Entertainment and Sports Law

The growth in size of companies dominating sectors of the entertainment industry has been subject to antitrust challenges with mixed results. What are some notable recent developments in this area?

In a win for trademark holders, the U.S. Supreme Court offered a narrow ruling in the dispute involving "dog toys and whiskey."

Commentary The high court's decision's future application is anything but clear and clarification of the parameters of a "transformative" fair use is left open for another day.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit made clear its view — that class-action plaintiffs' lawyers generally should not be awarded fees that exceed the amount their clients get from a settlement — as the court struck down a $1.7 million fee award in which a copyright plaintiffs' class received less than $53,000 in an infringement dispute settlement.

Notable court filings in entertainment law.

A look at moves among attorneys, law firms, companies and other players in entertainment law.

The lion's share of attention to copyright-infringement claims against Ed Sheeran over his 2016 Grammy-winning Song of the Year "Thinking Out Loud" recently focused on the trial in New York federal court. But in September 2022, a related infringement suit over the same songs' matching chord progression and harmonic rhythm was allowed to proceed.

As we wait to see if Congress does indeed adopt a preemptive federal standard on NIL, the question becomes: What do business owners, interested investors and attorneys need to know prior to signing a college athlete to a NIL contract under the current landscape?