Upcoming Event
August 30, 2012
Texas Bar 22d Annual Entertainment Law Institute<br>Austin, TX, October 25-26
Bit Parts
August 30, 2012
Film Budgets Subject to Public Disclosure<br>"Stronger" Similarities Not Strong Enough to be Infringing<br>Sublicense for U.S. Song Remains Valid in Russia<br>Talent Agent Experience Helps Establish Foundation as Expert on Personal Management Post-Term Commissions
Long Road in China to Protect Cartoon Trademark
August 30, 2012
Despite its high rate of piracy, the strengthening of intellectual property laws in China has given some hope to owners of trademarks from other countries. The instructive article that follows documents the many twists and turns involved in in seeking to protect the trademark for a Japanese cartoon in China.
A Primer on Insurance Coverage for Live Events
August 30, 2012
Even if a concert venue carries liability insurance to cover the scheduled performance, it is important for the musical group to carry its own liability and property insurance. And because cancellations, postponements, and the inability of the performer to take the stage also often occur due to unforeseen circumstances, those with a financial stake in the live event could also benefit greatly through the purchase of event cancellation and/or non-appearance insurance.
No Fair Use in Mag's Publication of Marriage Photos of Singer
August 30, 2012
To Ninth Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown, the appeal in copyright case <i>Monge v. Maya Magazines</i> read "like a telenovela, a Spanish soap opera." McKeown wrote that the Spanish-language gossip magazine <i>TVNotas</i> violated the copyright of Noelia Lorenzo Monge, a Puerto Rican pop singer known mostly by her first name, and her husband, Jorge Reynoso, a music producer, by publishing private wedding photographs that apparently had been stolen from them.
China Opportunities for U.S. Entertainment Industry Still Saddled with Government and 'Copycat' Hurdles
August 30, 2012
<i>Entertainment Law & Finance</i> Editor-in-Chief Stan Soocher traveled to China over the summer to teach the course 'American Music Goes to Court' at the International College of Beijing. He reports here, in a two-part series, on the state of entertainment industry issues in China, as U.S. companies try to expand their reach there. Part One covers the current state of copyright law in China and discusses TV and film concerns.
Website Accessibility Rules Are Still on Target
July 30, 2012
A recent federal court ruling, <i>National Association of the Deaf v. Netflix, Inc.</i>, held that California's state disability rights laws applied to a website, despite the absence of a bricks-and-mortar store nexus. Instead, the National Association for the Deaf (NAD) pursued the accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of a "website only" firm with no real-world presence ' Netflix.
Litigators Get (Anti-) Social in the Crusade For Brand Protection
July 30, 2012
As networkers blog about everything from the banal to the ridiculous, sifting through the social media landscape for brand protection intelligence can seem like a task of Herculean proportions. While some postings are retweeted like wildfire, garnering global exposure, others sit buried and largely unread. However, if brand owners get it right, they are sitting on a gold mine of information.
