Lawyers Win Contingency Fee Fight Against Estate of Blues Icon's Son
October 01, 2019
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.
9th Circuit Says End Steinbeck Copyright Fight
October 01, 2019
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.
Book Publishers' Lawsuit Against Amazon's Audible
October 01, 2019
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.
Star Athlete's Trainer Loses Commission Bid
October 01, 2019
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.
Bit Parts
October 01, 2019
Texas Court of Appeals Won't Let Former Lawyer for Matthew Knowles Use State's Anti-SLAPP Statute to Dismiss Knowles' Cross-Claims in Legal Fees Dispute
The Interaction of International Law and U.S. Copyright–Assignment Terminations
September 01, 2019
That U.S. copyright-assignment termination issues are among the most complex in the copyright field becomes even more apparent when attempts to reclaim copyrights involve aspects of international law. Few courts have ruled, however, on the impact of international law on U.S. copyright-assignment terminations. The most recent to do so is the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Ennio Morricone Music Inc. v. Bixio Music Group Ltd.
When Boilerplate, Customized Clauses Collide in Media Merger Deals
September 01, 2019
Some contract provisions will necessarily be customized for use in the particular agreement, while others will be boilerplate. But the intersection of those provisions in a merger agreement involving the acquisition of Cablevision Systems Corp led to a serious dispute— and cautionary tale for the merger-laden entertainment and media industries — about interpretation of the agreement, requiring a Delaware court to determine the impact of potentially conflicting language.
Limit in Supreme Court Striking Down Ban On 'Scandalous' Trademarks
September 01, 2019
In the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Iancu v. Brunetti, Justice Sonia Sotomayor's dissent cautioned that the decision is likely to pave a path to a "coming rush to register [vulgar, profane, or obscene] trademarks." The reasoning stems from the court's majority finding that a portion of 15 U.S.C. §1052 — which had previously prohibited the registering of "immoral" or "scandalous" trademarks — is unconstitutional. Practically speaking, however, this "coming rush" will likely not be the case, even via the entertainment industry.
