Media & Entertainment

  • September 30, 2024

    'Really Poor Lawyering': Benchslap, No Mistrial In YSL Case

    The lead prosecutor in the trial of Atlanta rapper Young Thug received an unrelenting dressing-down Monday from the case's latest presiding judge, who slammed the state's "really poor lawyering" that she said she could attribute only to incompetence or deliberate misconduct.

  • September 30, 2024

    Smart Car Equipment Makers Call For C-V2X rules

    High-tech automakers are pushing the Federal Communications Commission to finalize cellular vehicle-to-everything rules, telling the commission that the wait for clear regulation has delayed the technology's rollout.

  • September 30, 2024

    Theater Nixed Older Workers' Health Benefits, EEOC Says

    A New Mexico movie theater refused to provide employees over 65 with health insurance benefits and forced a 72-year-old manager to retire amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission told a federal court.

  • September 30, 2024

    'Rust' Armorer's Conviction Stands Despite Evidence Scandal

    A New Mexico judge on Monday refused to throw out "Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's involuntary manslaughter conviction or order a new trial based on allegations of prosecutorial misconduct that tanked the state's high-profile case against actor-producer Alec Baldwin.

  • September 30, 2024

    Epic Accuses Samsung Of Helping Google Block App Fix

    Epic Games filed a new federal lawsuit Monday against Google and Samsung, alleging the search giant and the phonemaker have teamed up "to preemptively undermine" a looming order forcing Google to permit competition with its Play Store.

  • September 30, 2024

    5 Firms Guide DirecTV, Dish On $10B Debt Exchange Merger

    DirecTV said Monday it has agreed to purchase EchoStar's video distribution business Dish DBS, including Dish TV and Sling TV, for a nominal $1 while absorbing nearly $10 billion worth of its debt, in a rare debt exchange-driven megadeal that is being led by at least five law firms. 

  • September 27, 2024

    Twitter Investors Win Cert. In Suit Over Musk's Backpedaling

    A California federal judge on Friday certified a class of thousands of Twitter investors over claims Elon Musk fraudulently tweeted about the social media company's alleged bot problem to get out of his $44 billion acquisition, rebuffing the billionaire businessman's contention that individual issues in the suit eclipse common questions.

  • September 27, 2024

    Corporate Raider Accused Of Shirking $180M SEC Judgment

    Corporate takeover specialist Paul A. Bilzerian, accused of ducking a more than $180 million judgment owed to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for decades, was indicted alongside his longtime accountant and his cannabis company on Thursday, California federal prosecutors said Friday.

  • September 27, 2024

    'So What?': OnlyFans' Dismissal Bid Faces Skeptical Judge

    A San Francisco federal judge indicated Friday that he won't dismiss a proposed class action against OnlyFans' parent company alleging the video platform dupes customers into automatically renewing their subscriptions, waving away arguments that a Los Angeles federal judge dismissed a similar suit and asking its lawyers, "So what?"

  • September 27, 2024

    7th Circ. Doubts Artist Proved French Montana Copied Work

    Two Seventh Circuit judges seemed unsure Friday that they saw enough evidence of copying to reverse rapper French Montana's summary judgment win over claims that he infringed a California producer's sound recording copyright to make his song "Ain't Worried About Nothin'."

  • September 27, 2024

    Warner Bros. Reneged On 'Harry Potter' Series Deal, Sky Says

    Warner Bros. Discovery has not held up its end of an exclusive rights agreement with Comcast's European subsidiary Sky to co-produce premium content, including a new television series based on the iconic "Harry Potter" novels, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in New York federal court.

  • September 27, 2024

    FCC Chief Quotes Taylor Swift In Tough Stance On Deepfakes

    Federal Communications Commission chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel vowed during a speech Friday to take a strong position on enforcing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act against AI-generated robocalls and noted the FCC is considering new AI election-related disclosure regulations, quoting pop singer Taylor Swift who said, "The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth."

  • September 27, 2024

    Meta's Password Storage Flub Draws €91M Irish Fine

    Ireland's data protection authority has hit Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc. with a €91 million ($101.5 million) penalty for allegedly storing users' passwords without encryption or other necessary safeguards, the regulator announced Friday. 

  • September 27, 2024

    Disney Warns Investor Streaming Suit Could Chill Innovation

    Allowing securities litigation over The Walt Disney Co.'s underperforming streaming service to go forward would discourage companies from trying "new, risky business plans," counsel for the entertainment giant told a California federal judge in an attempt to toss the suit Friday.

  • September 27, 2024

    Disney Wants FuboTV Tying Suit Tossed Before Trial

    Disney told a New York federal judge Thursday that FuboTV in its tying claims against the programming giant still hasn't shown how Disney's bundling practice is out of the ordinary, saying that similar bundles have existed for years and have been cleared by the courts and the Federal Communications Commision.

  • September 27, 2024

    Musk Skirts Sanctions In Missed Twitter Deposition, For Now

    A California federal judge on Friday declined to sanction Elon Musk, for now, after he skipped a deposition over his $44 billion Twitter takeover, allowing the parties to resolve the issue and advising them to wait to see if he appears for the deposition that's been rescheduled for this coming Friday.

  • September 27, 2024

    Hemp Org., Cheech & Chong Take Aim At New Calif. THC Ban

    A leading hemp industry trade organization has teamed up with the cannabis brand fronted by stoner comedians Cheech and Chong to challenge new emergency regulations in California that ban the sale of hemp products containing the psychoactive cannabinoid THC.

  • September 27, 2024

    Disney Calls Writer's 'Moana' Copyright Theft Suit Pure Fiction

    Lawyers for The Walt Disney Co. urged a California federal judge Friday to throw out an animator and writer's lawsuit alleging the company stole his ideas for the hit movie "Moana," saying there's not a single piece of evidence meriting a jury trial.

  • September 27, 2024

    NRA, RNC Dropped From Isaac Hayes' IP Suit Against Trump

    The estate of legendary soul singer Isaac Hayes agreed Friday to voluntarily dismiss three defendants from a copyright complaint alleging former President Donald Trump has been playing the Hayes-penned song "Hold On, I'm Comin'" at campaign events without permission.

  • September 27, 2024

    Waco Jury Sticks ASUSTeK With $22M Patent Verdict

    A Texas federal jury hit Taiwanese computer manufacturer ASUSTeK Computer Inc. with a $22 million judgment on Thursday for infringing patents for a film that redirects natural daylight owned by SVV Technology Innovations Inc., which had asked jurors for nearly $59 million.

  • September 27, 2024

    Early Trump Media Backer Dumps Shares As Lockup Expires

    An early investor in former President Donald Trump's social media platform has unloaded most of its stake, marking the first divestiture following the expiration of a lockup period that restricted sales after Trump's entity went public earlier this year.

  • September 27, 2024

    Tattoo Artist's $3,750 Award Scrapped In Video Game IP Row

    An Illinois federal judge scrapped a $3,750 damages award for a former tattoo artist who sued World Wrestling Entertainment and two video game companies for depicting her tattoos on a wrestler without permission, saying the jury's award was based on undue speculation.

  • September 27, 2024

    Amazon Hit With $30.5M Verdict In Delaware Patent Trial

    A Delaware federal jury decided Friday that Amazon Web Services infringed two computer network patents that were once owned by Boeing, and told the tech giant to pay $30.5 million in damages.

  • September 27, 2024

    FCC Chief Says Chevron's Fall Won't Slow Needed Regs

    Upcoming Federal Communications Commission rules are likely to survive judicial scrutiny even after the Chevron doctrine's demise because the policies are grounded on not only legal analysis but in-depth economic and engineering studies, the agency's chief said Friday.

  • September 27, 2024

    'Varsity Blues' Suit Flips The Script On 'Victim' USC

    The University of Southern California could be forced to reveal unseemly details of its admissions process if it can't beat or settle a $75 million suit filed by a private equity executive who blames the school for his being ensnared in the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal, experts told Law360.

Expert Analysis

  • Film Plagiarism Claims May Foreshadow AI Copyright Issues

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    The contentious plagiarism dispute over the Oscar-nominated screenplay for "The Holdovers" may portend the challenges screenwriters will face when attempting to prove copyright infringement against scripts generated by artificial intelligence technology, says Craig Smith at Lando & Anastasi.

  • 4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best

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    As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.

  • Decoding The FTC's Latest Location Data Crackdown

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    Following the Federal Trade Commission's groundbreaking settlements in its recent enforcement actions against X-Mode Social and InMarket Media for deceptive and unfair practices with regards to consumer location data, companies should implement policies with three crucial elements for regulatory compliance and maintaining consumer trust, says Hannah Ji-Otto at Baker Donelson.

  • Contract Negotiation Prep Checklist For In-House Ad Lawyers

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    Barriers for in-house lawyers and procurement professionals persist in media and ad tech contract negotiations — but a pre-negotiation checklist can help counsel navigate nuances and other industry issues that need to be considered before landing a deal, including supplier services, business use cases and data retrieval, says Keri Bruce at Reed Smith.

  • Series

    Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • Fears About The End Of Chevron Deference Are Overblown

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    While some are concerned about repercussions if the U.S. Supreme Court brings an end to Chevron deference in the Loper and Relentless cases this term, agencies and attorneys would survive just fine under the doctrines that have already begun to replace it, say Daniel Wolff and Henry Leung at Crowell & Moring.

  • How Suit Over An AI George Carlin May Lead To Legislation

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    George Carlin’s estate recently sued a company over an artificial intelligence-generated podcast allegedly impersonating the late comedian, highlighting the importance of much-needed state and federal protection against unauthorized representations of an individual’s image in the time of AI, say Anna Chauvet and Maxime Jarquin at Finnegan.

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs

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    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

  • Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent

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    Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.

  • AI In Accounting Raises OT Exemption Questions

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    A recent surge in the use of artificial intelligence in accounting work calls into question whether professionals in the industry can argue they are no longer overtime exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act, highlighting how technology could test the limits of the law for a variety of professions, say Bradford Kelley at Littler and Stephen Malone at Peloton Interactive.

  • Independent Regulator Could Chip Away At FIFA Autonomy

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    After the U.K.'s recent proposal for an independent football regulator, FIFA's commitment to safeguarding football association autonomy remains unwavering, despite a history of complexities arising from controversies in the bidding and hosting of major tournaments, say Yasin Patel at Church Court Chambers and Caitlin Haberlin-Chambers at SLAM Global.

  • The Fed. Circ. In February: A Reminder On Procedure Rule 28

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    Because the Federal Circuit does not often issue a sua sponte precedential order emphasizing an important rule of practice, it is useful to look at how the court applied the restrictions of appellate procedure Rule 28 in Promptu v. Comcast last month, and in cases that preceded it, say Jeremiah Helm and Sean Murray at Knobbe Martens.

  • Take AG James' Suit Over Enviro Claims As A Warning

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    New York Attorney General Letitia James' recent suit against JBS USA Food Co. over allegedly misleading claims about its goal to reach net zero by 2040 indicates that challenges to green claims are likely to continue, and that companies should think twice about ignoring National Advertising Division recommendations, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • A Defense Strategy For Addressing Copyright Fee-Shifting

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    Permissive fee-shifting under Section 505 of the Copyright Act poses unique challenges for copyright defendants, carrying an outsize impact on the economic incentive structure in copyright litigation, but relying on a Federal Rule of Civil Procedure may offer a potential solution by allowing defendants to recover attorney fees, say Hugh Marbury and Molly Shaffer at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Series

    Spray Painting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experiences as an abstract spray paint artist have made me a better litigator, demonstrating — in more ways than one — how fluidity and flexibility are necessary parts of a successful legal practice, says Erick Sandlin at Bracewell.

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