Most companies would love to have megastars George Clooney and Julia Roberts as celebrity sponsors. However, they don’t come cheap. To avoid the high costs of licensing intellectual property rights, more and more companies are trying to use celebrities’ names and images without their permission, hoping the stars either won’t find out or will not [...]
{ 0 comments }
As a sports law attorney, I know that it is crucial to keep jurors engaged during a trial, no matter how dull the subject matter may be. According to the judge in Roger Clemons’ perjury trial, both the prosecutor and defense attorney are not doing a very good job. “Look at those people,” U.S. District [...]
{ 0 comments }
As an entertainment and intellectual property lawyer, I know that songwriters and musicians often fear that someone might steal their songs or song lyrics and profit from all of their hard work. Just last month, Elton John was sued by a songwriter who has accused him of stealing the lyrics to his 1985 hit Nikita. [...]
{ 0 comments }
Layoffs are common in the entertainment industry, particularly in this economy. Late last month, entertainment magazine show Access Hollywood reportedly terminated 14 employees and its ratings are up five percent from last year. With this in mind, it is important to know how to terminate an employee without creating any unnecessary legal liability. Make [...]
{ 0 comments }
In most cases, endorsement agreements contain a “morals” or “good conduct” clause that establishes what happens when a celebrity’s misdeeds reflect poorly on the company. A pending case between Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall and Hanesbrands Inc. tests how far these clauses extend, particularly when it comes to social media. Morals clauses are usually [...]
{ 0 comments }
While many U.S. Olympic athletes are preparing for the London games this summer, several former Olympians are preparing for a different type of battle. In a recently filed sports lawsuit, athletes including Mark Spitz, Greg Louganis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Janet Evans have alleged that the “Samsung Olympic Genome Project” violates their publicity rights. As detailed [...]
{ 1 comment }
Entertainment lawyers are closely watching the discrimination lawsuit filed by Nathaniel Claybrooks and Christopher Johnson, would-be contestants for ABC’s popular dating reality show The Bachelor. The plaintiffs contend that the racism is behind the shows’ failure to feature a Bachelor or a Bachelorette of color. The entertainment lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, names ABC, production [...]
{ 3 comments }
The perjury trial against Roger Clemens is again taking center stage in the arena of sports law. The trial represents the second attempt by prosecutors to convict Clemens on a number of charges related to his repeated denials of steroid use. After his 2008 testimony before a U.S. House of Representatives committee contradicted the findings [...]
{ 0 comments }
During Spring Training this year, several Major League Baseball players were arrested for driving under the influence. The incidents have renewed the debate over whether players should be punished more severely by the league for off-the-field misconduct like drunk driving. While we agree with the sentiment, as sports law attorneys, we know that it is [...]
{ 0 comments }
A recent decision by a New York judge could help Louis Vuitton’s entertainment lawsuit against Warner Bros. over its use of a knock-off designer bag in The Hangover: Part II. Warner Bros. is seeking to dismiss the lawsuit on First Amendment grounds, arguing that the bag was “artistically relevant” to the storyline. As we discussed [...]
{ 0 comments }
