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Media & Entertainment Law

Entertainment Law Update

Law Firm website/blog devoted to entertainment law. Contains information of interest to lawyers and others in the entertainment industry. Covers film, television, music, theatre, new media, internet, etc.
By Gordon Firemark

Post Frequency: 1.6/day

Last Entry: March 24, 2011 at 16:46:53

Entertainment Law Update Podcast Episode

Posted on April 30, 2009
Entertainment Law Update Podcast Episode ## of the Entertainment Law Update Podcast, hosted by yours truly, along with Tamera Bennett is now online . [audio:002.entertainmentlawupdate.mp3] In this episode /li> /li> Featured Topic: ________________ CLE Credit for attorneys who listen to the podcast is pending approval in California and Texas...

New Line, Univesal Orlando sued over themepark attraction.

Posted on April 27, 2009
TRADE SECRETS THEFT AND BREACH OF CONTRACT LLEGED BY ORLANDO BUSINESS AGAINST NEW LINE CINEMA AND UNIVERSAL ORLANDO ORLANDO, FLORIDA?ICC Designs, an Orlando-based business that has for over 25 years designed and produced theme park attractions, recently filed suit against New Line Cinema and Universal Orlando for theft of its idea and design for a ?Halloween [...

?Da Ali G Show? star Sacha Baron Cohen puts one in the win column. Libel case dismissed.

Posted on April 24, 2009
“Borat” and “Bruno” star Sacha Baron Cohen” is no stranger to lawsuits alleging defamation, but this week he scored a victory in a suit filed by a woman (identified as “jane doe”, who alleged that she was defamed in an interview with Gore Vidal on “Da Ali G Show”...

Entertainment Law Update Podcast Episode 1

Posted on April 21, 2009
Entertainment Law Update Podcast I’ve been talking about this quite a bit lately, and it’s finally here… My new podcasting venture is a reality. Episode 1 of the Entertainment Law Update Podcast, hosted by yours truly, along with Tamera Bennett is now online ...

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Hollywood Breathes a sigh of relief (sort-of)

Posted on April 20, 2009
The Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers seem to have worked out their differences over the weekend, bringing 10 months of negotiations and venomous rhetoric to an end. The SAG membership will have to vote on the deal, which reportedly includes a 3...

Introducing Entertainment Law Update Podcast

Posted on April 13, 2009
Launching April 20th, Entertainment Law Update is an audio podcast featuring Entertainment attorneys Gordon P. Firemark and Tamera Bennett. Every month, our hosts and guests will survey the legal landscape of the entertainment industry, discussing the top cases and news stories of interest to lawyers and entertainment business professionals...

Legal pitfalls for reality and documentary producers.

Posted on April 12, 2009
The Hollywood Reporter’s lawyer-oriented site, THR, Esq. Entertainment & Media Law Blog: has a great piece by Eriq Garder that surveys the Top 5 ways reality shows can get sued. Recommended reading for all up-and-coming producers of reality shows, documentary films, and other media featuring real-world situations.

Court grants summary judgement over failed copyright transfer.

Posted on April 09, 2009
A ruling in American Plastic Equipment, Inc. v. Toytrackerz, LLC, 2009 WL 902422 (D. Kan. 2009) reminds us that under Section 204 of the Copyright Act, any transfer of copyright must be in a written instrument by the owner. The case involved copyright in eleven Marx action figures that had, after a number of transfers and [...

New Entertainment and Media Law info aggregator

Posted on April 01, 2009
I’m very pleased to announce today’s launch of a new web portal, search site and aggregator dedicated to information about Entertainment and Media Law. The Entertainment and Media Law content community collects and organizes the best information from around the web to help readers learn and stay current...

Location managers protest LA City Council agenda item - Council to consider tougher film permit rules and deadlines.

Posted on March 26, 2009
The LA City Council is once again contemplating changes to the City’s location permit rules that stand to make much more difficult for Location Managers, especially those working on short timelines. The agenda for the March 31 Council meeting includes consideration for new rules would impose longer lead-times for permit requests to be submitted [...

L.A. approves incentive package

Posted on March 25, 2009
L.A. approves incentive package: “Runaway Production: City aims to keep film, TV productions in town — There’s no tax credits in there yet, but the Los Angeles City Council has approved a package of incentives aimed at keeping film and TV productions in Los Angeles ...

Is giving a Cop ?the finger? Protected Speech?

Posted on March 25, 2009
Flipping ‘the Bird’ Is Protected Speech: “A Federal Court in Pittsburgh ruled this week that A Pittsburgh motorist was exercising his constitutional right of free speech when he gave the finger to a police officer and another driver during an argument over a parking space...

$15 Million Film Tax Incentive extended through 2009

Posted on March 10, 2009
I somehow missed it last October when Congress acted to extend the $15 Million tax incentive for domestic films that was originally created in the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004. In addition to extending the program, the rules have been expanded...

SAG Board Rejects AMPTP?s final offer

Posted on February 22, 2009
The Entertainment trades are reporting that the SAG Board today voted to reject the “final” offer made by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, setting the stage for more turmoil and the possibility of an Actor’s strike...

Force Majeure: an issue in the SAG/AMPTP negotiations

Posted on February 18, 2009
One of the issues in the impasse between the Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers is the Force Majeure Clause. Backstage magazine has A good piece by Armin Shimerman on Force Majeure. The article explains the current Force majeure clause, the issue between the parties and the consquences of its [...

Facebook gives in, abandons revised terms of service

Posted on February 18, 2009
In a follow-up to my post about Facebook’s over-reaching terms of service, I’m pleased to note that the social-networking site has bowed to pressure from users and unwanted media attention, scrapping the new terms of service only days after they were implemented...

Facebook: ?All your content belongs to us? ? yikes!

Posted on February 17, 2009
Follow this link to a piece on Mashable about recent changes to Facebook’s terms of service… It seems the social networking site now claims a perpetual license to any content (photos, videos, etc.) you choose to post on your facebook page...

Alarming defamation ruling: Truth is NOT always a defense

Posted on February 16, 2009
Entertainment Lawyers and our clients in the film, television, music, publishing, and journalism fields need to be aware of an alarming ruling that’s just come down in a defamation case. (Defamation is the umbrella term for reputation injury cases such as Libel and Slander)...

Congratulations to my friend and client, David Logan

Posted on February 11, 2009
Congratulations to my friend and client David Logan, whose new book, debuted on Amazon in the Number 1 position on Tuesday, and remains in the top 100. Buy it now…

Copyright Registration: do it within 3 months of first publication or lose money.

Posted on February 10, 2009
A recent ruling in the Northern District of California serves as an important reminder for creators of copyright-protected works (and their entertainment lawyers) to register the copyrights as soon as possible, and always within 3 months of first publication...

At Theatrelawyer: Is financing harder in a down economy?

Posted on January 30, 2009
Over at my other blog: TheatreLawyer.com, I’ve posted a few thoughts about whether it’s truly harder to get investor financing in place in a down economy, or whether fear, uncertainty and doubt prevent folks from trying. Let me know your thoughts in the comments over there…

The YouTube plot thickens?

Posted on January 16, 2009
Further follow up to my post on Wednesday regarding YouTube’s automated audio-muting of user-generated videos containing unlicensed music….. According to this piece at the Hollywood Reporter.. YouTube is taking things a step further… allowing users to REPLACE offending music in video soundtracks with pre-cleared music…...

YouTube institutes automated removal of unlicensed music from posted video

Posted on January 15, 2009
UPDATE: News.com reports in greater depth on this situation, and as it turns out, the system isn’t a unilateral, automated removal of soundtracks at all. Apparently,YouTube identifies videos with unlicensed music using an automated filter, and then notifies the uploader/user of the situation, giving the CHOICE to mute the audio, or remove the entire video...

Interviewed today for the NY Post

Posted on January 15, 2009
I was interviewed today by a journalist at the New York Post regarding Jeremy Piven’s withdrawal from the Broadway production of “Speed The Plow” late last year. The actor withdrew suddenly from the show, citing his doctor’s advice following the discovery that he’s suffering from mercury poisoning...

YouTube institutes automated removal of unlicensed music from posted video

Posted on January 14, 2009
In this post, Read Write Web reports that YouTube has apparently instituted an automated system to remove unlicensed music tracks from videos posted to the YouTube site. The altered videos appear without audio, apparently the ENTIRE audio track is removed, even if only a short segment contains the unlicensed music...

Good discussion of differences between copyrights, trademarks and patents

Posted on January 12, 2009
Over at the Phosita Intellectual Property Blog, there is a good, if a bit simplified discussion of the differences between the types of Intellectual Property. This presents a good thumbnail sketch for those familiar with the concept, but not the specifics, of intellectual property.

Barkeepers beware: Providence pub must pay the piper (ASCAP / BMI / SESAC)

Posted on December 02, 2008
You’d think business owners would have gotten the word about music licenses by now, wouldn’t you? The Providence Journal reported last Sunday about a barkeeper who’s been running his place for 16 years, featuring live and recorded music, and never thought about paying for the music that helps draw a crowd into the [...

Posted on November 28, 2008

Academy for New Musical Theatre launches Online Holiday Auction Fundraiser

Posted on November 25, 2008
The Academy for New Musical Theatre is an organization that’s close to my heart. I serve on their Board of Directors, and believe very strongly in their mission to foster the development of new Musicals. November 28 through December 7, 2008, ANMT will be auctioning off some fun and unique items that you can bid on to help raise money for the organization...

ASK THE READERS: Will SAG go on Strike? Does anybody care?

Posted on November 24, 2008
Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood is one of my favorite places for industry news and information. She’s published a press release from AMPTP about the breakdown of mediation talks this past weekend. The upshot is that AMPTP believes SAG is out of touch with the reality of the new media marketplace, especially in light of the current economic [...

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