Features

New Federal Tax Act Gives New Life, and Twists, to Treatment of Film, TV and Stage Productions
Section 181 of the IRC has provided benefits to both producers of movies and television programs and — under pass-through legal structures such as limited liability companies — to their investors. Now, with the enactment of the sweeping new federal tax law, §181 has been given new life, with a couple of additional benefits and a couple of additional twists.
Features

Decision of Note: TV Reality Show Release Overrides Objection Clause
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York upheld a release clause signed by an entertainment attorney who appeared in WE network's reality TV show Money. Power. Respect.
Features

How Ticket Software Lost Trade Secret Protection
According to a recent case from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York involving live-event ticket sales, a purported holder of a trade secret cannot omit a confidentiality provision from its terms of use and then claim trade secret status afterward.
Features

Smart Contracts and Blockchain
As the entertainment industry continues to assess digital blockchain-distribution technology for tracking transactions, it's essential to consider the legal implications for smart-contracting and contract management.
Features

Iglesias's Music Streaming Suit Confronts Big Industry Issue
Music superstar Enrique Iglesias wasn't dancing around the point when he recently filed a lawsuit in Miami federal court against Universal International Music.
Features

Monk Estate Suit Against Beer Co. Moves Forward
A Northern California craft brewery lost an early attempt to knock out a lawsuit brought by the son of jazz legend Thelonious Monk, who claims the brewery uses Monk's name and likeness without permission.
Columns & Departments
Bit Parts
“Dead Man Statute” No Bar to Testimony About Alleged Oral Contract for Share of Royalties from Ben E. King Songs<br>Eleventh Circuit Sees No Personal Jurisdiction in Malpractice Lawsuit Against Law Firm that Handled Concert Industry Litigation<br>Tax Court Finds No Profit Motive in Music Club Operation
Features

The Recent Court and Regulatory Battles Behind the Net Neutrality Controversy
Though it has been a news focus recently, the legal issue of “net neutrality,” or an open Internet, has been a point of contention between Internet access providers and network users since the mid-1990s. Both sides have zealously but unsuccessfully lobbied Congress with multiple efforts to have desired legislation passed. This has left us instead with shifting regulatory actions taken by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) attempting to address the issue.
Features

<i>Decision of Note</i>: Charitable Immunity Statute Protects Private University from Concert Suit
A woman who fell and injured herself while attending a country music concert at Monmouth University cannot sue the school for damages, a New Jersey appeals court ruled in a divided decision that potentially sets the case up to be heard by the state Supreme Court.
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