'Vanicorn' Lawsuit Filed over Pixar, Disney Film
March 01, 2020
A unicorn-loving tattoo artist alleges that Pixar and Disney have tricked her into letting them use her "Vanicorn" in the upcoming film Onward. Her suit accuses the companies of copyright infringement, and violations of state and federal laws protecting artwork.
New Lawsuit Over Meek Mill Documentary
February 01, 2020
A former Philadelphia police officer has alleged she was defamed in an episode of Free Meek, the documentary series that was made available on Amazon Prime last year.
The Trademark That Got His Goat
February 01, 2020
In a recent trademark cancellation case that has drawn "human interest" attention in the news, the plaintiff appealed an adverse decision to the Federal Circuit. The plaintiff was not "kidding" when he expressed his opinion that the registered mark, described as "goats on a roof of grass," is demeaning to goats which, in turn, is offensive to him.
Bit Parts
February 01, 2020
California Court of Appeal Finds Film Producer's Anti-SLAPP Free Speech Argument Is Valid Against Lawsuit By Investor
No Implied Covenant to File Song Cue Sheets for Foreign Broadcast
How Judges Are Interpreting Supreme Court's Copyright 'Registration' Ruling
January 01, 2020
In Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com LLC, the U.S. Supreme Court held that, under 17 U.S.C. §411(a), "registration occurs, and a copyright claimant may commence an infringement suit, when the Copyright Office registers a copyright" — that is, acts on a registration application, rather than when an applicant delivers the registration materials to the Copyright Office.
What Would End of Film Studio Consent Decrees Mean?
January 01, 2020
In November, the DOJ asked a federal district court to terminate the Paramount Consent Decrees, a set of rules governing major film studios for the last 70 years. In effect, these rules prohibited movie studios from owning downstream movie theaters and banned a variety of vertical agreements, such as block booking — the practice of bundling multiple films into one theater license.
