Litigation

  • Author and Licensee Content Rights in Agreements for TV Productions

    These times are heady for creators of books and stories that may be suitable for television production. In addition to the traditional broadcast networks, a legion of pay and basic cable exhibitors and, more recently, direct-to-consumer streaming outlets are voraciously licensing product from those creators. Much press is given to the compensation aspects of the creators' agreements with exhibitors, but attention also should be paid to the extent and duration of the exhibitor's exclusivity in the property in which rights are being acquired,

    December 01, 2018Neil J. Rosini and Michael I. Rudell

  • Abandonment Defense Stays in Copyright Suit on Filesharing

    Malibu Media LLC is by now well-known as a frequent filer of copyright infringement lawsuits nationwide against Web users alleged to have illegally downloaded and shared the company's adult films. But a federal judge in Pennsylvania recently said it should be up to a jury to decide whether the company is entitled to stake a claim to those copyrights in the first place.

    December 01, 2018Zach Needles

  • Robbing a Locked Bank Vault from Home: Legal Issues Raised by Cryptocurrency Frauds 

    Cryptocurrency theft remains a major concern for traders and investors given that billions of dollars of cryptocurrency are stolen every year. These cutting-edge problems intersect in interesting ways with companies' existing fraud and anti-money laundering concerns, but it all starts with the cryptocurrency "wallet."

    December 01, 2018Chris Ott

  • The Supreme Court's Criminal Law Decisions in 2018

    Part Two of a Two-Part Article

    The U.S. Supreme Court last year continued to express concern about government overreach, and otherwise handed down decisions favorable to defendants. Although the Court rendered only one major criminal law decision in that term, many other cases it decided hold important lessons for defense counsel.

    December 01, 2018Harry Sandick and Jacqueline Bonneau

  • IP Provisions in 'New NAFTA' Agreement

    With Canada's agreement, the stage was set for the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to end and the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) to take its place.Among the provisions of note for the entertainment industry, copyright will receive a boost from the USMCA.

    December 01, 2018Lawrence E. Ashery

  • DMCA Filmmakers Exemption Expanded

    Digital Millennium Copyright Act exemptions aren't just for documentary filmmakers anymore. The U.S. Copyright Office and Library of Congress has broadened a DMCA exemption to now allow more filmmakers to circumvent anti-copying technology and rip short video clips for purposes of commentary and criticism.

    December 01, 2018Scott Graham

  • Case Note

    'Clerical Error' Must Be Altered to Reflect the Plea, Not the Indictment

    December 01, 2018Janice Inman