The Future of Video
By Simon N. Pulman Consumption of online video continues to grow at a rapid pace. Online video ad revenue is projected to reach nearly $5 billion in 2016, while premium streaming video distributors including Netflix, Hulu Plus and Yahoo are stepping up their licensing and commissioning of original content. Most industry observers believe that online
Producing Content in Emerging Markets
By Simon N. Pulman As the marketplace for entertainment content becomes increasingly global and the middle classes in the BRICS nations (i.e., Brazil, China, Russia, India and South Africa) become both larger and equipped with greater disposable income, content owners of all kinds are looking exploit their intellectual properties in international markets. As part of
How And Why Aereo Got To The Supreme Court
Note: This blog is cross-posted from Law360.com with permission from Portfolio Media, Inc. This spring, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that could have significant impacts on several segments of the television industry. While it may seem unusual that a dispute centered on dime-sized antennas would capture the attention of the high
Fox Television Stations, Inc. et al. v. Filmon X LLC, et al.: Another victory for content providers in the ongoing saga of internet re-transmission of broadcast TV.
The drama continues to unfold in the world of Internet retransmission of broadcast TV. As we reported here, the Second Circuit on July 16 denied en banc rehearing of its holding that internet re-broadcaster Aereo did not violate TV networks’ public performance rights, despite vigorous dissents from Judges Chin and Wesley. On September 5, the U.S.
Tennis Channel Finds DC Court Too Hard for Its Liking
Any tennis player will tell you it’s better to have a first than second serve. Similarly, when it comes to TV channels looking for carriage, it’s better to be on a distributor’s first tier than a secondary, specialty tier. However, a recent United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruling in
Ora TV Buys Stick Figure Productions
Ora TV, the digital network backed by Carlos Slim, today announced that it has purchased CDAS client Stick Figure Productions, a specialist in documentaries and unscripted television production. Stick Figure, represented by CDAS partner Frederick P. Bimbler, has produced over 250 hours of television for more than 40 networks including: “American Gypsies,” “Repossessed” and “Amish: Out
Aereo Update: Eleanor M. Lackman Quoted in Law360
CDAS Partner Eleanor M. Lackman was quoted by Law 360 in the wake of the most recent Second Circuit decision in WNET, Thirteen v. Aereo, Inc.; Am. Broad. Cos., Inc. v. Aereo, Inc. The Second Circuit’s decision may hold significant repercussions for the cable television industry. Within the article, Eleanor observes that the decision places Aereo in an
Securing the Gates to Trademarks: It Doesn’t Take Supernatural Forces to Protect Your Names
On January 23, 2013, the District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, in Scorpiniti v. Fox Television Studios, Inc., rejected a trademark infringement claim made by Louis Scorpiniti (“Scorpiniti”) against Fox Television Studios, Inc., (“FTVS”) finding that viewers would not be likely to confuse Scorpiniti’s religion-themed music program The Gate with FTVS’s nearly identically
Small Screen, Bigger Picture
On December 27, 2012, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California issued a preliminary injunction against Aereokiller (formerly known as BarryDriller.com), a service founded by Alki David, someone not unfamiliar with television transmission and the law. Previously, in conjunction with rulings involving a similar technology at issue in WPIX v. ivi in
Court Upholds Right to License Celebrity Images
This week the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissals of two right of publicity claims against Corbis Corp. — Shirley Jones v. Corbis Corp. and Alberghetti v. Corbis Corp. In the Jones case, the court held that Shirley Jones, star of the TV show “The Partridge Family,” had given her implicit consent to