The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal recently removed a weapon from the arsenal available to artists fighting video pirates.
In Jules Jordan v. 144942 Canada et al., the court reversed a multi-million dollar jury verdict in favor of adult film star Jules Jordan on claims that a distributor selling bootleg copies of Jules Jordan videos violated [...]

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Last week, San Diego Charger Shawne Merriman filed a lawsuit against reality television personality Tila Tequila. The filing was the latest move in an ongoing battle between the two which started in September of this year. The battle began with Tequila accusing Merriman of choking her after an alleged dispute between the two at Merriman’s [...]

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The internet is just beginning to buzz today regarding news that Microsoft has reportedly approached Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. to discuss a deal whereby News Corp. would “delist” its websites from Google (and, most likely, other search engines that are not using Microsoft’s Bing search engine) in exchange for cash from Microsoft.
The Financial Times describes [...]

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A woman named Regina Kimbell sued comedian and actor Chris Rock, HBO Films, and others in federal court in Los Angeles last week, claiming that Rock’s new documentary Good Hair copies her 2006 documentary My Nappy Roots. Kimbell seeks $5 million in damages and an injunction preventing the defendants from distributing and showing Good Hair [...]

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Q: There’s quite a lot of information that leads me to believe I should create an LLC before I undertake a documentary project. Since I am the only person who is involved on the production end, is this highly necessary?
I’m asking any on-screen interviewees to sign release forms and I’m also obtaining signed release forms [...]

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Q: What is the distinction between plagiarism and idea theft?
A: First of all, “plagiarism” is a term commonly used to describe the copying of someone’s written work, but the term has largely disappeared from California law. What was once known as “plagiarism” now comes within the ambit of federal copyright infringement.
To understand the difference between [...]

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