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Features

Cultural Icons Spawn Lawsuits Worth Close Looks Image

Cultural Icons Spawn Lawsuits Worth Close Looks

Michael F. Snyder

The ownership of intellectual property rights can be at the core of legal disputes involving pop culture icons. Considering the goodwill, effort and money spent in building a brand, character or commercial impression, it is not surprising that parties to intellectual property agreements find themselves revisiting their arrangements over time. That is what is happening in two recent federal lawsuits, one in New York involving a beloved figure in Philadelphia sports and the other in California focused on the Old Spice cologne commercial jingle.

Columns & Departments

Players on the Move Image

Players on the Move

ljnstaff

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

Columns & Departments

Bit Parts Image

Bit Parts

Stan Soocher

Sixth Circuit Agrees Non-Party Interview Quotes Are Inadmissible Hearsay for Purpose of Establishing Direct Evidence of Copying in Infringement Case over Classic Rock Song "Gimme Some Lovin'" Transformative Use Defense Defeats Hard Rock Hamilton Persona Suit over Gears of War Character

Columns & Departments

Upcoming Events Image

Upcoming Events

ssalkin

TexasBarCLE 29th Annual Entertainment Law Institute Annual Entertainment, Sports & Media Law Institute Copyright Year in Review

Features

Analysis of Warhol Art Fair Use Ruling Image

Analysis of Warhol Art Fair Use Ruling

Robert W. Clarida & Robert J. Bernstein

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York held that a series of silkscreen paintings and prints by Andy Warhol based on a photograph of music legend Prince taken by Lynn Goldsmith constituted a transformative fair use.

Features

Lawyers Win Contingency Fee Fight Against Estate of Blues Icon's Son Image

Lawyers Win Contingency Fee Fight Against Estate of Blues Icon's Son

Stan Soocher

There have been disputes over rights to the two existing photographs of blues icon Robert Johnson as well as over who was his rightful heir. The latest court decision involves a contingency fee agreement originally entered into by a law firm hired by Johnson's son, who died in 2015. The case offers an example of what rights counsel may gain from such an arrangement following the death of the signatory client.

Features

9th Circuit Says End Steinbeck Copyright Fight Image

9th Circuit Says End Steinbeck Copyright Fight

Alaina Lancaster

In a nearly half-century-long legal dispute over the rights to John Steinbeck's works, the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's $5 million compensatory damages award against the author's daughter-in-law but vacated punitive damages against the heir.

Features

Book Publishers' Lawsuit Against Amazon's Audible Image

Book Publishers' Lawsuit Against Amazon's Audible

Dan Clark

A coalition of publishers has sued Audible, the Amazon-owned audiobook company, over a new feature announced last summer that will display the text of a book to listeners while it's read to them by their device.

Features

Star Athlete's Trainer Loses Commission Bid Image

Star Athlete's Trainer Loses Commission Bid

Zach Schlein

A lawsuit alleging a former trainer was entitled to a portion of tennis star Naomi Osaka's lifetime earnings is out of play, after a Broward County, FL, Circuit Court judge dismissed the case.

Features

Security Worries for Online Video Game Companies Image

Security Worries for Online Video Game Companies

Victoria Hudgins

Fortnite video game developer Epic Games Inc. isn't just dodging digital adversaries — now it's been slammed with a class action lawsuit over a data breach.

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