Entertainment and Sports Law

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).

 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…

A dealer in Internet domain names is accused in a cybersquatting suit of an illegal attempt to seize on the posthumous popularity of Prince.

Over the summer, a divided panel of the Ninth Circuit affirmed the denial of a new trial motion and an order denying rehearing en banc in Williams v. Gaye. 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.

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 Frozen or Chewbacca from Star Wars to perform at children's birthday parties.

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.

Katy Perry Defendants Denied Summary Judgment in Copyright Infringement Action Over “Dark Horse”
Former Percussionist for The Roots Can Proceed with Lanham Act and Publicity Rights Claims Against the Band

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).