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Are Rule 12(b)(6) Dismissals In Copyright Infringement Lawsuits In Danger? Image

Are Rule 12(b)(6) Dismissals In Copyright Infringement Lawsuits In Danger?

Alan Friedman

Until recently, the Second and Ninth Circuits have both been receptive to dismissals under Rule 12(b)(6) if the court determines the plaintiff cannot plausibly state a claim of copyright infringement because the two works are not substantial similar. However, a pair of recent "unpublished" Ninth Circuit reversals involving prominent motion pictures stand in contrast to a recent Second Circuit decision affirming such a dismissal.

Features

Counsel Concerns: Plaintiffs' Counsel Faces Sanctions In Litigation that Alleged Wrestler Head Damage Image

Counsel Concerns: Plaintiffs' Counsel Faces Sanctions In Litigation that Alleged Wrestler Head Damage

Robert Storace

More than 50 wrestlers sued World Wrestling Entertainment, claiming it knew — but never disclosed — the risk associated with the sport. But it was Massachusetts plaintiff counsel Konstantine Kyros and his firm who judges singled out for plagiarism, false claims and other misbehavior in the case.

Features

Ninth Circuit Upholds Most FCC Restrictions on Local Government Review of Wireless Installations Image

Ninth Circuit Upholds Most FCC Restrictions on Local Government Review of Wireless Installations

Steven M. Silverberg & Katherine Zalantis

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' recent decision in City of Portland v. Unites States significantly affects the ability of local governments to regulate the installation of so called "small cell" wireless facilities and addresses the ability of wireless providers to utilize utility poles.

Features

COVID Shutdown Orders v. Statutory Rent Obligations Image

COVID Shutdown Orders v. Statutory Rent Obligations

Brett S. Theisen & Mark B. Conlan 

Even though payment of post-petition rent under a nonresidential lease (prior to rejection) has historically been an absolute requirement, bankruptcy courts, as courts of equity, have the ability during these extraordinary times to take a more flexible approach.

Features

Global Perspective On Filing Trademark Registrations Image

Global Perspective On Filing Trademark Registrations

Peter E. Nussbaum & Neha Bhalani

The entertainment industry is a global business, but many U.S. brand owners do not realize that their valuable trademark rights stop at the U.S. border.

Features

Deciphering the USPTO's Material Alteration Standard for Amending Marks Image

Deciphering the USPTO's Material Alteration Standard for Amending Marks

Chris Bussert

As brands mature over time, their owners often seek to update marks that are subject to a federal registration or registration application. In some cases, the impetus for the amendment may be deliberately to freshen, tweak, or otherwise modernize the subject mark. In other cases, brand owners may recognize after the fact that their current usage of a mark does not match the mark as originally registered or applied for.

Features

Testing for Genericness After USPTO v. Booking.com Image

Testing for Genericness After USPTO v. Booking.com

Alex Simonson

In the recent U.S. Supreme Court case of USPTO v. Booking.com, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the term Booking.com is not necessarily generic merely because it is composed of two components, each itself generic. In so deciding, Justice Ginsburg averred that there is an appropriate metric to determine if such a term is indeed generic, that of consumer perception.

Columns & Departments

Real Property Law Image

Real Property Law

ssalkin

Neighbors Who Used Concrete Platform Adjacent to Fence Established Title By Adverse Possession Lawyer Who Failed to Terminate Contract in Accordance With Seller's Instructions Did Not Commit Legal Malpractice Developer Strictly Liable for Damages Caused By Excavation Contract Vendee Who Did Not Seek Mortgage In Its Own Name Failed to Comply with Mortgage Contingency Clause

Features

Methods for Trademark Valuations Image

Methods for Trademark Valuations

Stacey C. Kalamaras & Henry Kaskov

Valuations of trademarks, such as those in the entertainment industry, are most commonly performed in relation to a sale or licensing transaction or for lending and collateral purposes.

Features

What's In Store for Bankruptcy Reform In a Biden Presidency Image

What's In Store for Bankruptcy Reform In a Biden Presidency

Mette H. Kurth & Dan Mette

Senator Elizabeth Warren has been relentlessly pursuing bankruptcy reform for two decades. And Joe Biden has adopted her comprehensive proposal. The proposals could impact commercial bankruptcy law and reverberate across our financial systems.

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  • Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws
    This 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.
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  • Legal Possession: What Does It Mean?
    Possession of real property is a matter of physical fact. Having the right or legal entitlement to possession is not "possession," possession is "the fact of having or holding property in one's power." That power means having physical dominion and control over the property.
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    In 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.
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