Entertainment and Sports Law

  • Federal Judge Takes Aim at Legal Process for Targeting Counterfeit Merchandisers

    The rebound in concert tours and ticket revenues as 2022 has unfolded gives the live events industry hope for a strong 2023, too. For many tours, though, it's income from merchandise that makes the tour profitable. Thus, the rise in the number of artists touring also means a parallel resurgence in the activities of counterfeit-merchandise sellers and renewed efforts by the industry to battle its long-time problem with the sale of counterfeit merchandise near event venues.

    September 01, 2022Stan Soocher

  • The Story Behind AFM & SAG-AFTRA Royalty Fund Distribution Litigation

    The case of a session musician's unpaid royalties revealed a gross lack of initiative on the part of the trustees and directors of AFM & SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund and that the fund administrators had made little if any effort for years to distribute funds to thousands of session musicians and backup singers.

    September 01, 2022Adolfo Pesquera

  • Update on Changes In New York's Ticket Sales Law

    NY's update to its regulatory scheme for event ticketing principally affects the rules governing disclosure requirements for primary ticket sale prices and restricts the means of secondary ticket resale, including by expanding penalties for the use of scalper software "bots" and unauthorized ticket purchasing software.

    September 01, 2022Anthony J. Dreyer, Ryan P. Bisaillon and Michael C. Salik

  • Esports Industry Labor, Employment Law Concerns

    One of the issues facing the esports industry is the classification of professional players as employees versus independent contractors. This issue is of particular concern for companies operating competitive esports teams and/or using the services of content creators.

    September 01, 2022Davis Mosmeyer and Brooke Bahlinger

  • Players on the Move

    A look at moves among attorneys, law firms, companies and other players in entertainment law.

    September 01, 2022ELF Staff

  • Fresh Filings

    A look at moves among attorneys, law firms, companies and other players in entertainment law.

    September 01, 2022ELF Staff

  • Bit Parts

    Brian Wilson's Ex-Wife Wins Remand Back to State Court of Her Claim to Share of Revenues from Sale of His Song Catalog

    September 01, 2022Stan Soocher

  • 'Banana' Artwork Dispute Presents Slippery Slope for Copyright

    In July, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida denied a motion to dismiss in Morford v. Cattelan, a decision that began by posing the question: "Can a banana taped to a wall be art?"

    August 01, 2022Robert W. Clarida and Thomas Kjellberg

  • China Court's Ruling On NFTs and Copyrights

    China, which has had an up-and-down relationship with the U.S. entertainment industry, became the latest country to offer a key regulatory framework in its first-ever case dealing with NFTs and the copyright violations they are sometimes saddled with.

    August 01, 2022Isha Marathe