CDAS Secures Dismissal Of False Advertising and RICO Lawsuit Over Robert Indiana’s Iconic Love Design

The CDAS litigation team—led by partners Scott Sholder and Ben Halperin with assistance from associates CeCe Cole and May Gunther—won a decisive victory on behalf of longstanding firm client Artists Rights Society, Inc. (ARS) in the action McKenzie v. Artists Rights Society, Inc., No. 22 Civ. 1619 (JHR) (S.D.N.Y.). On November 15, 2024, Judge Jennifer

California Passes AI Digital Replica Law for Performers

Overview On September 17, 2024, California A.B. 2602 was signed into law adding section 927 to the Labor Code, effective January 1, 2025. The Law is designed to protect individuals from unfair contracts and the possibility of being replaced by their digital replica. After the effective date, to create enforceable contracts with performers that would

California Expands Its Post-Mortem Right of Publicity Law to Cover AI Digital Replicas

Overview California A.B. 1836 amends section 3344.1 of the California Civil Code, which covers the post-mortem intellectual property rights for a deceased personality. It expands the coverage of those rights to include digital replicas and lays down new penalties for violating those post-mortem digital replica rights. According to the new regulations, a person that produces,

“Freelance Worker Protection Act”: New California Law Expands Freelancers Rights in Many Creative Fields

On September 28, 2024, Governor Newsom of California signed the “Freelance Worker Protection Act” (FWPA), into law which will take effect on January 1, 2025. The bill expands protections for freelance workers by requiring private companies who hire independent contractors for certain professional services to provide written agreements specifying certain terms and outline certain deadlines

Stuart Goldfarb Appointed to The Sport Management Advisory Council

September 24, 2024 – New York, NY – Cowan, DeBaets is pleased to announce that corporate M&A partner Stuart Goldfarb has been appointed to the prestigious Sport Management Advisory Council of the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University. Led by David Falk, the Council is comprised of a who’s who in

Technological Innovations do not Negate the Fundamental Principles of Copyright Law and the Fair Use Doctrine

As we are all currently witnessing with the rise of generative artificial intelligence and its effects on traditional media, the advent of novel technology causes ripples throughout society at large, including the law, as it raises serious questions about the protections owed to creative expression. However, as the Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently held

Cowan DeBaets & Co-Counsel File Federal Class Action Copyright Infringement Suit Against Anthropic on Behalf of Authors For Taking and Exploiting Pirated Books

On August 19, 2024, Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard, LLP, Lieff Cabraser, and Susman Godfrey, LLP filed a federal class action copyright infringement lawsuit in the Northern District of California on behalf of a class of authors of an array of works of fiction and nonfiction against Anthropic PBC.   AI-company Anthropic released the first
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Diving Deeper into Artificial Intelligence: Understanding the Risks in Incorporating AI Technology into the Workplace

The advent of artificial intelligence, or AI, brings greatly diverse opportunities to a wide range of industries and endeavors in many fields. Its applications as an academic resource and its capacity to generate new content have garnered much attention in recent months.  However, there are a number of important legal risks to weigh in using
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Seven CDAS Attorneys Names to Best Lawyers in America 2024 Edition

Seven CDAS attorneys have been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America. Published since 1983, Best Lawyers awards are compiled by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which tens of thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The CDAS attorneys included in the 2024 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America are: Frederick P. Bimbler, Entertainment Law

Sarah Conley Odenkirk Elected to Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Board

May 10, 2023 – Sarah Conley Odenkirk, co-head of the firm’s Art Law practice group, has been elected to the board of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Sarah joins a diverse group of artists, curators, museum directors, scholars and arts professionals nationwide. Sarah has a core practice in fine art, public art, blockchain technology, A.I., and