Tensions Between Authors' Contracts for Book Publishing and Film Production Rights
January 31, 2014
The agreements authors make with companies that publish their books ' and with the production companies that make films based on those books ' have changed significantly over the past several years. Due in part to the kind of films currently being produced and to available new technologies (particularly for books), these changes have introduced conflicting overlaps between the two types of contracts.
Meals and Entertainment Expenses
December 31, 2013
Meals and entertainment expenses are generally only 50% deductible, and provided the expenses are ordinary and necessary, have a business purpose and have proper documentation, there should be no issues surviving an IRS audit.
FTC Update on Gathering Data; Disclosures To Consumers
December 31, 2013
In an area of major interest to the entertainment industry, the FTC continues its active enforcement of advertising practices in emerging areas such as social media and mobile marketing. At the same time, advertisers and marketers are attempting to piece together best practices as new consumer protection requirements come into effect and the first cases applying new regulatory standards are settled.
Bit Parts
December 31, 2013
Nashville Federal Court Finds Plausible Copyright Infringement Claim over "Remind Me" Phrase<br>Puerto Rico District Court Rules There Were Implied Licenses for Music Festival Artworks, But Were the Licenses Irrevocable?<br>Songwriting Income and Record Production Activity Don't Support Long-Arm Jurisdiction
Lawsuits over Unpaid Internships Took Root in 2013
December 31, 2013
Eric Glatt was in the library at Georgetown Law Center when he got the call last summer. On the other end of the line was his lawyer, Juno Turner, an associate at New York's Outten & Golden. "We won," she said. With those two words, Glatt, who holds an MBA from Case Western University and is now working toward a law degree, became the unconventional hero for unpaid interns everywhere.
Aereo Makes Unusual Move in Networks' Bid for S. Ct. Review
December 31, 2013
In an unusual move that raised the stakes in the major copyright battle between broadcast television networks and the upstart Aereo TV service, Aereo Inc. is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the dispute, even though it won in the court below.
Prior Agreement Bars Termination of Song Rights
December 31, 2013
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York decided that music publisher EMI can keep the rights to the 1934 hit song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" for another 25 years.
Story Rights and 'Son of Sam Laws'
November 30, 2013
There are always high-profile criminal cases in the news.As these cases develop, we often learn that the accused has received offers from publishers, television networks and movie studios to tell his or her story for a large sum of money. Can these individuals keep the money, potentially profiting from the alleged crime? "Son of Sam" laws may lead one to believe the answer is "no." But, in fact, it depends.
