Posts Tagged: entertainment industry
The Music Modernization Act is Introduced Into U.S. House, Would Create Blanket Licenses for Streaming Music Services
a bipartisan group of Representatives serving on the House Judiciary Committee introduced the Music Modernization Act (H.R. 5447) into the U.S. House of Representatives. Along with …
Ninth Circuit says ‘Blurred Lines’ Infringed Marvin Gaye’s ‘Got To Give It Up’
On Wednesday, March 21, 2018, a panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the song Blurred Lines infringed the copyright in Marvin …
Increasing Fairness For Independent Songwriters By Improving The Music Modernization Act
As advocates for all music creators, including independent songwriters, we have endorsed the Music Modernization Act, along with other organizations spanning the music industry, as part of …
Largest Ever Copyright Royalty Board Ruling Transforms How Songwriters are Paid
Less than 48 hours before the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in New York City, the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) ruled to increase royalty payments to songwriters and music …
Judge Finds Taylor Swift Lyrics Lack Originality and Creativity
So uncreative did Judge Michael Fitzgerald find Taylor Swift's 2014 hit Shake It Off, he dismissed a copyright infringement case filed against her. In his opinion Judge Michael …
The Commodores Trademark Lawsuit and its Effect on IP in Entertainment
Grammy Award winning funk, soul band The Commodores—whose hit singles include Easy and Brick House—recently won a trademark infringement lawsuit against its ex-bandmate and founding …
Spotify Sued by Music Publishing Company for Unauthorized Use of Thousands of Songs
The world’s biggest music streaming service, Spotify, has recently been sued by Wixen Music Publishing for allegedly using thousands of songs without a license and compensation …
Pablo Escobar’s Brother Wants $1 Billion for Trademark Dispute with Netflix
Narcos, the popular Netflix drama about one of the world’s most notorious drug lords Pablo Escobar, is currently at the center of a trademark dispute that …
Bill Nye files suit against Disney, Buena Vista for millions in underreported licensing payments
In the suit, Nye alleges that Buena Vista Television entered into an agreement in March 1993 to promote, market and distribute the Bill Nye the Science Guy television …
In the Era of Spotify and Pandora Where Do ASCAP and BMI Fit?
In traditional music recording, artists have had to choose to license their music through major music industry organizations like ASCAP and BMI. In the age of streaming …
Inspiration vs. Copying: Where’s the Line in Hollywood?
When it comes to television shows, it not always clear what is “copyrightable.” Sometimes, filmmakers and screen writers can get into serious trouble if they don’t …
My Top 25 Songs of All Time
I took Gene’s request to heart and really tried to capture my top 25 songs. To be honest, however, I had a very difficult time narrowing the …
Why Gene Simmons Abandoned His ‘Devil Horns’ Trademark Application
Earlier this month, Kiss frontman Gene Simmons filed to trademark the "Devil Horns" hand gesture, but this unusual application was soon after abandoned. The application listed the …
Is There Such a Thing as “Entertainment Law”?
A lot of law students and young attorneys aim to get into the field of “entertainment law.” Today, entertainment law is more of a combination of contract …
The Impact of Drake’s Fair Use Copyright Victory on Music Copyright Infringement
A few weeks ago, a New York federal judge ruled that Hip-Hop Artist Drake was protected by copyright’s fair use doctrine when he sampled a spoken-word …
