The Briefing: Studios Beware – The Danger of the Beauty and the Beast Copyright Decision
(Podcast) The Briefing - Studios Beware: The Danger of the Beauty and the Beast Copyright Decision
The Briefing: Court Says “No Way” To 50 Cent’s Battle Over Skill House
The Briefing: Trademark Basics - Protecting Names, Logos, and Brands in Entertainment
Will I Get Sued if I Create Another Hospital Drama? — No Infringement Intended Podcast
(Podcast) The Briefing: The Ninth Circuit Puts the Brakes on Eleanor’s Copyright Claim
(Podcast) The Briefing: The Future of TV? A 2025 Digital Media Trends Analysis
The Briefing: The Future of TV? A 2025 Digital Media Trends Analysis
Season 6 Ep #1 IP State of the Union- Billion Dollar Character Acquisitions- Part 1
Recognizing and Avoiding Trademark Scams and Hoaxes
(Podcast) The Briefing: Bad Spirits – How a Dog Toy Changed TV Title Clearance
The Briefing: Bad Spirits – How a Dog Toy Changed TV Title Clearance
Into the Darkness: Unmasking ‘Mare of The Night’: A Sherlock Holmes Reimagined with Filmmaker CJ Goodwyn
The Briefing: Paramount Splashes Top Gun Maverick Copyright Lawsuit
The Briefing Filmmakers Express Concern Over Impending Death of ‘Biographical Anchor’ Fair Use Basis (Podcast)
The Briefing Filmmakers Express Concern Over Impending Death of ‘Biographical Anchor’ Fair Use Basis
The Briefing: Netflix Defamation Lawsuit About Inventing Anna – Not an Imposter
The Briefing: Netflix Defamation Lawsuit About Inventing Anna – Not an Imposter (Podcast)
The Briefing: Once Upon A Time – SCOTUS Rejects Trademark Infringement Claim Against Quentin Tarantino Film
Welcome back to the Spotlight! I am not sure what’s more amazing – that Friday marks exactly five years since the Spotlight’s inception or that I have not been shut down yet. Whatever the answer, the amazement pales in...more
District court denies WME’s, Dave Franco’s and Alison Brie’s motion to dismiss copyright infringement suit claiming that their film Together copied StudioFest’s screenplay Better Half, finding that Together and Better...more
Matthew McConaughey has been busy at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently, securing eight trademark registrations covering aspects of his voice, delivery, and related brand elements, including a sound mark for audio...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight! And just like that, the Olympic torch for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games has been extinguished, but not before some of the world’s top athletes skied, skated, sledded, snowboarded and...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight, my not-so-secret admirers. Even if this weekend were not Valentine’s Day, the city of Seattle would still undoubtedly be feeling the love and basking in the afterglow of the Seahawks’ dominant...more
District court denies motion to dismiss copyright infringement claim against Tesla and owner Elon Musk based on their use of images from the movie Blade Runner 2049 to create an AI-generated image that was displayed at an...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight! Sports and entertainment junkies rejoice, for this weekend not only marks the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Milan/Cortina Italy, but there is also a pretty big (dare I say,...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight! Just one year ago, many wondered whether The Grammy Awards would go forward in light of the massive wildfires that devastated Southern California. Nevertheless, the show went on, with...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight! With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line in each of this weekend’s NFL Conference Championship matchups, and the NFL’s playoff television ratings reaching levels not seen since the ‘90s (oh,...more
This blog provides an update on the ongoing litigation involving Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. If the original blog explored how this case began, this chapter is about what it has become....more
Welcome back to the Spotlight! Many people ask me the same question: “how do you write the Spotlight week after week?” After feigning thinking about it for a moment, I reply: “one keystroke at a time.” In all seriousness it...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight! If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to delve into the uber-interesting sports and entertainment business world with a witty bent, congratulations, you are on the right track! If one of...more
In suit claiming 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick infringed 1983 magazine article about real-life fighter pilot training program that inspired original 1986 Top Gun film, Ninth Circuit affirms summary judgment in defendants’...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight! I’m not going to sugarcoat it. We live in some dark times. From one week to the next, we’re confronted by a parade of horribles that threaten to take our light. The events of this past week have...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight! If you stopped by last week, you might recall that I discussed Netflix and Warner Bros. coming to an agreement for Netflix to acquire the latter’s content production business in a cash and debt...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight! With our entering the 12th frame of 2025, so begins a cavalcade of holiday parties, overindulgences, Spotify Wrapped statistics, Mariah Carey, timeless film classics, travel and year in review...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight! With a little under a week until Thanksgiving, it has once again become fair “game” for small talk to be dominated by mostly unsolicited advice as to how one should prepare their turkey....more
Welcome back to the Spotlight! Is it just me or are sports scandals becoming more and more prevalent? Perhaps it’s that there’s so much money changing hands, including in legalized gambling, there is more opportunity and...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight! This past week, amidst Halloween candy sorting (and sampling…and re-sampling…) a recording artist by the name of Xania Monet generated enough radio play to make a historic appearance on the...more
In long-running dispute between visual effects companies and Disney and its affiliates, district court denies motion to dismiss vicarious copyright infringement claim, finding plaintiffs sufficiently pleaded that defendants...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight, boos and ghouls. On this Hallow’s Eve, the only thing scarier than brain-eating zombies is not having anything for said zombies to dine on. After all, as your mummy would say, “a brain is a...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight! This time of year, the color orange not only evokes pumpkins and falling leaves, but also basketball. Indeed, the NBA season tipped off this past week, replete with intrigue and excitement on...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight! One thing I love about this season is the memorable fall pastime of apple picking, with another installment of that chapter coming for me this weekend. Something about the experience makes...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight! After an exciting Game 3 of the American League Division Series in which Aaron Judge hit a memorable, almost impossible game-tying home run to help propel the New York Yankees to a comeback...more
Disney faced a copyright lawsuit over the use of MOVA facial-capture software in Beauty and the Beast. A jury found Disney vicariously liable, the district court threw out the verdict, but the Ninth Circuit has now reinstated...more