In my last blog, I expressed cautious optimism that the WGA was making progress in settling its long-running dispute with CAA and WME, the two largest talent agencies and the last two holdouts in signing a franchise agreement that would permit them to represent writers. In April 2019, the WGA directed its members to
WGA Scores Points in Agency Litigation
The battle between the Writers Guild of America and the major agencies has been waged on two fronts for over a year, with mixed results.
Attention recently has focused primarily on the WGA’s pressure campaign to require agencies to sign a Code of Conduct renouncing package commissions and ownership of production companies as a condition
UTA Ends WGA Packaging Dispute
UTA has just announced that it reached agreement with the Writers Guild to sign a franchise agreement that will permit it to resume representation of writers.
This will bring a partial end to a dispute that has lasted for over a year. The WGA had directed its members to fire their agents over
Agencies Move to Dismiss WGA’s Remaining Claims
Another blow was struck in the litigation between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the top three talent agencies.
In April, the agencies prevailed in their motion to dismiss eight of the nine claims asserted against them by the WGA in the pending US District Court case. They have now moved to dismiss the
WGA Suffers Big Loss in Federal Court, Makes News Elsewhere
Although the coronavirus pandemic has brought production to a virtual standstill, writers, unlike directors and performers, are still able to work on development. While they shelter in place quietly plying their trade, their union has continued to make news.
Agency Litigation
The breaking story is a ruling in the California District Court case between the
Writers Guild Makes Key Advances in Agency Wars
The full service agencies APA and Innovative Artists have signed the Writers Guild of America’s new agency franchise agreement. As a result, each will be free to resume representing writers but with some critical restrictions. (For background on the long-running battle between the WGA and the agencies, see our earlier posts here and here.)
Winter Is Coming: Writers and Agents Hunker Down for a Battle of Attrition
This is an update on my blog post regarding the face-off between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the major talent agencies, through the Association of Talent Agencies (ATA).
To summarize–OMG!! 
The WGA issued an ultimatum requiring the agents to sign their Code of Conduct forswearing package commissions. This is the practice by which
Writers v. Agents: What You Need to Know
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
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
City Files Criminal Charges Against Casting Workshops
Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer filed criminal charges last month against five casting workshops, their owners and employees, alleging violations of the Krekorian Talent Scam Prevention Act. Under the Act, it is a crime to charge a performer money for the right