Features

Perspective on Impact of COVID-19 on Entertainment Industry
Leslie José Zigel, Chair of the Entertainment, Media & Technology Group at Greenspoon Marder offers his thoughts on entertainment industry issues arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Features

Counsel Concerns: COVID-19's Impact On Sports Lawyers
While every industry is dealing with massive upheaval as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, few are as visible as sports and entertainment. While many who practice in this area anticipate a slowdown in overall legal work, certain pockets of work are being pushed to the forefront, creating demand for the services these attorneys provide.
Features

TRO Bid in Arts Case Results in COVID-19 Rebuke from Judge
At this moment in COVID-19 time, if your case involved stopping the sale of counterfeit unicorn products on the Internet, sorry, that wouldn't be an emergency. That was the message from U.S. District Judge Steven C. Seeger, in a decision denying a request for a temporary restraining order filed on behalf of Art Ask Agency, the exclusive licensee for the fantasy art of British artist Anne Stokes, who is popular among the Dungeons and Dragons crowd.
Features

UMG Defense Lawyers Discuss Ruling in Artists' Suit Over Warehouse Fire
In April, a U.S. District Judge tossed a six-count, $100 million-complaint against Universal Music Group that was filed after a 2008 warehouse fire that reportedly destroyed master recordings. The class action was originally brought by or on behalf of recording artists. After the ruling, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partners Scott Edelman and Deborah Stein and associate Nathaniel Bach, who served as defense counsel in the litigation, discussed the case.
Features

Defending Suits Brought By Copyright Trolls
An overview of copyright troll litigation and explores potential litigation strategies for responding to troll cases.
Columns & Departments
Bit Parts
Copyright Termination Claims Found Timely, But Loan-Out Companies Can't Terminate Copyright Assignments Judge Unhappy With Damon Dash's Trial Behavior New York Federal Court Sees No Copyright Infringement or False Endorsement in Use of Mural in Film
Features

"Potentially Monumental" Ninth Circuit En Banc Decision in Infringement Case Over Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven"
For the past five years, the copyright bar and the music industry have carefully followed the many twists and turns of the potentially monumental infringement case that asserted that the opening of the iconic Led Zeppelin song "Stairway to Heaven" was copied from the introduction of a little-known 1967 instrumental "Taurus," written by the late Randy California. In March 2020, a unanimous en banc panel of the entire Ninth Circuit affirmed portions of a prior three-judge appellate ruling that "Stairway" did not infringe the Spirit song — and in the process resolved some thorny issues involving substantial similarity and copyright scope that will be important for future litigants
Features

Kozinski Angle In 9th Circuit's Led Zeppelin Ruling
Defendants Led Zeppelin and its music labels were the winners in the copyright decision by the Ninth Circuit over the song "Stairway to Heaven." But the estate of songwriter Randy Wolfe (p/k/a California) wasn't the only one who got the short end. Among the collateral damage from the ruling was a 2002 precedent written by former Chief Judge Alex Kozinski that endorsed the so-called "inverse-ratio" rule.
Features

CASE Act Explained
The Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement Act is a proposed congressional amendment to the current copyright statute that would create an alternative dispute resolution program for copyright small claims and other legal proceedings.
Features
A Primer on Rights in Video Game Avatars
Recent lawsuits have grappled with the fair use of one's likeness in video games, attempting to apply established order to a changing field.
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