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Marley Heirs Win Lanham Act Case
According to Billboard, Bob Marley’s heirs succeeded in obtaining damages from merchandisers who utilized Marley’s image without the estate’s permission. To prevent unauthorized uses of Marley’s likeness, his children created Fifty-Six Hope Road Music, a company which regulates the licensing of his image. In this case, which began in 2008, Fifty-Six Hope sued A.V.E.L.A. and other manufacturers of various […]
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Wrigley Rooftop Owners Denied Preliminary Injunction
According to the Chicago Tribune, U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall denied a request for a preliminary injunction that would have halted construction of video boards and outfield advertising signs as part of the Chicago Cub’s $375 Million renovation plan for Wrigley Field. Rooftop operators beyond left field, who sell season tickets to watch the Cubs games from […]
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Yelp Trademark Suit
According to the Consumerist, Yelp has a filed a lawsuit against three websites–Revpley, Revleap.me, and YelpDirector. Yelp’s suit asserts that the sites have engaged in trademark infringement, unfair competition, contract interference, false advertising, and cybersquatting. The defendant websites all propose to offer companies methods to increase their ratings on Yelp. In fact, YelpDirector sent emails to […]
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Freeplay Music: Infringement Victim or Copyright Troll?
According to Variety, Freeplay Music is suing four multichannel networks (MCNs) on YouTube. These include, AwesomenessTV, Big Frame (owned by AwesomenessTV), BroadbandTV, and Disney’s Maker Studios. Freeplay, a music licensing company, claims that these channels have infringed its copyrights in the the music it licenses to consumers. The Company also alleges that the defendants refused to negotiate […]
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Minor League Baseball Minimum Wage Suit Secures Small Victory
According to NBC Sports and the Courthouse News Service, U.S. District Judge Joseph Spero stated today that he is unlikely to transfer a class action against MLB alleging violations of fair labor practices with respect to minor league baseball players to the Middle District of Florida. Judge Spero argued that transfer was unnecessary, as alleged violations were nationwide […]
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Lance Armstrong Loses Arbitration Dispute With Promotion Company
According to USA Today, Lance Armstrong will be ordered to pay $10 million after losing an arbitration dispute against the sports insurance firm that paid his Tour de France bonuses. SCA Promotions, who sued Armstrong for fraud in securing his Tour de France titles, asked a Texas Court on Monday to turn the arbitral panel’s 2-1 […]
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Left Shark Dispute
“Left Shark” became an Internet phenomenon after Katy Perry’s Super Bowl half-time show earlier this month. In fact, Perry now is seeking to assert a copyright claim in the character (an out-of-sync back-up dancer), according to TechDirt. After the show, Fernando Sosa sought to sell 3D printed versions of Left Shark online. Shortly thereafter, Perry’s […]
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Sony Requests Class Actions to be Dismissed
According to the Hollywood Reporter, on Monday Sony Pictures requested that eight class action lawsuits be dismissed. Sony also has submitted a motion to consolidate these actions. Ultimately, Sony claims that that the plaintiffs have not asserted an actual injury (i.e. identity theft or fraudulent charges). Instead, the lawsuits, that were filed on behalf of ex-employees […]
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Spanish Court Blocks Real Madrid Stadium Redevelopment Plan
According to ESPNFC, a Madrid Court has blocked a potential redevelopment plan for Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. This stadium project delay comes on the heels of a European Commission investigation into whether Real Madrid had illegally received state aid in connection to the project. The Madrid Court’s ruling negated a change to the Madrid General Development […]
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Federal Court to Hear Peterson Suspension Challenge
According to ESPN, U.S. District Court Judge David Doty will hear the NFL Player Association’s challenge to Adrian Peterson’s punishment stemming from his child abuse scandal. The NFLPA alleges that Commissioner Roger Goodell acted outside the scope of his authority when he chose to place Peterson on the Commissioner’s Exempt List and later indefinitely suspended […]
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Net Neutrality–A Boon for Netflix or a Detriment to Innovation?
Last week FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, announced that the Federal Communications Commission would impose strict rules to enforce net neutrality. According to Law360, Wheeler seeks to re-classify broadband providers as public utilities, such that they will be regulated like electric companies. This announcement has been developing over the past few months. Originally, Wheeler sought to […]
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Phillip Phillips: Let Me Be “Gone, Gone, Gone” From My American Idol Recording Contract
Imagine you win one of the most successful reality television shows in history, along with the hearts and votes of millions of Americans. Yet, now, you are forced to sign a contract that allows your managers and producers to refuse to disclose to you the name of your upcoming album, obligates you to perform live […]