Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%
Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.
Plot Thickens for Dispute over 'Star Wars'-Related Card Game App
In a lawsuit over rights to a card game with a pivotal role in the Star Wars saga, Lucasfilm Ltd. won an early battle against app maker Ren Ventures Ltd. when a federal district judge in San Francisco declined to dismiss Lucasfilm's claims based on Ren Ventures' use of various trademarks, primarily centered on the game Sabacc. Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC v. Ren Ventures Ltd., 3:2017cv07249.
In the Star Wars universe, Han Solo won the iconic Millennium Falcon spaceship by beating Lando Calrissian in a game of Sabacc, a fact first noted in a draft of the screenplay for Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back and then the novelization of the 1980 film. A trilogy of novels about Calrissian published in 1983 included an explanation of the blackjack-line game in which players seek a hand as close as possible to positive or negative 23 without going over.
Lucasfilm sued Ren Ventures last year claiming the company's Sabacc app violated the film company's intellectual property rights. The Sabacc app page in the Apple App Store, Lucasfilm's lawyers at New York's Shapiro Arato pointed out, makes numerous Star Wars allusions, including “From a Cantina far, far away to your mobile device, welcome to the world's largest Sabacc site” and “Go bust? Don't worry, we won't take your ship!”
This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only
ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCESS TO THE SINGLE SOURCE OF OBJECTIVE LEGAL ANALYSIS, PRACTICAL INSIGHTS, AND NEWS IN ENTERTAINMENT LAW.
- 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
Already a have an account? Sign In Now Log In Now
For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473
Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws
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
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
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?
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
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?