Decision of Note: Texas Court Lacks Jurisdiction over 'Daily Show' Host
March 28, 2007
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas decided that it lacked personal jurisdiction over comedian Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, in a suit filed over a segment in which a Texas resident appeared. Busch v. Viacom International Inc., 3:06-CV-0493-L. The Daily Show broadcast a parody of a dietary drink that TV evangelist Pat Robertson promoted. The Daily Show segment included a clip from Robertson's show The 700 Club in which plaintiff Phillip Busch, a user of the dietary drink, shook Robertson's hand. Busch filed claiming defamation and misappropriation of image in the Daily Show piece.
Tips for Negotiating Mobile-Game Development Agreements
March 28, 2007
The mobile-game industry can be lucrative. Mobile games ' which can be downloaded to cell phones and other mobile devices ' can be cheaper and easier to develop than games created for platforms like PCs or game consoles, where users expect higher production values. What also makes mobile games attractive to developers and entrepreneurs is the potential market of consumers who already carry and use cell phones ' estimated at 207.9 million nationwide and 2 billion worldwide. Mobile games present huge brand opportunities as well: Celebrities such as hotel heiress Paris Hilton, rapper 50 Cent, skateboarder Tony Hawk and poker champion Phil Hellmuth have each licensed their names and images to mobile games. Tom Cruise, notoriously shy of associating his name with videogames, lent his name exclusively to a Mission Impossible III mobile-phone game.
Sales
March 28, 2007
Review of recent cases with expert commentary.
Mediation
March 28, 2007
In-depth commentary on recent rulings.
Bankruptcy
March 28, 2007
Recent rulings you need to know.
'Expert' Opinions Do Not Support Need for EIR
March 28, 2007
Can a layman's opinion on the environmental impacts of a development project serve as a basis for a court to find that a mitigated negative declaration (MND) (CEQA ' 21064.5) is inadequate? That was the question posed in <i>Landwatch Monterey County v. County of Monterey</i>, 55 Cal.Rptr.3d 34 (Cal.App 76 Dist., 1/23/2007) (Rushing, P.J.), when plaintiff offered opinions from two people who, at first glance, appeared to have some expertise on the subject of water resources.
New Development water Planning Measures
March 28, 2007
The California Supreme Court, in its recent 6-1 decision in <i>Vineyard Area Citizens for Responsible Growth Inc. v. City of Rancho Cordova</i>, 2/1/2007, concerning the Sunrise Douglas Community Plan, raised the number of hoops developers must leap through to ensure that their large-scale developments' future water needs will be met without too great an impact on the environment. The decision in <i>Vineyard Area Citizens</i> not only put a hold on a huge development planned for Rancho Cordova, but also placed other developers in the state on notice that certain shortcuts in water-use planning will not be accepted by the courts when challenged.
Verdicts
March 27, 2007
Recent rulings of interest to you and your practice.
