The first of the month (August 2016), the Department of Justice issued a summary of findings with regard to two court orders that govern the operation of two of the U.S. performing rights organizations (the “PRO’s”), ASCAP and BMI. If it stands, the decision will also affect the third PRO, SESAC.Songwriters and music publishers around [...]
By Erin Thiele and Barry Neil Shrum, Esq. From the reality television show, Dance Moms to best-selling Sia album covers (including Chandelier, Elastic Heart, Big Girls Cry and Cheap Thrills), Capezio commercials, to featured judging on So You Think You Can Dance, 13-year old dancer Maddie Ziegler is the hottest teen sensation right now, and [...]
by Erin Thiele and Morgan Wisted NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE. Casey Dienel is suing Justin Bieber and his producer, Sonny Moore, p/k/a Skrillex, (among other defendants) for copyright infringement involving her song, Ring the Bell, from which she claims the Bieb stole musical riffs for his hit Sorry. She claims that the [...]
“[E]very man has a property in his own person. This nobody has any right to but himself. The labour of his body, and the work of his hands, we may say, are properly his….”[1] John Locke - a political and social philosopher of 17th Century Enlightenment England and the father of “Classical Liberalism” - was [...]
Written by Amber Shultz* Edited by Barry Neil Shrum, Esq. A recent headline on the BBC News was “Jersey Gorilla Turns Photographer at Durrell Park.” The story was about a silverback gorilla at Durrell Wildlife Park in New Jersey named Ya Kwanza, who was given a high-definition camera in an indestructible box. While examining the [...]
If you look closely at the bottom of photograph to left, you’ll see my client, Jay Leopardi, and his new show Common Denominator, featured in the bright lights in New York City. None other than Times Square! Congrats to Jay and president of IC Places, Inc., owners of PunchTV, who will fund and host the [...]
My client and long term friend, Jay Leopardi continues to build a remarkable brand. Not only is Jay working the THE Shark, Daymond John on several projects, but he just landed a tr emendous opportunity in the world of entertainment. Jay has agreed to produce a series of interviews with various bu siness leaders to take his viewers on [...]
OR, What's in a Name? Personal Names as Trade Names REMIXED. By Barry Neil Shrum, Esquire (with Ashley Trout) "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." You may know this quote from William Shakespeare’s classic play Romeo and Juliet or from the more "pop-culture" reference by Anne Hathaway [...]
The recent decision presented by the honorable Judge Chin on the matter of copyright infringement in the case The Authors Guild v. Google Inc. raised numerous issues in the arena of Intellectual Property. In addition to opposing the “opt-out” stipulation written into the settlement, Judge Chin also contested the way Google Inc. approached and viewed [...]
In response to concerns in the fashion industry, a bill originally introduced by Senators Schumer and Senator Clinton in 2006 has been revised and reintroduced to the new Congress as Senate Bill 3728. The new bill would amend Title 17 of the Copyright Act of 1976 of the United States Code to include copyright protection for "fashion design." If it passes, this would represent the first addition of a new protected class of copyrighted works since Congress passed the Architectural Works Copyright Protection Act in 1989
