K&C Sports & Entertainment Law Weekly Roundup - January 2026 #2

Sports:

NFL

• The National Football League has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether its arbitration process, overseen by the commissioner, complies with federal law, appealing a Second Circuit ruling in favor of a coach suing the league for discrimination. NFL Takes Arbitration Fight In Flores Case To Supreme Court - Law360

MLB

• Subscribers to Major League Baseball's video streaming service could not support their claim that their personal data was knowingly and illegally shared with Meta, a New York federal judge has ruled, dismissing a trio of proposed class actions. tv Gets Fans' Facebook Data-Sharing Suits Thrown Out - Law360
• Baseball slugger Aaron Judge notched a big defensive trademark win at the Federal Circuit, cementing the rejection of marks whose registrations he opposed. Yankees Star Blocks ‘Here Comes the Judge’ Trademarks on Appeal - Bloomberg

NHL

• The Anaheim Ducks and the NHL were both named in a recently filed lawsuit. In a new report from ESPN's Kristen Shilton, a former employee claims that while working for both the Ducks and the league over a multi-year period, she was consistently sexually harassed, bullied and discriminated against. Ducks, NHL named in recent harassment lawsuit - SI

Entertainment:

AI & THE INTERNET

• Universal Music Group NV is partnering with Nvidia to boost the role of artificial intelligence in music discovery and creation, as record labels seek to capitalize on the fast-growing technology while managing the risks AI poses to their catalogs. Universal & NVIDIA Partner on AI Music Discovery, Fan & Creator Tools
• Bestselling authors, including George R.R. Martin, John Grisham and Jodi Picoult, who are accusing OpenAI of unlawfully using their copyrighted works to train ChatGPT have asked a NY federal judge to order the company to produce details of its $1 billion licensing deal with Disney announced last month, saying the agreement could show the "feasibility" of a licensing market for AI training. Authors Demand OpenAI's $1B Disney Deal Details For IP Suit - IIPLA
• The safe harbor in a digital copyright law shields YouTube from allegations it exploited pirated versions of several Spanish-language films, the 11^th Circuit affirmed. YouTube Is Protected By Copyright Safe Harbor, 11th Cir. Affirms

FILM & TELEVISION

• A low-budget filmmaker sued Universal Studios, Blumhouse Productions and the writers of M3GAN in CA federal court alleging the 2022 hit film bears a "striking resemblance" to his screenplay and movie Paranormal Adoption. 'M3GAN' Writers Sued for Allegedly Ripping Off Script
• Paramount Global fended off a lawsuit from writer Shaun Gray who alleged he contributed to the script of blockbuster film Top Gun: Maverick but failed to receive credit or payment. 'Top Gun: Maverick' Writer's Cousin Loses Lawsuit Against Paramount

MUSIC

• Hall of Fame rap and hip-hop duo Salt-N-Pepa lost their lawsuit accusing Universal Music Group of unlawfully refusing to transfer the copyrights of their hit songs back to them as a NY federal court dismissed the case. Salt-N-Pepa's Lawsuit Against UMG Over Masters Dismissed by Judge
• Social media platform X Corp. sued the largest music publishers in the US and their trade associations, with claims that the group leveraged its power to monopolize the market for licenses to copyrighted musical compositions. Elon Musk’s X sues music publishers, alleges industry ‘collusion’