Impact of Mickey Mouse on public domain. The latest artificial intelligence and intellectual property cases - Thaler lost again. Nirvana Nevermind baby gets day in court. Tolkien estate and more.
Podcast: The Briefing by the IP Law Blog - Senator Hawley Targets Disney with So-Called Copyright Reform Bill
The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: Senator Hawley Targets Disney with So-Called Copyright Reform Bill
Podcast: The Briefing by the IP Law Blog - Heirs of Evel Knievel Clearly Do Not Have a Friend in Disney
The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: Heirs of Evel Knievel Clearly Do Not Have a Friend in Disney
Daily Compliance News: October 12, 2020-the Trump Swamp edition
Stealth Lawyer: Lou Mongello, Disney Expert & Historian
A New York state judge has denied motions to dismiss actor Julia Ormond's claims against a film company, its parent company, and a talent agency based on conduct by film producer Harvey Weinstein, who Ormond alleges assaulted...more
Floyd Mayweather finds himself deep into a lawsuit, as fraud and theft claims have been put against his name. The American boxer and rapper Tyga are now part of a suit by Leonard Sulaymanov, who has alleged the non-payment of...more
After almost 2 years of negotiations over a new interactive media agreement with video game industry giants such as Activision, Electronic Arts, Warner Bros. and Walt Disney Co., video game performers voted to strike as of...more
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has granted a limited appeal in Pittsburgh’s challenge to a Pennsylvania court ruling that the city’s tax on visiting athletes and performers is unconstitutional. ...more
The legislature of New York’s Nassau County passed a law on Monday to ban women’s and girls’ sports teams from using sports facilities in the county on Long Island unless they exclude transgender girls and women from playing....more
The National Football League must pay more than $4.7 billion in class-action damages for overcharging subscribers of its “Sunday Ticket” telecasts, a California federal jury said on Thursday....more
The First Amendment permits employers engaged in artistic expression to disassociate from employees who make inflammatory statements, Disney argued in a recent motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Gina Carano, an actress in...more
January 1, 2024, brought numerous hangovers along with an unprecedented amount of media attention to intellectual property law. That is because, as of the new year, one of the most famous cartoon characters in history –...more
The media landscape continues to shift, and 2023 was certainly an eventful year. Layoffs abounded based not just on the slash-and-burn tactics deployed by private equity to gut local newspapers, but also on the national level...more
The expiration of the 95-year copyright for Disney’s first Mickey Mouse from Steamboat Willie marked a momentous day in IP history. It also shines a spotlight on the public domain, and the inescapable fact that, as time...more
Copyrights protect creative works. Trademarks protect indicators of source. Can a creative work also act as a trademark? Yes, and the character of Mickey Mouse as portrayed in Disney’s animated classic Steamboat Willie is a...more
As one of the largest and most iconic entertainment brands in the world, the Walt Disney Company is most readily associated with two things: their main mascot, Mickey Mouse, and the fierce protection of their intellectual...more
In the United States, an original work of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression (meaning the work can be communicated in a visual or audio form) is a protectable copyright. This means that the owner has the...more
A third attorney team representing World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. stockholders has signaled a tag-in for a widening Delaware Court of Chancery rumble with founder Vincent McMahon and top company officials and directors...more
In the ever-changing and divisive political climate facing our nation today, boards of directors and the companies they oversee face myriad pressures from numerous stakeholders to weigh in on specific political, cultural, and...more
Examine a major Ninth Circuit decision affirming dismissal of a Section 14(a) derivative action based on a forum-selection clause; Highlight the Third Circuit’s adoption of the Omnicare standard for securities fraud claims;...more
Corporate activity related to ESG can have profound legal and market consequences. These consequences can be cut many ways. Although having taken a position on Florida legislation that resulted in negative business...more
Boards and their advisors seeking to navigate the culture wars and their often conflicting pressures from a variety of stakeholders and outside groups may find some comfort and guidance in this recent decision from the...more
Proof that an inspection demand is improperly “lawyer-driven” will overcome a stockholder’s pretextual claim for investigating wrongdoing. A stockholder does not have a proper purpose for investigating an “ordinary...more
On June 27, 2023, Vice Chancellor Lori Will of the Delaware Court of Chancery issued a much-anticipated decision addressing the obligations of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company (Disney) in overseeing Disney’s...more
The Delaware Court of Chancery rejected a lawsuit by a Walt Disney Company stockholder to compel inspection of Disney’s books and records relating to the company’s opposition to Florida’s “don’t say gay” law – a stance that...more
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts U.S., Inc. (“Disney”), the owner and operator of the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, has sued Florida’s Governor and other officials for allegedly launching “a targeted campaign of...more
Several artists, frustrated with Artificially Intelligent (AI) image generators skirting copyright laws, are using AI-image generators to produce images of Mickey Mouse and other copyrighted characters to challenge the...more
Despite a very rough patch of late, Disney CEO Bob Chapek has won reappointment as top Big Mouse exec. Chapek “could remain at the helm of Disney until at least 2025” and has a lot to tackle, including a flagging stock price,...more
In this episode of The Briefing by the IP Law Blog, Scott Hervey and Josh Escovedo discuss Senator Josh Hawley’s proposed copyright bill and its implications for the Walt Disney Company. ...more