Features
Bit Parts
TV Show Titles/Copyright, Trademark Claims<br>Inter-Label Litigation/Insurance Coverage<br>Trademark Infringement/Laches<br>Video Games/Artists' Indicia
Features
Recovery for the Death of a Stillborn Child
The legal protection afforded to the unborn has become a procedural and substantive issue arising in both traditional and non-traditional contexts. Following is a look at case law, past and present.
Features
Counsel Concerns
Malpractice Claims/File-Sharing Software<br>Malpractice Claims/Statute of Limitations
Cameo Clips
BOOK COPYRIGHTS/FAIR USE DEFENSE<br>USE OF VOICE/PUBLICITY, ENDORSEMENT CLAIMS
Features
A Look At Disney's International Legal Team
For Peter Wiley, the Walt Disney Co.'s European head of legal, these are interesting times. His employer, one of the most iconic companies in the world, is engaged in a drive to expand internationally and take the House of Mouse into the digital age.
'360' Agreements Reflect Industry's Economic Shift
During the last few years, recording artists have been entering into so-called "360 agreements" with record companies and entertainment corporations in increasing numbers, changing the relationship that existed for decades among artists and major labels. Instead of focusing solely on sales of recorded music, the record companies now are sharing, through these agreements, in performers' income from a 360-degree range of professional activities. These developments reflect the difficulties encountered in the music industry as electronic transmission of recordings has become dominant and piracy rampant, making the financial returns from sales of records insufficient to justify the cost of creating, marketing and promoting recorded music.
Decision of Note
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit decided that NBC didn't breach the employment contract of a producer for the investigative TV series "Dateline" when it fired the producer at the end of a contract cycle.
Features
Right-of-Publicity Amendments Extend Protections, But Marilyn Monroe LLC Suffers New Setback
Los Angeles entertainment attorney Robert A. Finkelstein accompanied Nancy Sinatra to Washington, DC, last summer for a U.S. Congressional hearing on a proposal for terrestrial radio stations to pay performance royalties to air sound recordings. Sinatra was a key artist-rights witness before the House Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property. Finkelstein praised a recent change in Washington state's right-of-publicity statute. The amendment, which took effect in June 2008, eliminated a personality's domicile as a bar to bringing a right-of-publicity suit.
The New York City Family Court Legal Services Project
Since Fall 2006, over 1,200 low-income families have been helped by an innovative pro bono project run by the New York City Family Court. The project is administering a much-needed jolt to a system overwhelmed by unrepresented litigants and a lack of resources.
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MOST POPULAR STORIES
- The 'Sophisticated Insured' DefenseA majority of courts consider the <i>contra proferentem</i> doctrine to be a pillar of insurance law. The doctrine requires ambiguous terms in an insurance policy to be construed against the insurer and in favor of coverage for the insured. A prominent rationale behind the doctrine is that insurance policies are usually standard-form contracts drafted entirely by insurers.Read More ›
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- Abandoned and Unused Cables: A Hidden Liability Under the 2002 National Electric CodeIn an effort to minimize the release of toxic gasses from cables in the event of fire, the 2002 version of the National Electric Code ("NEC"), promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association, sets forth new guidelines requiring that abandoned cables must be removed from buildings unless they are located in metal raceways or tagged "For Future Use." While the NEC is not, in itself, binding law, most jurisdictions in the United States adopt the NEC by reference in their state or local building and fire codes. Thus, noncompliance with the recent NEC guidelines will likely mean that a building is in violation of a building or fire code. If so, the building owner may also be in breach of agreements with tenants and lenders and may be jeopardizing its fire insurance coverage. Even in jurisdictions where the 2002 NEC has not been adopted, it may be argued that the guidelines represent the standard of reasonable care and could result in tort liability for the landlord if toxic gasses from abandoned cables are emitted in a fire. With these potential liabilities in mind, this article discusses: 1) how to address the abandoned wires and cables currently located within the risers, ceilings and other areas of properties, and 2) additional considerations in the placement and removal of telecommunications cables going forward.Read More ›
- Guidance on Distributions As 'Disbursements' and U.S. Trustee FeesIn a recent case from the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, In re Paragon Offshore PLC, the bankruptcy court provided guidance on whether a post-plan effective date litigation trust's distributions constituted disbursements subject to the U.S. Trustee fee "tax."Read More ›