Features
Factors in Assessing Statutory Damages for Digital Copyright Infringement
A recent federal district court award of $6.6 million in statutory damages to music publishers for the unlicensed use of song lyrics by the website LiveUniverse and its operator was hailed as the first of its type for owners of song lyrics, and thus a significant milestone for content owners in the digital era.
Features
Bit Parts
Copyright Ownership Issue Properly Sent to Jury<br>1981 Merchandising Royalties Underpayment Claim Can Proceed<br>Replacement Rollers Members' Breach Claim Is Dismissed
News Briefs
Highlights of the latest franchising news from around the country.
Warner Bros. Wins Copyright Battle over Superman
O'Melveny & Myers scored a big win for Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc. in January 2013 in the company's ugly copyright battle with the heirs to the creators of Superman. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decided that the heirs of now-deceased Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel signed away their rights to the Man of Steel in a 2001 agreement with Warner Brothers.
Evolving Court Views on Requests for ISP User Identities
When copyright suits are instituted over file-sharing infringements that take place over the Internet, the copyright owner may not know much about who the infringers are. Even in the best case, a plaintiff is unlikely to start with much more than an Internet Protocol (IP) address ' the number that identifies a computer or group of computers that may have been used to download or share all or part of an infringing file.
Features
Court Watch
Highlights of the latest franchising cases from around the country.
Features
No Substantial Similarity in Photo Used in TV Movie
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled that two television production companies didn't violate a photographer's copyright when they used an image they created that was similar to his photo ' depicting an imposter, who called himself Clark Rockefeller, and his daughter ' in a made-for-TV movie.
Features
7th Circuit Backs Use of Fan Footage in Joan Rivers Film
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed dismissal of a suit by a fan whose 16-second backstage discussion with the comedienne Joan Rivers was included in the documentary <i>Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work</i>.
IFA CEO Speaks About Legislative, Regulatory Challenges
Speaking on Jan. 16 in Chevy Chase, MD, Stephen J. Caldeira, president and CEO of the International Franchise Association, laid out IFA's legislative priorities for 2013, assessed IFA's impact on policy issues, and discussed business trends that are affecting the industry.
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