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 […]
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
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
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
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
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
According to the Hollywood Reporter, after declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Aereo auctioned off its assets last week, in an effort to recover funds to repay $4.2 million of various liabilities. Interestingly, no one bought the infamous antennas that were the heart of Aereo’s business model. Rather RPX Corporation bought the company’s patents for $225,000; Alliance Technology
And the fight continues…. According to Law360, the lawsuit began in August 2013 when the now defendants (Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, and rapper T.I.) asked the court for a declaratory judgment to prove their, song “Blurred Lines,” did not infringe Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” This strategic move backfired, as they now find themselves
As a man of few words, Marshawn Lynch continues to collect and profit off of his unwillingness to engage with the media. On Super Bowl XLIX’s media day, the Seattle Seahawks running back repeatedly responded to reporters’ questions with “I’m just here so I don’t get fined.” The phrase went viral. Even Katy Perry, Super Bowl
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
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
