California District Court Dismisses “Tiger King” Case, Citing First Amendment Interests
After captivating home-bound viewers earlier this year, Netflix’s documentary series “Tiger King” had its day in court recently when a California district judge dismissed a case brought by the publisher of Hollywood Weekly Magazine (“HW”) against the producers and distributors of the show. See Prather Jackson v. Netflix, Inc., Case No. 2:20-cv-06354-MCS-GJS (C.D. Cal. Dec.
New York Enacts a Post-Mortem Right of Publicity Law and Addresses Deep Fakes
Joining the majority of states, New York recently enacted a new right of publicity statute that extends the right past death. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the legislation on November 30, 2020, establishing a right of publicity (N.Y. Civ. Rights Law § 50-f) for deceased persons (and their descendants) domiciled in New York to
SDNY Judge Dismisses “Hustlers” Invasion of Privacy and Defamation Claims
In an opinion rife with references to adult entertainment and drugs, a judge in the Southern District of New York recently dismissed an invasion of privacy and defamation case over a plaintiff’s apparent depiction in the 2019 film “Hustlers.” See Barbash v. STX Financing, LLC, Case No. 1:20-cv-00123-DLC (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 10, 2020). For the uninitiated,
Fourth Circuit Rules in Favor of Stock Photographer, Overturning Widely Discussed Fair Use Decision
The rights of a stock photographer were recently vindicated when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit overturned a controversial Virginia district court decision, which had held that a production company’s use of a stock photo on a website promoting a film festival was fair use. In the decision, Brammer v. Violent Hues