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Features

Some Guidance on Federal Securities Law and Film Financing Disputes Image

Some Guidance on Federal Securities Law and Film Financing Disputes

Stan Soocher

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 Image

'Weinstein' Clauses In Acquisition Agreements

Michael S. Poster

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 Image

Sparks From En Banc Arguments In Song Suit Against Led Zeppelin

Scott Graham

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 Image

Cultural Icons Spawn Lawsuits Worth Close Looks

Michael F. Snyder

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 Image

Players on the Move

ljnstaff

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

Columns & Departments

Bit Parts Image

Bit Parts

Stan Soocher

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

Columns & Departments

Upcoming Events Image

Upcoming Events

ssalkin

TexasBarCLE 29th Annual Entertainment Law Institute Annual Entertainment, Sports & Media Law Institute Copyright Year in Review

Features

Analysis of Warhol Art Fair Use Ruling Image

Analysis of Warhol Art Fair Use Ruling

Robert W. Clarida & Robert J. Bernstein

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 Image

Lawyers Win Contingency Fee Fight Against Estate of Blues Icon's Son

Stan Soocher

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.

Features

9th Circuit Says End Steinbeck Copyright Fight Image

9th Circuit Says End Steinbeck Copyright Fight

Alaina Lancaster

In a nearly half-century-long legal dispute over the rights to John Steinbeck's works, the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court's $5 million compensatory damages award against the author's daughter-in-law but vacated punitive damages against the heir.

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