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Bit Parts
Alleged Verbal Agreement For Promotion of Concerts Found Unenforceable "Chapel of Love" Singer's Niece Fails to Show Court in Royalties Dispute Had Personal Jurisdiction over Defendant Fair Use Defense Can Be Raised Under California's Sound Recording Misappropriation Statute
Features
Some Guidance on Federal Securities Law and Film Financing Disputes
Disputes over film financing agreements are common, but there are few court decisions that address film financing dustups involving §10(b) of the federal Securities Exchange Act. Now the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida has issued a ruling that addresses the pleading requirements for alleging a §10(b) violation, in litigation between an investor and a film production company.
Features
'Weinstein' Clauses In Acquisition Agreements
The purpose of a Weinstein clause is to provide assurance that the target company (including its officers and executives) is not a hotbed of sexual harassment or a ticking time bomb of claims waiting to explode. This article on drafting and negotiating Weinstein clauses should help entertainment and media deal teams balance these risks.
Features
Sparks From En Banc Arguments In Song Suit Against Led Zeppelin
There was much harmony along with a few discordant notes as an en banc panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit took up the copyright case involving Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven."
Features
Cultural Icons Spawn Lawsuits Worth Close Looks
The ownership of intellectual property rights can be at the core of legal disputes involving pop culture icons. Considering the goodwill, effort and money spent in building a brand, character or commercial impression, it is not surprising that parties to intellectual property agreements find themselves revisiting their arrangements over time. That is what is happening in two recent federal lawsuits, one in New York involving a beloved figure in Philadelphia sports and the other in California focused on the Old Spice cologne commercial jingle.
Columns & Departments
Players on the Move
A look at moves among attorneys, law firms, companies and other players in entertainment law.
Columns & Departments
Bit Parts
Sixth Circuit Agrees Non-Party Interview Quotes Are Inadmissible Hearsay for Purpose of Establishing Direct Evidence of Copying in Infringement Case over Classic Rock Song "Gimme Some Lovin'" Transformative Use Defense Defeats Hard Rock Hamilton Persona Suit over Gears of War Character
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Features
Analysis of Warhol Art Fair Use Ruling
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York held that a series of silkscreen paintings and prints by Andy Warhol based on a photograph of music legend Prince taken by Lynn Goldsmith constituted a transformative fair use.
Features
Lawyers Win Contingency Fee Fight Against Estate of Blues Icon's Son
There have been disputes over rights to the two existing photographs of blues icon Robert Johnson as well as over who was his rightful heir. The latest court decision involves a contingency fee agreement originally entered into by a law firm hired by Johnson's son, who died in 2015. The case offers an example of what rights counsel may gain from such an arrangement following the death of the signatory client.
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