Weintraub Tobin IP attorneys Scott Hervey and Josh Escovedo discuss the copyright dispute over the TV show “Empire,” Jon Astor-White v. Daniel Strong.
Category Archives: Entertainment Law
Subscribe to Entertainment Law RSS FeedFootball, Beer, and Court Fights
Posted in Entertainment Law, IPWhen it comes to football, I am a huge fan and love watching games on TV. However, I do not typically pay attention to the commercials during games, with one major exception: the Super Bowl. Like most everyone, I am always curious to see which company will have the best and the worst Super Bowl… Continue Reading
The “Wolf of Wall Street” Defamation Suit – The Risk of an “Inspired By” Character in Movies and TV
Posted in Entertainment Law, IPThe motion picture Wolf of Wall Street was based on a book of the same title written by Jordan Belmont. In the book, Andrew Greene, who was director, general counsel, and head of the corporate finance department at Stratton Oakmont between 1993 and 1996, was discussed extensively. In the book, Greene is referred to by… Continue Reading
Disney Seeks to Stop the Rise of Infringing Baby Yoda Goods on Etsy
Posted in Copyright Law, Entertainment Law, IPWhen Disney chose to delay the production and release of merchandise related to The Child—commonly referred to as Baby Yoda—from its hit series, The Mandalorian, it created a significant opportunity for unlicensed fans to create and sell such merchandise. According to statements released by the Walt Disney Company, it intentionally delayed the production of Baby… Continue Reading
Order in Netflix Lawsuit is a Reminder of the Bounds of Copyright Protection
Posted in Copyright Law, Entertainment Law, IPVirginia Vallejo, a well known Colombian journalist and media personality, authored the memoir “Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar”. The book is a factual account of her romantic relationship with Pablo Escobar and a chronicle of the rise of the Colombian drug cartel. Vallejo claimed that certain scenes in the television series Narcos infringed the copyright in… Continue Reading
It’s Not Water under the Bridge – “Fiji Water Girl” Sues Water Company Over Cardboard Cutout
Posted in Entertainment Law, IPFor those of you that watched the red carpet happenings at last year’s Golden Globe Awards, you may have noticed the “Fiji Water Girl”, a model standing ready to keep Hollywood glitterati hydrated with bottles of Fiji water, photobombing numerous shots of celebrities. Her presence on the red carpet created a social media firestorm and… Continue Reading
In-Game “Carlton Dance” Routine Triggers Lawsuit From Fresh Prince Actor Alfonso Ribeiro
Posted in Copyright Law, Entertainment Law, Intellectual Property LitigationActors gain notoriety for different reasons. For some, it’s due to a physical characteristic or an iconic character portrayal. For Alfonso Ribeiro, it’s a dance. The dance, which has become known worldwide as the “Carlton Dance,” is a corny dance number performed by Ribeiro’s character Carlton Banks on the 90’s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of… Continue Reading
Right of Publicity Risks For Producers Still Uncertain
Posted in Entertainment Law, IP, IP Law Blog Lawyers In The NewsOften writers base characters on complete fiction, drawing from their imagination to build a character’s various facets. However, on certain occasions a writer may base a character on a living person. Sometimes such a portrayal is factual and other times it may be a combination of fact and fiction. Such was the case, claimed legendary… Continue Reading
Hall v. Swift: Nothing Original About a Player Hater
Posted in Entertainment Law, IP Law Blog Lawyers In The News“Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate Baby I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake Shake it off / Shake it off Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake Baby I’m… Continue Reading
Diddy’s @Infringement Instagram Post
Posted in Cyberspace Law, Entertainment Law, Web/TechIn today’s age of rapid fire social media, posting to feed the ever growing hunger of a digitally connected audience has become second nature to celebrities and other influencers. In fact, the larger the number of followers, the greater the compulsion to constantly connect. And that’s where the problems can arise. The facts underlying the… Continue Reading
When is Making a Movie Not an Act of Free Speech?
Posted in Copyright Law, Entertainment Law, Legal Info, Trademark LawI admit that the title of this article may be a bit deceiving. Making films, like any other production of art, is almost always an act of free speech. However, the Ninth Circuit was recently faced with a dilemma of determining this issue in connection with an anti-SLAPP motion brought against a screen writer who… Continue Reading
Lawsuits are the Inevitable Cost of YouTube Success
Posted in Copyright Law, Cyberspace Law, Entertainment Law, Web/TechWhenever there is a report of a YouTube creator being sued for copyright infringement, the response from the creator and the community seems to be one of shock and surprise. The truth is, successful YouTube content creators should not be surprised when they get sued for copyright infringement. Any person or company that creates content… Continue Reading
Paramount and Star Trek Fan Film Producers Settle
Posted in Copyright Law, Entertainment Law, Patent Law, Trademark LawParamount and Star Trek Fan Film Producers Settle The copyright infringement lawsuit between Star Trek fan film producer, Axanar Productions, and Paramount Pictures came to an end less than two weeks before trial. The settlement was undoubtedly triggered by the court’s early January ruling that the fan fiction film, Prelude to Axanar, is not protected… Continue Reading
“It’s In The Game” – Proof Issues In Software Copyright Infringement Cases
Posted in Copyright Law, Entertainment Law, Patent Law, Web/TechA recent Ninth Circuit decision in Antonick v. Electronic Arts, Inc. (filed Nov. 22, 2016), shows some of the proof issues that a plaintiff may encounter in prosecuting claims for copyright infringement in connection with software. A jury found in favor of plaintiff’s claims of infringement; however, the trial court granted the defendant’s motion for… Continue Reading
From Rogue One to Forces of Destiny: A Star Wars Intellectual Property Story
Posted in Copyright Law, Cyberspace Law, Entertainment Law, Trademark LawWith last weekend’s release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars is once again living and thriving. Rogue One opened with a most impressive $155 million opening in North America, and $290 million worldwide, making it the 12th largest opening in United States History. Now, this isn’t really related to intellectual property, but… Continue Reading
Phasers Set to Stun – Star Trek and Fan Film Producers Trade Copyright Shots
Posted in Copyright Law, Entertainment LawFan films and fan fiction ordinarily don’t end up being the subject of a federal court lawsuit. Most fan fiction are creative expressions reflecting adoration of a series, film or character and the majority of copyright owners take a permissive view of fan fiction. However, Paramount Pictures, the owner of the Star Trek franchise, which… Continue Reading
Federal Circuit Takes A Common Law Approach to “Abstract Idea” Determinations in Alice Cases
Posted in Copyright Law, Entertainment Law, Legal Info, Patent Law, Trademark Law, Web/TechBy: Eric Caligiuri In Amdocs (Israel) Ltd. v. Openet Telecom Inc. et al., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently upheld four software patents against a patent-eligibility challenge, finding that the patents do not claim an “abstract idea.” The patent challenge was under the frame work set out by the U.S. Supreme… Continue Reading
Luxo Shuts the Lights Out on Disney’s and Pixar’s Merchandising of Luxo Jr.
Posted in Entertainment Law, Patent Law, Trademark LawIt is no secret; the Disney Corporation is a marketing and merchandising powerhouse. It has achieved that reputation by capitalizing on almost every marketing and merchandising opportunity that comes its way. If you have kids, the odds are you have been subjected to the Disney Corporation’s influence on more than one occasion. In fact, even… Continue Reading
Disney’s Influence on United States Copyright Law
Posted in Copyright Law, Entertainment LawIf you’ve ever applied for, or researched copyright law, you likely learned one thing above all else: it’s not a perpetual right. So, how, you might wonder, have companies like The Walt Disney Company managed to maintain copyrights on certain creations for almost 100 years? In the case of the Walt Disney Company, the answer… Continue Reading
Fair Use and YouTube – a Creator’s Take
Posted in Entertainment Law, Speaking EngagementsScott Hervey, an entertainment attorney and shareholder with Weintraub Tobin, and Rian Bosak, VP of Network Operations with Fullscreen presented “Fair Use and YouTube – a Creator’s Take” to a packed house during VidCon 2015. Fair Use and YouTube – A Creator's Take from weintraubtobin
Lloyd’s Likeness: A Hat Trick to Superstardom and Mega Endorsements
Posted in Entertainment LawUnless you have been living under a rock for the last week, you know who Carli Lloyd is. If, however, you do not, she is the reigning World Cup MVP for Team USA. On Sunday, in perhaps the most astonishing World Cup performance of all time, Lloyd scored a hat trick in just the 16th… Continue Reading
Live Streaming Apps Raise New/Old Copyright Concerns
Posted in Copyright Law, Entertainment LawBy: Scott Hervey Periscope (owned by Twitter) and Meerkat are two new “live streaming” apps which allow users to live stream videos from their phones. These applications could potentially change the way live sporting or music events are broadcast or change the way news footage is gathered. They can also be used by a viewer… Continue Reading
Davis: Electronic Arts Gets a New Set of Downs and Still Can’t Score
Posted in Entertainment Law, Trademark LawJust over a month ago I wrote about the Davis v. Electronic Arts matter that was pending before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal. Specifically, I opined that the matter was ripe for Supreme Court review in light of the circuit split that is developing with respect to the misappropriation of likeness in video games. … Continue Reading
Electronic Arts and its Disrespect for the Game
Posted in Entertainment LawOn September 11, 2014, the Ninth Circuit heard oral argument on the appeal in Davis v. Electronic Arts (Case No. 12-15737), a class action lawsuit brought by three former NFL Players against Electronic Arts (“EA”), the publisher of the renowned Madden NFL Games. Michael Davis, Vince Ferragamo, and Billy Joe Dupree claimed that EA violated… Continue Reading
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