Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Media & Entertainment
-
August 22, 2024
Israeli Tech Co. Cancels SPAC Deal Amid Market Rout
Pomvom, an Israeli software maker that caters to theme parks, and a special purpose acquisition company announced Thursday they have nixed their planned $125 million merger, which would've taken the tech firm public, citing a "change in global market conditions."
-
August 22, 2024
Tom Girardi Takes The Stand In His Criminal Fraud Trial
Disbarred attorney Tom Girardi took the stand Thursday in his California federal fraud trial and denied stealing from any of his clients, while also showing a strong grasp of past events and people but claiming to have no memory of the trial's witnesses and key moments, or to even know his own lawyer's name.
-
August 22, 2024
Deals Rumor Mill: Saudi Fund, Disney-Reliance, Repligen
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund wants to launch a new cargo airline, India’s antitrust regulators worry about power over cricket rights if the $8.5 billion merger of Walt Disney’s Indian business with Reliance Entertainment is allowed, and drug manufacturing provider Repligen is eyeing Maravai LifeSciences. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.
-
August 22, 2024
Paramount Board Vets $6B Bronfman Bid, Cravath Counsels
Paramount Global confirmed late Wednesday that a consortium of investors led by media executive Edgar Bronfman Jr. has submitted a proposal to purchase the company, interjecting a bid that complicates Paramount's existing deal to merge with Skydance Media.
-
August 21, 2024
Girardi Faked Dementia Symptoms, Neurologist Testifies
A neurologist with Vanderbilt University testified Wednesday in Tom Girardi's criminal fraud trial in California federal court that the disbarred attorney was likely exaggerating his cognitive problems in late 2020 just as his law firm imploded into bankruptcy and his legal problems mounted because he believed it would be "beneficial."
-
August 21, 2024
Tech Cos. Duck Proposed Calif. Bill Via News Funding Deal
Major tech companies, including Google, agreed Wednesday to pay roughly $250 million into a fund that proponents say would support newsrooms across California in a deal that avoids a proposed regulation that would've forced Big Tech to pay the state's media organizations for distributing news content.
-
August 21, 2024
Finance Guru Can't Send Timeshare Fraud Suit To Arbitration
Celebrity financial planner David L. Ramsey III and his company can't pause and arbitrate a proposed class action alleging they promoted a timeshare exit fraud scheme on his radio show, a Washington federal judge said Wednesday, finding they were not included in arbitration agreements with the timeshare owners.
-
August 21, 2024
Maryland Water Park Settles Liability Claim Over Injury
A Maryland water park-goer who was permanently injured after an inflatable tube buckled on a ride and slammed her feet against the bottom of the pool has settled her suit seeking to hold the facility liable for her injuries.
-
August 21, 2024
USPTO Argues Not All New Rules Call For Public Comments
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office told the U.S. Supreme Court that forcing the agency to solicit public comments before instituting a new home address requirement for registering trademarks would be too much work.
-
August 21, 2024
11th Circ. Affirms Toss Of Banana Wall Art Copyright Suit
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed an Italian artist's win over a pro-se copyright lawsuit from California-based artist Joe Morford concerning art pieces the two made that both incorporate duct-taped fruits, holding they were not "strikingly similar."
-
August 21, 2024
6th Circ. Says Fired Worker's Asthma Not Covered By ADA
A split Sixth Circuit panel on Wednesday backed the dismissal of an asthmatic worker's suit claiming an entertainer management firm unlawfully fired her for requesting to telework during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying she hadn't shown that her condition triggered the federal disability bias law's protection.
-
August 21, 2024
Judge Accused Of Locking Up Girl Who Dozed In Courtroom
A teenage girl filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Michigan federal court against a state judge who she says had her handcuffed and detained after she fell asleep during a class presentation in his courtroom and berated her in a mock version of the reality show "Scared Straight" that played out on the court's YouTube platform.
-
August 21, 2024
Ga. Strip Clubs Push High Court For Tax-Free Dances
A coalition of Georgia strip clubs labored to convince the state's highest court Wednesday that a nearly decade-old tax on their businesses, used by the state to fund child trafficking prevention efforts, is unconstitutional by infringing upon their First Amendment rights to put on nude dances.
-
August 21, 2024
Photographer Sues Music Fest For Using Image Of Bull Riders
A Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, country music festival and an advertising firm it hired used a photographer's photo of two women riding a mechanical bull to market the festival without permission, according to a new copyright infringement suit brought in North Carolina federal court on Wednesday.
-
August 21, 2024
Zomato Inks $244M Deal For Paytm Entertainment Tickets Biz
Indian food delivery giant Zomato on Wednesday announced it has bought the entertainment ticketing business of e-commerce payment company Paytm in a $244.1 million deal it hopes will grow its "going out" offerings.
-
August 20, 2024
Girardi Jury Hears Of Ex-CFO's Alleged Bahama Hideout Plan
The former fiancee of ex-Girardi Keese executive Chris Kamon told a California federal jury in Tom Girardi's criminal trial Tuesday about a dramatic call she received from Kamon, during which he told her he was about to be "pinned" for the firm's crimes and wanted her to flee to the Bahamas with him.
-
August 20, 2024
Vans, MSCHF Settle 'Wavy Baby' Sneaker TM Suit
Vans told a New York federal judge Tuesday that it resolved its trademark suit lodged over artist collective MSCHF's Wavy Baby sneaker, urging the court to approve an agreed-upon permanent injunction barring the collective from using Vans' side stripe mark and other elements of its decades-old Old Skool shoes.
-
August 20, 2024
Disney Made Right Move Dropping Arbitration Bid, Attys Say
Disney agreed Tuesday to drop its attempt to use a Disney+ app agreement to arbitrate claims over a woman's food allergy death at a Walt Disney World restaurant, a move that attorneys say quells what was turning into a public relations disaster and preserves the validity of the arbitration agreement in other cases.
-
August 20, 2024
9th Circ. Revives Google Chrome Users' Data Privacy Suit
The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday reversed the dismissal of a proposed class action accusing Google of surreptitiously collecting Chrome users' data, finding that the lower court had relied on the incorrect standard in determining whether a "reasonable" consumer would think they had consented to the disputed practice.
-
August 20, 2024
FCC Urged To Boost Middle-Mile Support For Alaska Telecoms
Alaskan telecoms are telling the Federal Communications Commission that their state needs special rules for middle-mile support, saying that Alaska's short construction season, roadless areas and other unique challenges mean that more support will be needed to achieve widespread connectivity.
-
August 20, 2024
Don't Nix 'Band Manager' Approach In 4.9 GHz, FCC Told
Public interest groups have urged the Federal Communications Commission to preserve its original plan to use a national band manager to oversee a 4.9 gigahertz spectrum revamp rather than turning it over to FirstNet through a nationwide license.
-
August 20, 2024
Cox, Music Publishers Ask Justices To Review Copyright Row
Cox Communications and music publishers led by Sony Music Entertainment have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Fourth Circuit ruling — with music companies asking for clarity on the scope of liability for internet service providers for online piracy and Cox asking whether it can be responsible for copyright infringement for merely providing an internet connection.
-
August 20, 2024
Ga. Justices Weigh 'Malice' In Atty's Defamation Case
An orthopedic surgeon urged the Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday to revive his case against a defense attorney who allegedly tarnished the surgeon's reputation during settlement talks with his attorneys for his former patients, arguing his appellate defeat last year flew in the face of 160 years of Georgia defamation law.
-
August 20, 2024
FCC Says No To 8 Nonprofit Stations In Texas
The Federal Communications Commission says it is not approving eight applications for new low power FM stations because the Christian entities that applied for them appear to actually all be part of the same organization, which does not qualify as an educational nonprofit.
-
August 20, 2024
Feds Want 20 Years For Backpage Trio In Prostitution Case
Prosecutors asked an Arizona federal judge Monday to sentence two former executives of the defunct classifieds service Backpage.com and the site's co-founder to 20 years in prison after they were found guilty of several counts over an alleged $500 million prostitution scheme.
Expert Analysis
-
Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.
-
9th Circ. COVID 'Cure' Case Shows Perks Of Puffery Defense
The Ninth Circuit's March decision in a case surrounding a company's statements about a potential COVID-19 cure may encourage defendants to assert puffery defenses in securities fraud cases, particularly in those involving optimistic statements about breakthrough drugs that are still untested, say attorneys at Cahill Gordon.
-
FTC Hearing On Fake Review Rule Stressed Compliance Costs
The Federal Trade Commission is likely to finalize its proposed rule to prohibit marketers from using deceptive practices in their product reviews after an informal hearing covered arguments over whether costs of implementing the rule, such as review moderation and software maintenance, would be minimal, says Jeffrey Edelstein at Manatt.
-
BF Borgers Clients Should Review Compliance, Liability
After the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently announced enforcement proceedings against audit firm BF Borgers for fabricating audit documentation for hundreds of public companies, those companies will need to follow special procedures for disclosure and reporting — and may need to prepare for litigation from the plaintiffs bar, say attorneys at Debevoise.
-
Perspectives
Trauma-Informed Legal Approaches For Pro Bono Attorneys
As National Trauma Awareness Month ends, pro bono attorneys should nevertheless continue to acknowledge the mental and physical effects of trauma, allowing them to better represent clients, and protect themselves from compassion fatigue and burnout, say Katherine Cronin at Stinson and Katharine Manning at Blackbird.
-
Series
Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.
-
How AI Cos. Can Cope With Shifting Copyright Landscape
In the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, recent legal disputes have focused on the utilization of copyrighted material to train algorithms, meaning companies should be aware of fair use implications and possible licensing solutions for AI users, say Michael Hobbs and Justin Tilghman at Troutman Pepper.
-
How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case
The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.
-
How Real Estate Cos. Can Protect Their IP In The Metaverse
The rise of virtual and augmented reality creates new intellectual property challenges and opportunities for real estate owners, but certain steps, including conducting a diligence investigation to develop an understanding of current obligations, can help companies mitigate IP issues in the metaverse, says George Pavlik at Levenfeld Pearlstein.
-
Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content
From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.
-
Influencer Considerations As FINRA Initiates Crackdown
To avert risks when evaluating influencer and referral programs, firms should assess the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's recent settlements involving the supervision of social media tastemakers, as well as recent FINRA guidance in this area, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.
-
Series
Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer
While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.
-
15 Quick Tips For Uncovering And Mitigating Juror Biases
As highlighted by the recent jury selection process in the criminal hush money trial against former President Donald Trump, juror bias presents formidable challenges for defendants, and attorneys must employ proactive strategies — both new and old — to blunt its impact, say Monica Delgado and Jonathan Harris at Harris St. Laurent.
-
Legal Issues To Watch As Deepfake Voices Proliferate
With increasingly sophisticated and accessible voice-cloning technology raising social, ethical and legal questions, particularly in the entertainment industry and politics, further legislative intervention and court proceedings seem very likely, say Shruti Chopra and Paul Joseph at Linklaters.
-
Car Apps, Abuse Survivor Safety And The FCC: Key Questions
A recent request for comment from the Federal Communications Commission, concerning how to protect the privacy of domestic violence survivors who use connected car services, raises key questions, including whether the FCC has the legal authority to limit access to a vehicle's connected features to survivors only, say attorneys at Davis Wright.