Features

More Chinese Companies Are Joining U.S. Firms to Fight Patent Trolls
Some of China's largest companies have banded together with major brands in the United States and elsewhere to neutralize "patent trolls," an indication that the country's firms are becoming increasingly concerned about patent infringement litigation.
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IP News
U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Booking.com Trademark Case
Features

Film and Music Cases Result in Different Outcomes for Default Judgment Motions
Non-payment of monies is an all-too-common complaint in the entertainment industry, with frustrated plaintiffs in many cases seeking default judgments against defendants who fail to respond to lawsuits seeking payment. Two new Central District of California federal court decisions illustrate — after the judges sort through the factors for determining whether to grant a default judgment — how consideration of the amount of money at issue resulted in different outcomes on whether to enter a default judgment.
Features

Editor's Note
We sadly note the November passing of long-time Entertainment Law & Finance editorial board member Jay Rosenthal.
Features

Photo Cases Test Copyright Law and Embedded Tweets
A New Yorker who settled a copyright lawsuit against several news outlets over a photo he took of star quarterback Tom Brady and Boston Celtics manager Danny Ainge has struck again. This time he's suing a radio station owner in Florida federal courts in a case that could test the boundaries of an emerging area of copyright law, raising major questions about how media companies incorporate social media posts into online stories.
Features

A Primer for Forming Loan-Out Corporations
In the entertainment industry, it can take years for actors, musicians and others to reach a point where their efforts begin bringing in a notable return. If and when these types of clients begin to make a consistently significant income, one method that deserves consideration for protecting the hard-earned pay is to organize a loan-out corporation.
Features

Can Video Game Companies Be Liable for Users' Money Laundering?
Criminals are hoping to use video game platforms to score more than just points. By using ill-gotten gains to purchase in-game currency that can then be exchanged for real cash, bad actors have found a way to launder money that is difficult for both gaming providers and the authorities to track.
Features

How Will NCAA's New Policy on Endorsements By Athletes Play Out
University general counsel and sports lawyers across the country have been trying to figure out their next steps in the controversial world of marketing student athletes.
Features

Trial to Start in Suit over Walking Dead Stuntman Death
The trial over a death on the set of the Walking Dead zombie drama will hinge on one key question: What happened in the moments before a stuntman plunged off a balcony and missed an airbag 20 feet below.
Features

Filers Beware: No Expedited Discovery in Copyright Suits
Litigation tactics employed by frequent filers of copyright infringement suits may face heavy criticism in light of a recent ruling by a federal judge in New Jersey.
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- Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright LawsThis article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.Read More ›
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- The Anti-Assignment Override ProvisionsUCC Sections 9406(d) and 9408(a) are one of the most powerful, yet least understood, sections of the Uniform Commercial Code. On their face, they appear to override anti-assignment provisions in agreements that would limit the grant of a security interest. But do these sections really work?Read More ›
- The Stranger to the Deed RuleIn 1987, a unanimous Court of Appeals reaffirmed the vitality of the "stranger to the deed" rule, which holds that if a grantor executes a deed to a grantee purporting to create an easement in a third party, the easement is invalid. Daniello v. Wagner, decided by the Second Department on November 29th, makes it clear that not all grantors (or their lawyers) have received the Court of Appeals' message, suggesting that the rule needs re-examination.Read More ›