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Second Circuit Turns the Page on Google Books
As the Atlantic reports, the Second Circuit issued a ruling in Author’s Guild, Inc. v. Google this month, holding that Google’s massive book digitization project, “Google Books,” is a non-infringing use. To create Google Books, the company scanned millions of library books and made portions of each book available for free online. Users can search Google’s […]
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Save the Lions #JusticeForCecil
On July 1st, 2015, Cecil, the beloved black-maned lion, who was a popular attraction at Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park and the subject of a long-term research study, was shot and killed by American dentist, Walter Palmer. Cecil’s death sparked international outrage and spurred Zimbabwean officials to ask the U.S. to extradite Palmer, accusing him of poaching […]
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Taylor Swift Takes A Bite Out Of Apple
After weeks of back and forth, there appears to be no more bad blood between Taylor Swift and Apple. According to Forbes, the rift between the pop artist and the tech conglomerate began shortly after Apple CEO Tim Cook announced Apple would offer its own streaming platform, Apple Music. In order to entice music lovers […]
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The First Amendment to Aid Copyright Enforcement?
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Rightscorp is a company that detects copyright infringement on behalf of companies like Warner Bros., by monitoring peer-to-peer file sharing. In March, John Blaha filed the suit that initiated the current class lawsuit against Rightscorp, Warner Bros., and BMG Rights Management. Blaha, on behalf of the class action participants, argues that […]
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Judge Hears Hernandez Jury Instruction Arguments
According to ESPN, Judge Susan Garsh heard arguments on Friday regarding the instructions she would give to the jury as the trial of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez neared its conclusion. Hernandez’s attorney, James Sultan, stressed the importance of reminding the jury that the testimony of a Glock employee—who said he believed […]
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Hulu Wins Privacy Class Action
According to the Hollywood Reporter, on Tuesday Hulu was victorious in its four year class action lawsuit. The litigation centered on the Video Privacy Protection Act of 1988, which prohibits the disclosure of an individual’s purchases or uses of audio visual materials. According to the plaintiffs, Hulu violated the Act by allowing Hulu users to […]
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Robin Williams’ Publicity Rights
As Williams’ family continues to mourn his passing, an interesting twist in the division of Williams’ property arose on Monday according to the Hollywood Reporter. In addition to providing for the distribution of his personal property, Robin Williams also establishes how his image may be used after his death. More specifically, the Robin Williams Trust gave […]
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Fox’s Empire Trademark Suit
According the to the Hollywood Reporter, Fox filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking a declaratory judgment that will support its continued use of the title “Empire” for its television series of the same name. This trademark suit comes after the Network received demands from Empire Distribution (a company that represents musical artists such as Sean Paul and […]
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“Winter is Coming” but Piracy is Evaded
According to Polygon.com, the Emmy, Golden Globe, and Peabody winning television series Game of Thrones is making history again. Starting with the premiere on Sunday, April 12th, the entire 10-episode fifth season will simultaneously be broadcasted in 170 countries each week. The rationale: avoid the rampant piracy that has been tied to Game of Thrones […]
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A Blurred Line No Longer
According to Law360 and the Hollywood Reporter, on Tuesday, a jury found that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams violated Marvin Gaye’s copyright it “Got to Give It Up” in their creation of the hit song, “Blurred Lines.” After more than a year of litigation, and two and a half days of jury deliberation, Thicke and Williams have been […]
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Crowdfunding Site Encourages Athletes to Stay in School
According to ESPN, a new crowdfunding site called FanAngel will allow fans to donate money to be held for a student-athlete if he chooses to stay in school and forego the opportunity to turn professional. When an athlete chooses to stay in school, 80% of the donations will be held for the athlete in escrow, 10% […]
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Oprah “Owns Her Power”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Oprah Winfrey was victorious in a recent trademark suit regarding the use of the phrase “Own Your Power.” The phrase, which appears on the cover of her magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine, and other various Oprah products, was allegedly a registered trademark of Simone Kelly-Brown, a motivational services entrepreneur. Kelly-Brown filed the suit […]