SOPA Update
December 27, 2011
On Dec. 15 and 16, just as Congress was preparing to go dark until after the New Year, The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary held hearings on SOPA. And what seemed destined to be a long drawn-out fight by a few in attendance who were in opposition of passing the Bill against Committee Chairman and sponsor Lamar Smith (R-TX) and its many supporters, took a bizarre and sudden turn as Day 2 restarted after lunch ' and maybe more importantly, as Representatives' flights home for recess were in danger of being missed.
Bit Parts
December 27, 2011
Judge Denies Recusal Request in Marley Family Royalties Dispute Against UMG<br>UK Judgment Against U.S. Videogame Distributor Is Valid in Virginia
Law Firm Disqualified from StarGreetz Trade Secrets Case
December 27, 2011
StarGreetz, a new Los Angeles media company that lets customers send personalized celebrity videos and marketing messages over sites like Facebook and Twitter, might sound like just another Internet start-up hoping to capitalize on the public's obsession with Hollywood and social networking. But the company isn't a couple of star-dazed programmers fiddling around in a garage: StarGreetz's founders and backers are former senior executives at Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox and Disney; its lawyers hail from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. Make that former lawyers, at least in a crucial case over the origins of the StarGreetz venture. In December, a Los Angeles state court judge granted a motion by plaintiff StarClipz in a trade secrets and breach of contract suit against StarGreetz to disqualify Orrick from representing the company.
Cameo Clips
December 27, 2011
FILM PRODUCTION LOSSES/ISSUE PRECLUSION<br>NON-COMPETITION CLAUSES/TV STATION ACQUISITIONS
Digital Marketing Under Attack
December 27, 2011
The convergence of media and technology continues to change the way we communicate, consume media and engage in commercial transactions. Marketers have been among the greatest digital media innovators and the medium has evolved as largely advertiser supported. That business model is under attack by consumer groups that argue that marketers are unfairly invading consumers' privacy and confusing consumers as to the nature and origin of commercial messages.
Suit over Cancelled M'tley Cre Show to Move Forward
December 27, 2011
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, denied a Texas-based concert promoter's motion to dismiss a suit by an Argentinian promoter over a planned M'tley Cre concert.
Impact of Bankruptcy on Third-Party Trademark License Assignments
December 27, 2011
Intellectual property ' and thus entertainment industry ' licensors are perpetually concerned about whether their licensees could use the bankruptcy process to assign their license rights to third parties, especially to third parties to whom the licensor would not want to grant a license, at least not on the existing license terms. This concern can be particularly acute for trademark licensors, who want to protect their trademarks against undesired uses and keep the trademark license rights "personal" to their licensees.
.XXX General Availability Period: A Green Light to Block Red Light Domain Names
December 21, 2011
Now is the time for trademark, domain name and brand owners to purchase .XXX domains to pro-actively race to stake a claim in their brand ' if only as a defensive measure to prevent other domain owners from registering/using their name in a .XXX context. In the event that yours wasn't the first hand to pull the trigger in the .XXX domain name shoot 'em up, what are the ramifications of having your mark incorporated into an active .XXX domain?
