Upcoming Events
Cutting-Edge Case Developments in Film & TV Law<br>Current Issues in Music and Entertainment Law
Bit Parts
Fifth Circuit Supports Perpetual License as Remedy for Video-Game Dispute<br>Musical Composition Doesn't Infringe Screenplay<br>Redigi Resales Case Factors Into Digital-Download Royalty Litigation
Tax Planning for Nonresident Alien Artists
The independent contractor nonresident alien (NRA) who has a high level of U.S. tax-related operating expenses may wish to consider the feasibility of obtaining a Central Withholding Agreement (CWA) or otherwise be saddled with 30% tax withholding on his or her gross fees.
Expected Impact of Supreme Court First-Sale Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in <i>Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons</i>, that a legally obtained copyrighted work can be imported into the United States and resold without permission from the copyright owner, even if it was manufactured and sold overseas, has broad legal ramifications going forward, intellectual property attorneys say.
Comparing Contract Drafting in the United States and United Kingdom
The authors' previous article, in the March 2013 issue of <i>Entertainment Law & Finance</i>, considered differences between copyright regimes in the United Kingdom and the United States. This article highlights some of the principal differences between UK and U.S. contract law.
Supreme Court's <i>Kirtsaeng</i> Decision Fuels 'First Sale' Debate
Publishers frequently charge different prices in foreign markets, and they have argued that allowing unrestricted importation threatens that practice. In March, the Supreme Court squarely addressed this issue for the first time in <i>John Wiley & Sons Inc. v. Kirtsaeng</i> and held that the first-sale doctrine does in fact apply to copies made overseas and, as a result, these copies could be purchased in foreign markets and legally resold in the United States.
Court Battles over Digital Television Distribution
Aereo Inc.'s pitch is this: With one of its tiny antennas, no bigger than a dime, viewers can watch television through the Internet. But this is erupting into a litigation nightmare for broadcasters. The fight boils down to whether the broadcasters' copyrights for their shows give them control over how the shows are distributed.
Display in Musical of Clip from 'Ed Sullivan' Show Was Fair Use
In <i>SOFA Entertainment, Inc. v. Dodger Productions, Inc.</i>, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit considered whether it was "fair use" under the Copyright Act for the award-winning musical "<i>Jersey Boys</i>" to use a seven-second clip of Ed Sullivan's introduction of the Four Seasons rock band on "<i>The Ed Sullivan Show</i>" that aired in 1966.
