Litigation

This article examines the allegations of Spirit that Led Zeppelin copied the introductory descending guitar figure in "Stairway to Heaven" from its 1968 instrumental, explains why the suit is not stale despite being brought 42 years after the release of "Stairway," and discusses the challenges that the plaintiff must overcome if he is to prevail in the litigation.

Arbitration Provision Read Into SAG-AFTRA Limited Exhibition Agreement
DVD Cover Photo Included In News Reporting Was Fair Use

Anti-waiver provisions in state franchise acts have traditionally been used to trump the venue designated in the franchise agreement and to successfully transfer venue to the franchisee's home state. However, a recent decision from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan has added weight to a small but growing body of cases enforcing forum-selection clauses against franchisees that operate in states with franchise acts containing anti-waiver provisions.

On June 25, 2014, a 6-3 majority of the U.S. Supreme Court held that Aereo's streaming service ' which allowed customers to view over-the-air TV broadcasts via the Internet ' violated the broadcasters' public performance right under the Copyright Act. Applying what the dissent derided as "an improvised standard ('looks-like-cable-TV')," the majority held that Aereo infringed copyrights owned by the television networks.

A divided federal appeals court on July 28 ruled that Virginia's ban on same sex marriage is unconstitutional.

While the term redaction is well known in the legal community and government agencies, the term itself is new to those not in the fields mentioned above. Because of improper redaction making its way into the headlines, more and more people are seeing the term.

An in-depth look at several key rulings.

Arbitration is a creature of contract, made between consenting parties. As such, it is generally thought that those who have not signed an arbitration agreement cannot be compelled to arbitrate. While that is often the case, like most legal rules, it has its exceptions. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has recognized five of them.