Columns & Departments

Players On the Move
A look at moves among attorneys, law firms, companies and other players in entertainment law.
Columns & Departments

Fresh Filings
Notable recent court filings in entertainment law.
Features

Anthropic’s Settlement With Authors May Be Potential Blueprint for Resolving AI Infringement Claims
A federal judge in the Northern District of California granted preliminary approval to a $1.5 billion settlement between Anthropic and a class of book authors who alleged that the artificial intelligence company used their copyrighted works to train its chatbot Claude without their consent. The settlement is the largest copyright settlement of all time, covering 482,460 works and paying authors slightly more than $3,000 per work infringed.
Features

Parameters of Legal Relationship Between Co-Lenders for Film Production
An “agreement between lenders” (ABL) to help co-fund a film production is a common vehicle for sharing financial risk. But what happens when a legal dispute arises between a film-production senior lender who has provided a larger loan amount than a junior lender who has loaned less?
Columns & Departments

Fresh Filings
Notable recent court filings in entertainment law.
Features

Lawyer Sues Amazon Prime Over Portrayal of Him In Movie
When The Burial, a film inspired by a real-life court case was released in theaters briefly before moving to Amazon Prime Video in 2023, the reviews were mostly positive. A few of those reviews singled out the performance of Mamoudou Athie as junior counsel Hal Dockins. The real-life Dockins, however, was not as happy with the portrayal of himself in the film. He is suing the producers over alleged unauthorized use of his name, image and likeness.
Features

How To Determine Duration of Royalty Contract That Doesn’t Contain Specific End Date
In 1997, Supertramp members Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies, the band’s main songwriters, agreed to share their songwriting and publishing income with the group’s three other members — John Helliwell, Robert Siebenberg and Douglas Thomson — and their personal manager David Margereson. But there was one key point missing in the participation memorandum: The agreement didn’t state how long it would remain in effect. It wasn’t until August 2025 that the issue was decided, by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Features

Discovery Block In Authors’ Direct Infringement Claim Against Mosaic AI Program
How are copyright holders to prove their works were used to train AI models if the details about the vast data sets used for such training are kept secret? That dilemma surfaced when a California federal judge recently dismissed a claim of direct infringement raised by a group of authors.
Columns & Departments

Players On the Move
A look at moves among attorneys, law firms, companies and other players in entertainment law.
Features

Copyright-Termination Case Complexities and Sixth Circuit’s Decision In “Que Sera Sera” Litigation
The Nashville federal court where the lawsuit was filed summarized the litigation as “concern[ing] the rights to a prolific composer’s music, a dizzying estate plan, and two descendants at odds over how to manage the royalties those compositions earn.”
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel'Disconnect Between In-House and Outside Counsel is a continuation of the discussion of client expectations and the disconnect that often occurs. And although the outside attorneys should be pursuing how inside-counsel actually think, inside counsel should make an effort to impart this information without waiting to be asked.Read More ›
- Ticket Refund Suits Against StubHub to Get MDL TreatmentOnline ticket reseller StubHub faces lawsuits over allegedly unrefunded event tickets in California, after a federal judicial panel ordered that similar cases from jurisdictions in multiple states be coordinated.Read More ›
- Credible Fraudulent Transfer AdvocacyAppellate courts continue to use common sense when disposing of constructively fraudulent transfer appeals, as recent decisions show.Read More ›
- ELFA ScheduleThe Equipment Leasing and Finance Association has released its 2016 calendar of events.Read More ›
- Holders of Unredeemed Gift Cards Denied Bankpruptcy PriorityFor some time now, the brick and mortar side of the retail industry has been in financial distress. In 2015 and 2016 alone, brand-name companies such as Sports Authority, RadioShack, Aéropostale, American Apparel, Eastern Mountain Sports and City Sports sought bankruptcy protection. A common question in these cases is how to treat holders of unredeemed gift cards. Are they near the back of the line with other general unsecured creditors, or are they entitled to “priority” payment status under the Bankruptcy Code?Read More ›