music club members in a suit challenging late fees charged by BMG. BMG Direct Marketing Inc. v. Peake, 09-02-509. The appeals court didn't agree with BMG that individualized inquiries would be required to determine whether class members had voluntarily paid the late fees. The appeals court noted that the named plaintiff alleged that BMG had failed to disclose all material facts in the agreement that had been entered into by all class members.


No Fiduciary Relationship

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws Image

This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.

The Article 8 Opt In Image

The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.

Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult Coin Image

With each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.

Legal Possession: What Does It Mean? Image

Possession of real property is a matter of physical fact. Having the right or legal entitlement to possession is not "possession," possession is "the fact of having or holding property in one's power." That power means having physical dominion and control over the property.

The Anti-Assignment Override Provisions Image

UCC Sections 9406(d) and 9408(a) are one of the most powerful, yet least understood, sections of the Uniform Commercial Code. On their face, they appear to override anti-assignment provisions in agreements that would limit the grant of a security interest. But do these sections really work?