LJN Newsletters

In the 1976 Copyright Act, Congress inserted a termination right for authors or their successors for pre-January 1, 1978, assignments of copyrighted works. However, the legislators didn't directly address a key issue: how to determine termination rights for what are known as "gap grant" works — that is, those created post-1977 under copyright assignments made before then.

The COVID-19 outbreak has wreaked havoc on the entertainment industry. Productions have been halted and distribution channels disrupted. In the midst of this pandemic, one big question for contracting parties is whether force majeure will excuse or postpone a party's obligations without liability.

For the automotive industry already facing cost constraints as a result of the pandemic, the predicted increase in litigation activity accentuates the need to invest in innovative service and delivery models to cut litigation costs.

While commercial leases and the force majeure clauses contained in such leases vary widely, a recent decision from the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois may provide guidance to parties and help them to resolve similar disputes without resorting to the courts.

As a firm leader it is your fiscal responsibility to address underperforming attorneys. With COVID-19, are your underperformers flying under the radar? The cost to a firm is not only to the bottom line, but to your reputation as a leader.

Federal Judge Kathleen Williams recently analyzed the hit song "Despacito" in a copyright lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, when she found its writers had not copied an earlier Spanish song with the same name.

When a sale follows a municipality's foreclosure on a tax lien, who is entitled to sale proceeds that exceed the amount of the tax lien?

America and the EU Continue Altering Data Privacy Frameworks for Businesses A close look at a couple of privacy-related issuances from California, along with the European Court of Justice ruling invalidating the EU-U.S. privacy shield.