While websites that host infringing content are host to millions of users daily, few of these users pay money for the sites’ services. Instead, advertising from consumer brands does. In another step towards severing the “unholy alliance” between on-site advertisers and piracy websites that host infringing content, the British Government’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit […]
Stiletto Entertainment, an entity that exists to manage Barry Manilow’s affairs and owns the underlying intellectual property rights in Music and Passion Live From Las Vegas, has filed suit against Princess Cruises and Swank Motion Pictures in a potentially lucrative federal infringement suit. Music and Passion Live From Las Vegas is the recording of Manilow’s
On March 21, a jury panel in Florida awarded television celebrity, Hulk Hogan, $140 million in damages an invasion of privacy lawsuit against popular celebrity gossip website, Gawker. Tony Bollea, better known by his wrestling name Hulk Hogan, has been embroiled in a years-long legal battle with Gawker. This lawsuit, concerning a graphic sex tape
According to a report released by the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB), radio revenue from digital platforms hit an all-time high in 2015, with traditional radio revenue exceeding $1 billion for the first time in history. The president and CEO of the RAB cites changes in advertising practices as the main driver for this growth, as
According to a breaking news story by Digital Music News, multiple music streaming services including Tidal, Microsoft, Google Play, Rhapsody, and Slacker will be facing multiple class action lawsuits for their alleged failures to acquire the appropriate mechanical licenses for song recordings in their repertoires. With each suit seeking hundreds of millions of dollars
The German federal competition authority, also known as the Bundeskartellamt, has begun proceedings to investigate Facebook’s data harvesting practices. However, the grounds for the investigation are not data protection, they are antitrust. Specifically, Germany alleges that Facebook’s terms and conditions, as they relate to its use of user data, are unlawful, and because they must
Jerry Heller, former manager of iconic L.A. hip-hop group N.W.A., is in the midst of suing the film-makers of Straight Outta Compton for $110 million to prove that he’s one of the good guys. Heller’s primary complaint is that the film, chronicling the rise of the N.W.A in the 1990s and 2000s, falsely portrays him
Successful comedian Louis C.K.’s time in federal court has finally come to an end. Louis C.K. is a member of multiple unions, and from these unions were three union-industry plans requiring Louis to make financial contributions. Last year Louis’ production company, Pig Newton, filed a lawsuit against the directors of the three union-industry plans, seeking
According to an early report by TMZ (http://www.tmz.com/2016/02/23/kanye-west-album-tidal-subscriptions/ ), since Kanye West released his newest album “Life of Pablo” exclusively on Tidal, Jay Z’s “artist-friendly” music streaming service, the number of Tidal subscribers has increased from around 1 million to 2.5 million. According to this same report, the album itself has already been streamed “millions”
FTA. That is Ronda Rousey’s latest catch phrase for which she filed for a trademark earlier this week. The last trademark “Rowdy Ronda Rousey” (also trademarked) filed for is now the title of an upcoming movie featuring Tina Fey—“Do Nothing B***h.” Rousey has attracted a lot of attention this past week when she was featured
In the context of music streaming services and fair royalty payments, YouTube commonly emerges in public dialogue as the de facto “worst” of the streaming giants (https://thetrichordist.com/2014/01/16/while-artists-are-bitching-about-spotify-royalties-google-youtube-and-grooveshark-are-in-the-getaway-car/ ). Yet, new findings by TuneCore will likely alter this widespread public perception. According to a new report, the amount of royalties paid to artists with sound recordings
