Court Battles over Digital Television Distribution
March 29, 2013
Aereo Inc.'s pitch is this: With one of its tiny antennas, no bigger than a dime, viewers can watch television through the Internet. But this is erupting into a litigation nightmare for broadcasters. The fight boils down to whether the broadcasters' copyrights for their shows give them control over how the shows are distributed.
Display in Musical of Clip from 'Ed Sullivan' Show Was Fair Use
March 29, 2013
In <i>SOFA Entertainment, Inc. v. Dodger Productions, Inc.</i>, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit considered whether it was "fair use" under the Copyright Act for the award-winning musical "<i>Jersey Boys</i>" to use a seven-second clip of Ed Sullivan's introduction of the Four Seasons rock band on "<i>The Ed Sullivan Show</i>" that aired in 1966.
George Clinton Battles Law Firm over Copyrights
March 29, 2013
In Nov. 2012, Seattle U.S. District Judge Robert Lasnik had ruled that 'Godfather of Funk' George Clinton must cede the copyrights to the master recordings of four Fundadelic albums released by Warner Bros. between 1976 and 1981 to Seattle-based Hendricks & Lewis to make good on more than $1.5 million in unpaid legal fees.
<b>Decision of Note:</b> No Jurisdiction over E-Book Uploader
March 29, 2013
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed Penguin Group's copyright infringement claims against American Buddha, a nonprofit that makes hundreds of books available for free, including four titles by Penguin.
Tackling Tax Planning Issues of Nonresident Alien Artists
March 29, 2013
One of the challenging areas of income tax planning is working on behalf of nonresident alien (NRA) performing and creative artists. Integrating the typical rules of the Internal Revenue Code that apply to U.S. income tax residents with what might apply to a NRA coming to work in the United States, as a result of their specific facts and circumstances and applicable tax treaties, can be a confusing maze.
BIT PARTS
March 29, 2013
'Actual Notice' Issue Up Next in Victor Willis Termination Rights Litigation<br>Alleged Access Scenarios No Help to Plaintiff in Suit over Tim McGraw Hit<br>California's Retroactive Right of Publicity Doesn't Violate Due Process<br>Copyright Attorney Fees Assessed Against Ed Sullivan Show Owner
ROYALTY ROUNDUP Loan-Out Companies; Limitations Defense
March 29, 2013
The 2010 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that artists can be entitled, under their pre-existing recording agreements, to half of record-label income from digital sales has triggered claims involving thousands of artists.Following are three recent developments in this litigation area.
Asking the Right Questions
March 28, 2013
Successful business generators tend to ask questions in particular sequence. This sounds fairly simple, but it takes consistent work and strong skills to become effective at using this approach.
