Disney-OpenAI’s Sora Deal: What it Signals for Licensing and Responsible AI
January 01, 2026
The Walt Disney Co.’s newly announced, three-year licensing agreement with OpenAI to bring more than 200 characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars to Sora marks a pivotal moment at the intersection of intellectual property and generative AI. For rights holders, platforms, and brands, the deal illustrates an emerging blueprint for commercializing iconic IP in AI-native formats while attempting to manage legal, regulatory, and reputational risk.
Fresh Filings
January 01, 2026
Notable recent court filings in entertainment law.
Players On the Move
January 01, 2026
A look at moves among attorneys, law firms, companies and other players in entertainment law.
Mid-Trial Settlement of Racing Teams’ Antitrust Suit Against NASCAR
December 24, 2025
In 23XI Racing LLC v. National Association of Stock Car Racing LLC (NASCAR), racing teams 23XI and Front Row Motorsports Inc. sued NASCAR, including over the latter’s inclusion of a waiver clause in agreements that permit teams to compete in NASCAR’s pinnacle Cup Series.
Fair Use Decision on Van Halen ‘Frankenstein’ Guitar Photo
December 01, 2025
Early in Van Halen’s career, Neil Zlozower shot photos of the music group at Sunset Sound Studios with Eddie holding his famous "Frankenstein" guitar. Years later, Zlozower sued the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum, alleging copyright infringement after the institution included two of his Van Halen photos, unlicensed from and uncredited to Zlozower, in exhibits at the museum.
Holes in U.S. Copyright Office’s Guidance for AI-Assisted Works
December 01, 2025
When can an artist using AI tools copyright their work? Earlier this year, the Copyright Office addressed the issue and rejected the proposition that only prompting an AI model can create a copyrightable work. But Copyright Office’s analysis missed that “randomness” for a computer means something entirely different than we generally think, ultimately underselling the amount of control someone can have over a model’s output.
Fresh Filings
December 01, 2025
Notable recent court filings in entertainment law.
UMG’s Settlement With AI Music Platform May Prove Precedential In Copyright Cases
December 01, 2025
The world’s largest music label, Universal Music Group, has announced it reached a settlement with artificial intelligence music platform Udio in a copyright infringement suit — a decision that attorneys specializing in AI, intellectual property and entertainment law say may prove precedential down the line as artists in both the entertainment and publishing industries continue to navigate the question of fair use in pending litigation against AI firms.
