Features

Bankruptcy Impact on Trademarks, Distribution Rights
It's not uncommon for rights licensees in the entertainment industry to find themselves in a rights dispute when a licensor files for bankruptcy.
Features

Industry Workplace Misconduct Investigations
The important ongoing industry and national conversation about sexual harassment is serving as a wake-up call to entertainment companies, board members and C-suite executives about the need to be proactive when confronted with allegations of harassment or other workplace misconduct.
Features

Meet the Lawyer Working on Inclusion Rider Language
At the Oscars in March, Best Actress winner Frances McDormand made “inclusion rider” go viral. But Kalpana Kotagal, a partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll had already worked for months to write the language for such provisions. Kotagal was developing legal language for contract provisions that Hollywood's elite could use to require studios and other partners to employ diverse workers on set.
Columns & Departments

Counsel Concerns: Ambiguous Offer for Daddy Yankee to Settle Suit Ends in Attorney Fees Denial
Attorneys who sued “Despacito” artist Daddy Yankee for defamation should have heeded the song's title and drafted their settlement offer slowly, a federal appellate court ruled.
Columns & Departments
Bit Parts
Essence of the Ninth Circuit's Decision in the “Blurred Lines” Copyright Infringement Case<br>Trademark Cancellation Claim Can't Proceed Against Marilyn Monroe Brand Manager
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.
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