Fresh Filings

Snell & Wilmer filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in California Central Federal District Court on behalf of Concord Music Group Inc. The complaint targets Stax. Pty Ltd. and its founder/director Donnavin Robertson regarding use of “Stax”-branded apparel sold to U.S. consumers. The plaintiff alleges the Stax mark is confusingly similar to the one for its STAX record label. The case is Concord Music Group Inc. v. Stax. Pty Ltd., 2:22-cv-03331. … Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Chappell Music, musical artist Daddy Yankee and a slew of other defendants have been hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit in New York Southern Federal District Court. The lawsuit was brought by Doniger / Burroughs on behalf of musical duo Steely & Clevie over their 1989 instrumental track “Fish Market” a/k/a “the Pounder riddim.” The complaint targets the defendants for using elements of “Fish Market” without permission to create various tracks over the course of decades. The case is Browne v. Rodriguez, 1:22-cv-03997. … A children’s TV producer sued Viacom International in California Central Federal District Court over rights to the “Double Dare” mark, originally adopted in the mid-‘70s for a game show hosted by the late Alex Trebek and later acquired by Viacom in the mid-‘80s for a children’s game show on the Nickelodeon network. The lawsuit was filed by attorney Richard P. Crane Jr. on behalf of Armstrong Interactive, which plans to use the “Double Dare” mark to create a new show. Armstrong seeks a judgment of non-infringement and an order reversing the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s March decision granting Viacom’s opposition. The case is Armstrong Interactive Inc. v. Viacom International Inc., 2:22-cv-03270. … Fortinet, a network security company, PGA Tour and PGA vice president of business development Jay Voelker were hit with a breach-of-contract lawsuit in California Northern Federal District Court. The lawsuit, brought by Dovel & Luner on behalf of sports consulting firm 1440 Sports Management Ltd., accuses the defendants of failing to pay commission fees related to the establishment of a six-year $50 million sponsorship commitment between Fortinet and PGA. The case is 1440 Sports Management Ltd. v. PGA Tour Inc., 4:22-cv-02774. … Riot Games, a video game developer and esports tournament organizer, sued Shanghai Moonton Technology Co. in California Central Federal District Court for copyright infringement in connection with Riot’s video game League of Legends: Wild Rift. The lawsuit, filed by Kirkland & Ellis, accuses Moonton of copying Riot’s game and promotional materials to create Wild Rift competitor Mobile Legends: Bang. The case is Riot Games Inc. v. Shanghai Moonton Technology Co., 2:22-cv-03107. … Epic Games, the gaming company known for Fortnite and other popular titles, sued Fabrique Innovations Inc. in North Carolina Eastern Federal District Court for breach of contract and trademark infringement. The suit, filed by Williams Mullen, accuses Fabrique of failing to make payments in accordance with a license agreement and continuing to sell Fortnite-branded products following termination of the agreement. The case is Epic Games Inc. v. Fabrique Innovations Inc., 5:22-cv-00186. … Roblox Corp. was hit with a class action in California Northern Federal District Court on behalf of minor-age players who made in-game purchases. The complaint, brought by Bursor & Fisher, contends that Roblox impermissibly relies on its “Terms of Use” to deny refunds to players under the age of 18 in violation of various state laws that allow minors to disaffirm contracts. The case is V.R. v. Roblox Corp., 3:22-cv-02716. … Venable filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in California Central Federal District Court centering on “The Sugar Shack,” an iconic painting used as the cover for the Marvin Gaye album I Want You. The complaint was brought on behalf of the Ernie Barnes Family Trust, for the late painter and former professional athlete Ernie Barnes. The suit takes aim at Liu Zekun for allegedly selling t-shirts online which reproduce Barnes’ painting without permission. The case is The Ernie Barnes Family Trust v. Zekun, 2:22-cv-03022. … Merch Traffic filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in Massachusetts Federal District Court over the sale of Paul McCartney-themed concert tour merchandise. The complaint, brought by Polsinelli and Mims, Kaplan, Burns & Garretson, targets unauthorized bootleggers in anticipation of McCartney concerts scheduled for June 7 and 8 at Fenway Park in Boston. The case is Merch Traffic LLC v. Does 1-100, 1:22-cv-10668. … Netflix and its top executives were hit with a securities class action in California Northern Federal District Court. The suit, filed by Glancy Prongay & Murray, accuses the defendants of overstating financial reports and making false statements regarding the company’s business prospects. The case is Pirani v. Netflix Inc., 3:22-cv-02672. … Sony Music Entertainment, musical artists Yung Bleu, RESRV and Boozie Badazz and other defendants were hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit in New York Southern Federal District Court. The case was brought by AndersonDodson and Werge Law Group on behalf of Arni Larusson p/k/a Ice Starr, who accuses the defendants of using 11 of his compositions to create songs without authorization. The case is Larusson v. Biddle, 1:22-cv-03562. … Yahoo was hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit in California Northern Federal District Court. The lawsuit was filed by Doniger / Burroughs on behalf of professional celebrity photographer Michael Wilfling, who contends that Yahoo published his picture of Ginger Spice from Spice Girls on its news website without authorization or permission. The case is Wilfling v. Yahoo Inc., 3:22-cv-02615. … The Walt Disney Co., Marvel Studios, LucasFilm and other defendants were slapped with a patent and copyright infringement lawsuit in California Northern Federal District Court. The case, brought by Zuber Lawler LLP on behalf of Rearden LLC and Rearden MOVA, accuses Disney of illicitly using the plaintiffs’ facial capture technology to transform actor Josh Brolin into the villain Thanos in the motion pictures Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The suit also alleges that Disney’s proprietary MEDUSA system, used in the creation of recent Star Wars and Marvel films, infringes four Rearden patents. The case is Rearden LLC v. TWDC Enterprises 18 Corp., 3:22-cv-02464. … Recording artists Justin Bieber, Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney as well as other music industry defendants were hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit in California Central Federal District Court. The case, filed by the Lovell Firm on behalf of Melomega Music and Sound Gems, contends that Bieber, Myers and Mooney’s popular song “10,000 Hours” was created by using the “core portion” of the plaintiffs’ musical release “The First Time Baby Is a Holiday.” The case is International Manufacturing Concepts Inc. v. Bieber, 2:22-cv-02650. … IMDb was sued in Texas Northern Federal District Court for alleged trademark infringement in connection with the company’s rebranding of IMDb TV to Freevee. The complaint was filed by Wick Phillips Gould & Martin on behalf of Kamino Trade Federation Inc., the operator of Freebie TV, a free ad-supported platform for movies and TV shows. The suit was seeking an ex parte temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to enjoin IMDb from using “Freevee” in connection with entertainment services. The case is Kamino Trade Federation Inc. v. Imdb.Com Inc., 3:22-cv-00888. … Sony Music Entertainment, musical artist David A. Harris d/b/a Progressive 86 and other defendants were slapped with a copyright infringement lawsuit in New York Southern Federal District Court. The case — brought by attorney Alan Neigher in Westport, CT, and J. Walker & Associates in Atlanta, GA — accuses Harris of copying “substantial portions” of plaintiff Take 6’s 1990 gospel track “Come Unto Me” to create his song “Could’ve Been.” The case is Dawson v. Harris, 7:22-cv-03175.