Players On the Move
A look at moves among attorneys, law firms, companies and other players in entertainment law.
Read More › Features
Decision of Note<br><i>Empire</i> TV Show Doesn't Infringe Hip-Hop Label Trademark
Stan Soocher
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decided that the Fox TV show <i>Empire</i> didn't violate federal Lanham Act or California trademark rights of the urban music record label Empire Distribution.
Features
9th Cir. Appellate Arguments; FL Sup. Ct. Ruling on Pre-'72 Recordings
Scott Graham
&
Celia Ampel
Just a few days after the Florida Supreme Court ruled the state's common law doesn't provide pre-1972 sound recordings with rights to public performance royalties, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit heard oral arguments on whether remasterings inject pre-1972 sound recordings with federal copyright protection.
Features
Date Approaches for Start of EU Trade Secrets Directive
Jonathan S. Cohen
In 2016, concerns about protecting trade secrets in the European Union resulted in Directive (EU) 2016/943 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 8, 2016. Directive (EU) 2016/943, which will impact the entertainment industry, seeks to protect undisclosed know-how and business information (trade secrets) against their unlawful acquisition, use and disclosure.
Features
Criminal Probe of Weinstein Role in amfAR Monies
Miriam [email protected]
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York is conducting a criminal investigation into transactions connected to The Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) that were arranged by embattled film producer Harvey Weinstein, <i>The New York Times</i> reported. The transactions involved $600,000 raised at a May 2015 auction in Cannes on the French Riviera from a pair of fundraising packages arranged by Weinstein.
Features
RICO Suit Cites 'Weinstein Sexual Enterprise'
Ross Todd
Add this to the growing list of legal problems facing Harvey Weinstein, The Weinstein Co. (TWC) and Miramax: Lawyers at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro and The Armenta Law Firm have filed a federal racketeering class action against Weinstein, the production company and the studio alleging they conspired "to facilitate and conceal [Weinstein's] pattern of unwanted sexual conduct."
Columns & Departments
Bit Parts
Stan Soocher
Florida Federal Court Confirms Denial of Song Administration Rights to Chic Co-Founder's Widow<br>Minnesota Right of Publicity Ruled Descendible in Prince Recordings Dispute<br>Original <i>Housewives</i> Producers' Fraud Claim Time-Barred, Though Contract Breach Claim Can Proceed<br>Ticketmaster.com Arbitration Clause Doesn't Apply to Potential Buyer on ticketexchangebyticketmaster.com
Features
Fantasy Sports Dispute Results in New Views On Exceptions to Rights of Publicity
Stan Soocher
The big news in the fantasy sports arena this past summer was the announcement that competitors FanDuel and DraftKings, which make up more than 90% of the online market, would end their merger bid following the Federal Trade Commission's filing of an antitrust lawsuit against the companies. Now, there's good news for FanDuel and DraftKings on a different front, involving the use of athletes' personality components.
Features
Negotiating Key Points in Literary Agent-Author Relationships
Michael I. Rudell
&
Neil J. Rosini
Several of the same concepts that are in agreements between performing artists and managers also apply to agreements between authors and literary representatives.
Features
How Defendant's Prior Conduct Can Impact Copyright Cases
Nicholas J. Boyle
&
Richard A. Olderman
In the context of a copyright case, a defendant's prior bad acts and prior conduct are more useful to a plaintiff than is typical in civil litigation. In many instances, copyright infringement lawsuits are brought against defendants who have been sued before for infringement, or related misconduct, or who have been the subject of allegations or informal complaints, or who simply have experience in copyright matters.
Features
Oral Appellate Arguments in 'Blurred Lines' Copyright Case
Scott Graham
Lawyers for Marvin Gaye's heirs and recording artists Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke were singing past each other in court in October. But it wasn't clear which side was making the most headway with the appellate court.
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