Producers, distributors, and marketers of creative content are vulnerable to legal risks, such as claims of copyright or trademark infringement, plagiarism, defamation (i.e., libel for written works, slander for audio or audiovisual works), misappropriation of a public figure or private person’s name, likeness, or other personal attributes, invasion of privacy, and other claims – both

In a major win for free speech advocates, on Monday, June 24, 2019, the United States Supreme Court ruled that a federal statutory ban on the trademarking of words and symbols that are “immoral” or “scandalous” violates the First Amendment. Erik Brunetti of Los Angeles, a fashion designer for the streetwear brand “FUCT,” brought suit

The market for unscripted podcasts –from true crime, to sex and relationships, to sports and pop culture – is exploding. With top podcasts bringing in five figures in revenue per episode and opening the door to multiple ancillary opportunities including merchandise and live touring, what do podcast producers need to know to protect themselves and

The homogenous nature of Hollywood’s output has been a source of frustration for some time, especially taking into consideration that the stories it has been telling (largely told from a white, cis male, heterosexual, US-centric point of view) do not reflect the composition of the world or its audience. The entertainment business has made some

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