Suit Against Bieber Next 'Blurred Lines' Case?
July 02, 2015
Pop star Justin Bieber should face the music ' or, more specifically, a jury ' on claims that his hit song "Somebody to Love" infringed on copyrighted material. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has revived the case, more than a year after Bieber's lawyers got the suit dismissed.
Cameo Clips
July 02, 2015
Law Firm's Suit Against Popovich Estate Is Dismissed<br>Dispute over Song Contest Must Go to Arbitration
Many Traditional Malls Are on Life Support
July 02, 2015
In what some economists and many governmental officials say is a robust and growing economy, why are major chains closing 6,000 retail stores in malls and strip centers within the near future?
Actress Has No Copyright in Controversial <i>Muslims</i> Film
June 02, 2015
The work of an individual performer in a film isn't protected by copyright law, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decided when it ruled in an 11-judge <i>en banc</i> decision that actress Cindy Lee Garcia couldn't use copyright law to force Google to remove a five-second clip of the film <i>Innocence of Muslims</i> from YouTube and other Internet platforms.
Examining Rulings On Pandora and Performance Rights
June 02, 2015
Little more than a week after music-streaming service Pandora Inc. won a key ruling in its royalty rate dispute with ASCAP, Pandora was dealt a setback in a parallel fight with ASCAP's rival performing rights organization, BMI.
Arbitration Agreements and the Use of Electronic Signatures
June 02, 2015
Despite legal questions surrounding electronic document management and the use of electronic signatures, these cases demonstrate that it is possible to successfully move to a paperless system. Here's what you need to know.
Awaiting Supreme Court's Ruling on Hybrid Licenses
June 02, 2015
The owner of entertainment intellectual property often faces concerns about maximizing licensing revenues while addressing the restrictions of federal and state laws that create those rights. Because a given IP right may involve federal law and state law ' through associated trade secrets or confidential information ' licensing of that IP mix often presents a challenge to maximizing an entertainment IP owner's potential revenue generation.
A Primer on What 'Big Data' Is All About
June 02, 2015
In May 2015, the streaming music service Pandora acquired the music industry data collection company Next Big Sound, which extensively tracks sales, social and streaming data. In the Internet era, the entertainment and other industries are awash with data, all of it with varying degrees of copyright protection. The Pandora/Next Big Sound deal presents a good moment for a primer on this copyright protection.
Using a Service Mark In Commerce
June 02, 2015
The Federal Circuit has now ruled that advertising a service that the applicant intends to provide in the future, but is not actually providing on the date of the application, is not "use in commerce." Thus, advertising submitted to the USPTO with a use-based application as a specimen of use of the mark in commerce, must relate to existing services already being provided to customers.
