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Peterson Grievance Hearing Held Today
According to Pro Football Talk, suspended Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will receive a hearing on his status today, with a decision coming by the end of the week. The hearing, which will be held under arbitrator Shyam Das, comes after the NFL Players Association filed an expedited grievance with the NFL requesting the immediate reinstatement of the star running back according to ESPN. Under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, a hearing must be held within seven days of the filing of the grievance, after which an independent arbiter has five days to render a decision. Scott Sherman is a Sports […]
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En Banc Hearing for the Innocence of Muslims Case
According to Variety, Judge Sidney Thomas for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, ordered that the “Innocence of Muslims” video case be reheard en banc this upcoming December. The previous ruling shocked tech firms as the 9th Circuit ruled that Cindy Lee Garcia held a copyright interest in her very small role in the film, and ordered YouTube to remove the video. Many noted that this decision potentially would allow actors in minor roles, or even extras, to claim copyright ownership of their performances. Tech companies are worried that if this decision is upheld, they will have to closely examine the services they provide for copyright […]
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Obama Endorses Net Neutrality
According to Deadline, President Obama supported the reclassification of broadband service in the Telecommunications Act on Monday morning, from an information service to a telecommunications service. This has implications for the entertainment industry primarily in the television sphere. The reclassification would allow the FCC to regulate Internet in the same way that it currently regulates telephone and broadcast services, which most likely would lead to net neutrality. As an information service, broadband does not have to abide by common carrier rules. Thus, currently, ISPs have the ability to favor certain content providers and provide faster service for these entities. A reclassification and ultimate […]
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Taylor Swift: No More Spotify
According to the Wall Street Journal, on Monday Taylor Swift removed her music from the streaming service, Spotify. Recently, Ms. Swift’s label, Big Machine Label Group, requested that Spotify release her new album on its platform only in the United States (as the label tries to grow her fan base internationally). However, Spotify did not comply, stating that all music released via its service must be available to all 58 countries that it serves. Similarly, in August, Swift’s single “Shake if Off” was released for streaming on Spotify, while the rest of her “1989” album became available last week for purchase only. Therefore, the initial […]
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Plaintiffs Replaced in Class Action Lawsuit against NCAA
According to CBS Sports, Wisconsin men’s basketball player Nigel Hayes and Middle Tennessee football player Anfornee Stewart have replaced three former named plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against the NCAA. Hayes and Stewart were added after three plaintiffs left the lawsuit due to an expiration of their college eligibility. Hayes and Stewart now join class representative Martin Jenkins, a Clemson football player, in a lawsuit led by sports labor attorney Jeffrey Kessler of Winston & Strawn. The plaintiffs are suing the NCAA and the Power 5 conferences (the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC) for unfairly limiting compensation for student-athletes through the enforcement of rules […]
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More Legal Woes for Lindsay Lohan
According to the New York Daily News, Lindsay Lohan and her brother Michael Lohan, face a million dollar lawsuit over their mobile application, Vigme. The app allows users to identify clothes worn by celebrities and make purchases in the app. However, Fima Potik claims that Lohan stole the business idea from his app, Spotted Friend. Potik originally approached the Lohans to help raise funds for his business and to help promote its use. Instead, Potik claims Lohan stole his idea by creating Vigme. On Friday, Lohan’s lawyer argued against the grant of an injunction, stating that because Spotted Friend never became a fully […]
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New Meaning of MVPD: A Future for Aereo?
According to the Hollywood Reporter, on Tuesday, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler wrote a blog post indicating that the FCC is considering a rule making proceeding to revise the definition of a multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD) to include online video providers. Wheeler mentioned that he hopes to update the definition to be technology neutral. Extending the definition to online video providers would force broadcasters to enter into retransmission agreements with these entities. Currently, MVPDs distribute programming either because the broadcaster has invoked its must-carry rights, or the broadcaster and the MVPD have negotiated a retransmission agreement. While, the announcement is not a […]
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Future of Music Policy Summit
According to Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune, The 14th annual Future of Music Policy Summit commenced on Monday. Among the topics discussed, was the role of copyright in the music industry. Copyright law has not been updated to reflect the rise in technology, and while Congress has begun to amend the current legal regime, it will take many years before significant changes are made. Thus, as touring becomes the main source of income for musical artists, how are lesser known artists to make a profit on their creations? One suggestion is the creation of a global data base of recordings. This puts the burden […]
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Judge Blocks NJ Track from Allowing Sports Gambling
According to ESPN, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Shipp issued a preliminary injunction that prevented the thoroughbred track at Monmouth Park from allowing legal sports gambling this past weekend. Judge Shipp found that allowing legal gambling in New Jersey would cause irreparable harm to the Plaintiffs, the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL and NCAA. The ruling delivers a blow to Monmouth Park who has spent the last two months preparing to transform their sports bar into a sportsbook and had expected thousands of betters to come for the NFL games this Sunday. The debate about whether or not New Jersey can allow legal […]
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Kesha Sexual Abuse Case Updates
According to the Hollywood Reporter, last week Kesha filed a lawsuit against the producer Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald for sexual abuse. The case began when Kesha was 18 years old and dropped out of high school at Dr. Luke’s suggestion. She eventually signed with Dr. Luke in 2005. The filed suit claims that Dr. Luke raped Ms. Sebert (Kesha) and threatened her and her family if she ever went public with the allegations. Yet, on Tuesday, a deposition from a previous 2010 case involving Ms. Sebert and her managers at DAS Communications, was unsealed. In the sworn testimony she denied that Dr. Luke […]
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Bad Day for Hockey: Separate Lawsuits Filed Against NHL and CHL
According to Sports Illustrated, both the National Hockey League and the Canadian Hockey League were slapped with separate class action lawsuits on Monday. The lawsuit against the NHL was initiated in federal court in Minnesota and is to be heard by U.S. District Court Judge Susan Richard Nelson of Brady v. NFL fame. The suit, brought by former players, is seeking damages related to the the league’s handling of concussions and head injuries. This comes on the heels of a settlement involving similar claims against the NFL. The lawsuit against the CHL, an organization designed to protect the amateur status […]
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Facebook Sues Law Firms
According to Businessweek, on Monday, Mark Zuckerberg filed a suit against several law firms and individual attorneys who represented Paul Ceglia in 2010. In 2010, Ceglia brought a suit in a New York state court asserting that Zuckerberg had promised him an 84% stake in Facebook. After researching Ceglia’s claim and finding it credible, DLA Piper took the case. However, three months later, the firm withdrew its representation without explanation. Following DLA Piper’s departure, other firms entered to represent Ceglia, including Paul Argentieri & Associates, Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP, and Milberg LLP (now included in Zuckerberg’s suit). Ultimately, Ceglia’s initial suit was dropped when a […]