Features

Get Ready for California's Version of the EU General Data Protection Regulation
The entertainment industry is intensely focused on data collection and analytics as it seeks to maximize the exploitation of digital content. Just as those of us in the privacy field had begun to have a slight breather as much of the heavy lifting on the GDPR was finally behind us, lawmakers in California have passed the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA).
Features

<i>Decision of Note:</i> Sound Recordings Remasters Don't Get Federal Copyright Protection
With an assist from Toucan Sam and Tony Bennett, owners of pre-1972 sound recordings no longer have to worry about losing their common law…
Features

Prince's Estate Files NJ Lawsuit over prince.com
A dealer in Internet domain names is accused in a cybersquatting suit of an illegal attempt to seize on the posthumous popularity of Prince.
Features

<i>Commentary:</i> Amended Opinion No Cause for Alarm in 'Blurred Lines' Case Outcome
Over the summer, a divided panel of the Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of a new trial motion and an order denying rehearing <i>en banc</i> in <i>Williams v. Gaye.</i> We now consider whether the final affirmance of the jury verdict in favor of Marvin Gaye's heirs is likely to wreak havoc on musical creativity as some, including the dissent, have argued. For us, the short answer is no.
Features

Disney Claims over Party Characters Partially Dismissed
Disney Enterprises has been handed a setback in an ill-conceived lawsuit: Going after people who dress up as Disney-owned characters like Elsa from <i>Frozen</i> or Chewbacca from <i>Star Wars</i> to perform at children's birthday parties.
Features

Attorneys' Primer on Video Game Mods
As far as software developers are concerned, video game modifications are not always a bad thing. The greatest cause for concern, however, arises when a modder creates a standalone game without permission from the developer — and then the new game takes market share away from the original.
Columns & Departments
Bit Parts
Katy Perry Defendants Denied Summary Judgment in Copyright Infringement Action Over “Dark Horse”<br>Former Percussionist for The Roots Can Proceed with Lanham Act and Publicity Rights Claims Against the Band
Features

How Disney Qualified for Design Patent for Marvel's Captain America Shield
Fans of movies about fictional superheroes are probably familiar with Captain America and his miraculous shield. Recently, however, his shield showed up in a most unlikely place: the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Features

Counsel Concerns: Lawyer Ethics Rule In Play in Suit By Business Manager Against Rap Artist
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina dismissed a conversion counterclaim by rapper Chingy against his former business manager Leslie King, who is a lawyer, on the ground that the artist hadn't established that a royalty purchase agreement he signed with the lawyer was void for allegedly violating the state's attorney ethics rule. However, the district court allowed the artist to pursue the ethics rule as an affirmative defense in the underlying lawsuit the attorney's music company has filed against Chingy.
Features

'Surrealistic' Suit Against Museum over Dalí Persona
The Spanish foundation that administers the intellectual property rights of famed surrealist Salvador Dalí is suing a Monterey, CA, museum that displays a permanent Dalí exhibition and uses the artist's name and likeness to promote it.
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