Serendipity used to be a popular notion. While the term may have fallen from favor, the concept itself still makes appearances ' often surprising ones (as one would think). And while serendipity is not something you would expect to be associated with the U.S. Supreme Court, that is precisely where it was last sighted, specifically in the June ruling in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer v. Grokster.
What can lawyers do about vile words in a country where freedom of speech is the first order of business according to the Bill of Rights?
An often-overlooked component of a company's intellectual property portfolio is the company Web site. This is especially true in the fast-paced world of technology firms, whose primary emphasis is usually core technology in the form of patents or trade secrets. The Web site, as a matter of course, is the most innocuous of assets, but it's an asset nonetheless. The job of the general counsel's office is to protect it.
International Music Lobby on the Attack Against Digital Piracy
U.S. to Retain Global Control of Domain-name System
Does Grokster's throwing in the towel mean the end of P2Ps as we have come to know them? Or is merely smoke and mirrors?
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York upheld an arbitration award over cancellations by rapper of Lil Jon of concerts in Japan.
The Supreme Court of Connecticut upheld a legal malpractice judgment against a law firm that represented the plaintiff client in a suit over a sports publishing company he had co-founded.
As Hollywood filmmakers increasingly shift production abroad, they're creating myriad opportunities for U.S. entertainment lawyers. While the so-called "runaway" productions are bleeding thousands of U.S. industry jobs, the migration is a boon for entertainment-law practices that thrive on international legal complexities.
Buy It, Burn It, Return It" is the policy recently adopted by a record chain in New Jersey. A radio ad for another retail store states: "You find it, you buy it, you burn it. What, I mean, not really burn it. You know. Put it in your iPod or MP3. And then sell it back. That's right: we'll buy your CDs back." The retailer can then sell the recording as used, over and over again, buying it back for less than the selling price and profiting perhaps even more than by selling it only one time.
The problem with these "new" record-retail tactics is that they clearly violate the rights of sound-recording and musical-composition copyright owners to control the rental distribution of their works.
