The Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the major talent agencies are headed for a showdown. The consequences are literally unknowable but could upend the way the television business has operated for decades. This blog will tell you what’s behind the fight and what each side has been saying about it. A disclaimer before I
O’Brien Roasts Plaintiff in Copyright Dispute Alleging Jokes Too Stale to be Stolen
The drama is building in the comic clash between TBS late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien and comedy writer Alex Kaseberg over jokes Kaseberg claims O’Brien and his writing team stole from him. As previously reported, O’Brien was able to knock out two of the five
TVEyes Closed at Last
The TVEyes v. Fox saga has reached its conclusion. Following the Supreme Court’s denial of TVEyes’ petition for certiorari, the video clipping service had little choice but to settle Fox News’s copyright infringement lawsuit. The parties filed a permanent injunction in the Southern District of New York under which TVEyes agreed to eliminate all Fox
Supreme Court to Decide Whether “Scandalous Clause” Passes Constitutional Muster
Just over a year ago, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that a century-old ban prohibiting the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) from registering “scandalous” and “immoral” trademarks violates the First Amendment.
Last week, the Supreme Court granted certiorari to determine whether they agree that the so-called “Scandalous Clause”
Lawsuit Over McGyver Series Illustrates Dizzying Distinction Between “Spin-Off” and “Remake”
Readers over 40 will remember the TV series MacGyver, which ran on ABC from 1985 through 1992. The show starred Richard Dean Anderson as a mild-mannered secret agent with an uncanny ability to escape the gravest perils by repurposing ordinary objects around him. The show was such a hit that “macgyver” entered the lexicon to
Katie Couric Dodges Bullet in Defamation Suit Brought By Gun Rights Group
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled last week that deceptive editing in Katie Couric’s gun violence documentary did not rise to the level of a defamatory statement to support a defamation action.
The suit centers on a twelve-second clip in the documentary, Under the Gun. The film concerns gun policy
Decades-Long Fight Over $30 Million Pissarro Painting Stolen By Nazis is on Full Display as Court Wraps Trial
The oil painting by renowned impressionist Camille Pissarro titled “Rue Saint-Honoré in the Afternoon, Effect of Rain” appears innocent enough. The work depicts a boulevard in Paris during a dreamy drizzly afternoon in 1897. But it is what appears
Supremes Shut TVEyes
The Supreme Court turned down the petition of TVEyes for reconsideration of the ruling of the Second Circuit that TVEyes infringed Fox News copyrights. TVEyes is a media monitoring service that records virtually all TV news broadcasts in a searchable database. Subscribers can search for content by keyword and download 10-minute clips from the
Hold Everything! New York Judge Issues TRO Blocking Arbitration Against Jay-Z
Normally, efforts to halt arbitrations are dead on arrival if an arbitration agreement exists between the parties. This is especially so when there is no dispute over the scope of the arbitration provision or the claims that are subject to arbitration.
In Shawn C. Carter p/k/a Jay-Z, et al. v. Ionix Brand Group, Inc., et
Fox News Takes a Swing at TVEyes
The battle of the briefs continued as Fox News urged the Supreme Court to take a pass on a petition for certiorari from TVEyes in a copyright case that has drawn considerable attention. As regular readers will recall, TVEyes records virtually everything on TV into a fully searchable database that it sells to subscribers.