Communications & Media Law, Personal Injury, Art, Entertainment & Sports Law

Paying College Players

by Derek Allen | Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A. on 3/27/2013

As my diehard readers (maybe reader? Hi Mom! (Just kidding, I’m pretty sure even she doesn’t read these)) will remember, I blogged about pending litigation between former college athletes and the NCAA regarding whether...more

Jackson Walker's VIA Media Postcard - February 2013

by Stacy Allen, Robert (Bob) P. Latham | Jackson Walker on 2/27/2013

In This Issue: - Stacy Allen Speaks: Right of Publicity: Advantage Athletes - Recent court decisions regarding unlicensed likenesses of celebrities in programs, products or video games represent a disturbing...more

Donald Trump Sues Bill Maher for Monkeying Around on Late-Night Talk Show

by Dan Nabel | Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger... on 2/21/2013

Here at Law Law Land, there are a few pearls of wisdom we like to repeat — perhaps to a fault — just because they are so helpful and right. Copyright law doesn’t protect ideas, only the expressions of ideas. Being legally...more

Release of Liability Contained in Event Entry Form Held to Apply To a Subsequently Added Event Sponsor

by Williams Venker & Sanders on 1/23/2013

On any given week, most of us are asked to sign at least one or two releases of liability for various sporting and recreational events. The Missouri Court of Appeals for the Eastern District recently held those releases may...more

2012 Top Canadian Entertainment, Media And Communications Law Stories

by Bob Tarantino, Stephen Zolf | Heenan Blaikie LLP on 12/28/2012

In keeping with tradition, and gambling that there won't actually be any significant entertainment/media law occurrences between now and January 1, 2013 (which is probably a pretty safe bet), we offer our humble thoughts on...more

Beauty Queen Pays $5M for Calling Miss USA Contest ‘Rigged’

by Sylvia Hsieh | Lawyers.com on 12/26/2012

A beauty queen who said the Miss USA contest was fixed must pay the pageant $5 million for defamation. Miss Pennsylvania USA, Sheena Monnin, said on Facebook and on the “Today” show that the five Miss USA finalists were...more

Zimmerman Sues NBC for Libel

by Michele Bowman | Lawyers.com on 12/12/2012

George Zimmerman’s legal team said in October that they planned to sue NBC over its airing of an edited version of the call he made to 911 after shooting and killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. And on Dec. 6, they made...more

Top Sports IP Plays of the Year - Part 2

by Emily Bayton | Lewis and Roca LLP on 10/24/2012

Today we bring you Part Two of an article authored by our partner Ms. Emily Bayton and published by Law360 on October 16, 2012... As an intellectual property lawyer and avid sports fan, I’m always interested in a case...more

Panties: 1, Fair Use Doctrine: 0

by Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger... on 9/19/2012

Picture a sexy young bride, reclining sensuously on the nuptial bed. Smiling seductively, she lifts her wedding dress — a stretch white mini — to give her new husband a glimpse of the lingerie covering her private parts....more

Why Celebrities Who Don’t Want to Live in California Might Still Want to Die There

by Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger... on 9/7/2012

The right of publicity — the legal doctrine that protects the right of celebrities to control and profit from their names, likenesses, and other aspects of their identities — is a familiar topic here at Law Law Land. But it...more

Miss Universe Organization Sues Contestant for Accusing Miss USA Pageant of Being Phonier Than a Spray-On Tan

by Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger... on 6/27/2012

As any viewer of The Apprentice knows, Donald Trump likes to be the one to say “you’re fired.” However, Miss Pennsylvania, Sheena Monnin, recently “fired” Trump and his Miss Universe Organization. Monnin gave up her...more

The NFL’s Biggest Bounty?

by Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger... on 5/25/2012

After being barred from going after opposing quarterbacks in 2012, Jonathan Vilma is now going after the biggest bounty of them all — NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell. Last week, Vilma sued Goodell for defamation based on...more

Jackson Walker VIA Media postcard - April 2012

by Jackson Walker on 5/2/2012

In This Issue: - Paul Watler's Perspective A Million to None in Texas Defamation Rulings — The same red-flag words may yield vastly different results in defamation litigation. Two recent Texas rulings serve as...more

Learning the Rights and Wrongs of Commercial Speech

by Loeb & Loeb LLP on 4/27/2012

Michael Jordan recently learned that his achievements on the basketball court do not translate into success in court when his opponent is the First Amendment. In a ruling against Mr. Jordan, a federal judge in Chicago...more

Defamation Claims Do Not Cover All Past Ills

by Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A. on 4/2/2012

By now, you may have heard that the defamation lawsuit brought against Barbara Walters in connection with her autobiography, Audition: A Memior, has been dismissed for insufficient merit. However, it brings up a few...more

Oh, THAT Prime Minister? - Defamation through Reference to Title or Occupation

by Heenan Blaikie LLP on 2/9/2012

Tarragon Theatre hasn’t announced next year’s season yet, but Michael Healey’s Proud won’t be part of it. And Healey has been making media circuit rounds, alleging libel chill as the reason why his...more

Media Law Bulletin - December 2011 - 'Cheese'-y Comedy Product Not an Advertising Idea

by Sedgwick LLP on 12/12/2011

The case of The Oglio Entertainment Group, Inc. v. Hartford Casualty Ins. Co., 200 Cal. App. 4th 573 (2011), analyzes the distinction between copying an advertising idea and copying a product that is advertised in the context...more

Selected Proceedings of Manatt-Sponsored Sports Law Symposium Now Available Online

by Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP on 9/20/2011

The Selected Proceedings of the Manatt-sponsored Second Annual Santa Clara Sports Law Symposium are now available online. Click here (see article below) to read the proceedings. The articles in the Selected...more

First Amendment Defeats Right of Publicity Claims Against Electronic Arts’ NCAA Football Video Games

by Davis Wright Tremaine LLP on 9/13/2011

On Sept. 9, 2011, Judge Freda Wolfson of the United States District Court for the district of New Jersey issued a 67 page opinion that is not only the latest in a series of decisions involving Electronic Arts’ (EA) sports...more

Chasing Reputation - Osgoode Hall Law Journal Article

by Heenan Blaikie LLP on 9/6/2011

My article "Chasing Reputation: The Argument for Differential Treatment of 'Public Figures' in Canadian Defamation Law" has been published in the Osgoode Hall Law Journal (citation: 48 OHLJ 595) and is now available online....more

REALITY BITES - Brand Protection, Reality TV Style

by Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP on 8/23/2011

In this issue: The Situation is Asked Not to Cover His Situation With Abercrombie Anymore; The Kardashian - Sears Marriage Causes the Girls to End Up in Court. Excerpt from 'The Situation...': Abercrombie & Fitch...more

Three Point Shot - May 2011

by Proskauer Rose LLP on 5/20/2011

In This Issue: - Fore! What Is It Good For? (In New York, Absolutely Nothing) - Super Bowl Song Owner Shuffles into Court - The House Doesn’t Always Win, Especially When it Disregards IP Rights - Update ...more

"I Didn't Think it was Possible, but you're worse as a litigant than you are as the Redskins' Owner" - A DC Trial Lawyer's...

by Price Benowitz LLP on 5/9/2011

In the interest of full disclosure, I have been a New York Giants fan since I was about three years old. I've lived in Washington, DC for almost twenty years, and the Redskins' off the field decision making and on the field...more

Jackson Walker VIA Media Postcard - February 2011

by Jackson Walker on 3/4/2011

In This Issue: Chip Babcock Communique' Oh What a Tangled Web — Truth is the foundation of our justice system and certainly of defamation law, where truth or falsity is a central issue. But it is much more elusive on...more

IP/Entertainment Law Weekly Case Update For Motion Picture Studios And Television Networks - January 26, 2011

by Loeb & Loeb LLP on 1/27/2011

Table of Contents • ivi, Inc. v. Fisher Communications, Inc. • Hayne v. The Innocence Project ivi, Inc. v. Fisher Communications, Inc., USDC W.D. Washington, January 19, 2011 • Court grants defendant television...more

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Communications & Media Law › Personal Injury › Art, Entertainment & Sports Law