Entertainment and Sports Law

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

Black Widow, Box Office and Breach of Contract: Profit Participation In COVID

Under §301 of the U.S. Copyright Act, state law claims that are "equivalent" to exclusive rights in copyrights granted by federal law are preempted by the federal statute. To survive preemption, courts consider whether a state law claim in a lawsuit has an "extra element" that qualitatively distinguishes it from a federal copyright claim.

Activision Blizzard and a trial team led by San Francisco-based Durie Tangri partner Daralyn Durie recently faced down a $400 million copyright suit in the Eastern District of Texas. In this Q&A, Durie talks about the strategy and the theatrics of the four-day trial.

The surge in ransomware attacks has made familiarity with the provisions of cyber insurance essential for professionals in the entertainment industry, which is among prime targets of ransomware operatives.

In a defamation suit brought by former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, a Federal District Judge recently ruled that a release Judge Moore signed prior to his appearance on the satirical Showtime series Who is America? barred precisely the sorts of claims he was bringing. In this Q&A, Baron Cohen's attorneys discuss the case.

A California federal appeals court panel refused to broaden disclosure requirements for alternative dispute resolution organizations and called for court precedent to be revisited in a case over a soured partnership between entertainment news company TMZ and a Los Angeles celebrity tour bus company.

After nearly three decades with The Walt Disney Co., longtime general counsel Alan Braverman is stepping down from his post at the Burbank, CA-based entertainment and media giant at the end of the year.