by jburns | Nov 8, 2015 | Copyright, Entertainment Law, Labor and Employment, Trademark Law
Each time we turn a year older, our friends and relatives sing “Happy Birthday”. This song is part of the American birthday tradition for millions of people, but companies have paid licensing fees to Warner/Chappell Music Inc. for its use. Warner/Chappell Music...
by jburns | Oct 24, 2015 | Copyright, Entertainment Law, Uncategorized
On October 14th, 2015, Jay-Z and Timbaland appeared in a Los Angeles federal court for copyright infringement regarding a sample used in their 1999 hit, Big Pimpin. This court appearance marked the beginning of the end of an eight-year legal battle, which began in...
by jburns | Oct 22, 2015 | Copyright
YouTube content providers breathed a collective sigh of relief after a landmark decision last month from the Ninth Circuit. The panel held that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) compels copyright holders to consider whether a particular use is fair before...
by jburns | Oct 16, 2015 | Copyright, Entertainment Law, Policy, Unfair Competition
Last month, the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) requested public comment on several issues regarding Performing Rights Organizations (PRO)’s licensing of jointly owned works.[1] The request was made as part of the Division’s review of the...
by jburns | Oct 8, 2015 | Entertainment Law, Sports Law
Just a little over four months ago, nearly 3 million people purchased PPV (pay-per-view) through Showtime and HBO to watch the so-called fight of the century. With a $100 pay-per-view price tag, both Showtime and HBO made upwards of $300 million. However, this number...
