L.A. Sees Many Moves Among Entertainment Law Firms
February 01, 2019
Entertainment practices with well-known clients are in high demand in the Los Angeles legal market, leading to a spate of lateral hires among American Lawyer 200 firms in the latter part of 2018.
Bit Parts
February 01, 2019
Actor's Negligence Claim over Film Set Injury Preempted by California's Workers' Compensation Act<br>Nashville Federal Court Decides Record Producer Didn't Abandon Master Recordings of 1970s George Jones Album
Book Releases
February 01, 2019
The Essential Guide to Entertainment Law: Intellectual Property<br>The Essential Guide to Entertainment Law: Dealmaking
Making Sense of YouTube's Monetization Policies
January 01, 2019
This article delves into YouTube's policies for channel monetization, explores the different streams of revenue an artist or creator may be entitled to receive for their works, and offer suggestions to indie creators and more established creators, so they can meet these new thresholds.
Risks in Online Collection of Children's Data
January 01, 2019
As convenient, useful and cool mobile technology and interconnected devices are, they come with risks that remain largely unseen or, worse, ignored. Some pose security risks and privacy risk, like those present in voice-activated devices — especially for children. For manufacturers, they also pose regulatory litigation and insurance risks, especially when children end up using their “smart” products.
Bit Parts
January 01, 2019
Complaints to Amazon by TV Show Host and His Attorney Didn't Constitute DMCA Notices<br>No Actual Malice by Defendants in Libel Suit over Composite Character in Film
How Will the Music Modernization Act's Mechanical Licensing Collective Work?
December 01, 2018
This article focuses on managing change for clients affected by the MMA's government-mandated mechanical licensing collective. In my view, far from putting songwriters on a trajectory away from the government regulation that has oppressed them for generations, the collective imposes an entirely new bureaucracy with potentially significant costs that are not readily apparent.
Author and Licensee Content Rights in Agreements for TV Productions
December 01, 2018
These times are heady for creators of books and stories that may be suitable for television production. In addition to the traditional broadcast networks, a legion of pay and basic cable exhibitors and, more recently, direct-to-consumer streaming outlets are voraciously licensing product from those creators. Much press is given to the compensation aspects of the creators' agreements with exhibitors, but attention also should be paid to the extent and duration of the exhibitor's exclusivity in the property in which rights are being acquired,
Abandonment Defense Stays in Copyright Suit on Filesharing
December 01, 2018
Malibu Media LLC is by now well-known as a frequent filer of copyright infringement lawsuits nationwide against Web users alleged to have illegally downloaded and shared the company's adult films. But a federal judge in Pennsylvania recently said it should be up to a jury to decide whether the company is entitled to stake a claim to those copyrights in the first place.
IP Provisions in 'New NAFTA' Agreement
December 01, 2018
With Canada's agreement, the stage was set for the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to end and the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) to take its place.Among the provisions of note for the entertainment industry, copyright will receive a boost from the USMCA.
