Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee introduced a new anti-piracy bill that would enable the government to essentially blacklist websites accused of copyright theft. Since then, many in Hollywood have voiced strong support of the measure. Of all the arguments made in favor of passing the legislation, this is the one we find most eyebrow-raising:
The law would save Google from being stuck between a rock and a hard pace.
That's the argument made yesterday in a blog post on the website of the Copyright Alliance, whose membership includes some of the largest copyright stakeholders in the debate. In case any reporter missed the interesting argument, the MPAA then sent out a link to the post in an e-mail blast. Many in the tech community understandably loathe the proposed legislation, so by what counterintuitive logic, would a law like COICA potentially benefit Google?
Federal authorities are suing Fox News for allegedly
retaliating against a reporter after she complained about unequal
pay and job conditions based on her gender and age. [THR]
AFTRA has made a deal with its unionized business reps, giving them bigger wage increases than SAG's own employees got. [THR]
What's The Situation in Canada? The country's communications watchdog agency wants to know whether MTV Canada is violating its mandate for an all-talk format by broadcasting "Jersey Shore." [THR]
Some good news for those who like to fall asleep with the TV on: The Senate has unanimously passed a bill that would require TV stations to keep commercials at the same volume as the programs they interrupt. [AP]
"Price Is Right" host Drew Carey has been sued for $375,000 by a tour company that claims he booked a 35 day trip to the World Cup in South Africa this summer but never paid. [Read the Complaint]
"Glee" meets "Law & Order". Sound like a winning idea? Check out this clip from "The Divorce Court":
EXCLUSIVE: Is "Crash" the most-litigated movie in Hollywood history? Now actor Matt Dillon has become the latest to sue over profits from the 2006 best picture Oscar winner.
In a lawsuit filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court, the actor who played a racist cop who memorably saves Thandie Newton from a burning car claims that he was cheated out of at least $100,000 in profits from the hit drama by executive producer Bob Yari and others.
Dillon says that in 2006 his company Matthias Prods. performed an audit and found that he was owed a big chunk of money from the film, which was made for under $8 million but grossed about $98 million worldwide. But he says that when he presented the audit to Yari and his execs Dennis Brown and William Immerman, they "deliberately authorized [the production entity] to apply an incorrect formula for the calculation of [Dillon's] contingent compensation," according to the complaint. This allegedly allowed Yari and crew to falsely increase profits paid to another "Crash"-related company and cheat Dillon out of his share.
Hollywood labor unions and the MPAA have found something they can agree upon: Various unions sent a letter to Congress declaring support for a federal anti-piracy bill. Is there universal support? Not so much. [LAT, Salon]
We previously told you about Ivi, the upstart company with an interesting legal theory on streaming television. Not surprisingly, broadcasters have responded to a preemptive lawsuit by suing ivi in New York federal court. [VentureBeat]
ACS Law, the British firm at the heart of a controversy concerning leaked user data, says it will continue to sue pirates. [BBC] The firm reportedly makes a lot of money. [Ars Technica]
The U.S. Senate doesn't agree on much these days, but a proposal to criminalize animal crush videos was passed pretty darned quickly. [WSJ]
Remember that lawsuit brought by Hulk Hogan over a commercial for Cocoa Pebbles that showed a Hulk-like wrestler being humiliated in the ring by a "Flinstones" character? It's been settled. No word on a monetary exchange but the commercial is off the air. [St. Petersburg Times]
The Naked Cowboy is running for president. His issues are protection of borders, language, and culture. Protecting trademarks is probably fourth on the list. [TMZ]
EXCLUSIVE BUT SILLY: This might be the hairiest lawsuit ever.
A company called Celebrity Signatures Int'l specializes in selling hair extensions that allow women to look like famous people. On its website, Hair U Wear, the company offers looks ranging from Jessica Simpson to the latest coiffures on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars."
Hairstyle knock-offs, right? Actually, Celebrity Signatures has filed patent applications on its "alternative hair" accessories. So when another hair extension company, HairTech Int'l, began marketing similar looks, Celebrity Signature sued claiming its competitor was selling a knock-offs of its, um, patented knock-off.
As Lionsgate prepares to release the next chapter in its lucrative "Saw" franchise, the studio is dealing with a nightmare situation involving one of its European distributors.
Yesterday, Lionsgate went to a California judge seeking declaratory relief against Belgium-based distributor Les Films de l'Elysee. The defendant claims it has the right to distribute "Saw 3D" in various northeast European countries. Lionsgate begs to differ.
According to the complaint, Lionsgate approached Les Films de l'Elysee in July about the possibility of distributing "Saw 3D." But there was a catch.
The Second Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against ASCAP, holding that digital downloads don't constitute public performances. The ruling means that ASCAP can't charge higher rates when users download and play songs. The defendants, Yahoo and RealNetworks, must still pay statutory mechanical royalties, but the appeals court remanded the case to a lower court to determine what's justified. [Billboard]
A list of names and addresses of more than 5,300 Sky broadband users who allegedly downloaded copyrighted porn has been leaked to the Internet. Officials in the UK are investigating a possible major breach of the country's Data Protection Act. [Telegraph]
Last month, former Lady Gaga boyfriend and producer Rob Fusari settled his $30 million lawsuit against the singer. Now, another woman, Wendy Starland, says she introduced Fusari to Lady Gaga and is seeking her cut in a lawsuit in Newark Federal Court. [Forbes]
RIAA lawyers have taken down Mulve, a music downloading application that recently became big with more than 30,000 visitors a day. [TF]
Three law professors say they realized that people were unlikely to read law review articles, so in order to make copyright law more digestible, the group decided to produce some comics. The first, "Bound by Law" attempted to explain how fair use applied to documentary filmmakers. The group is now at work on a comic entitled "Theft: A History of Music." Check it out, it's pretty impressive. [SFGate]
EXCLUSIVE: A trio of stars of Discovery's hit reality series "Deadliest Catch" have left the show.
Capts. Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand (right) -- who were sued earlier this month by Discovery for allegedly not performing work on a planned spinoff special -- as well as Capt. Sig Hansen (below), issued a statement to the Hollywood Reporter this afternoon saying they are "unable" to continue on the hit adventure series due to the litigation.
"We have been through a lot over the past year and unfortunately given the current situation with Discovery we are unable to continue participating in 'Deadliest Catch,'" the three crab fishermen said in a joint written statement. "It has been a fantastic ride, and we wish the best to all of the amazing and supportive 'Catch' fans we have met over the years."
EXCLUSIVE: A trio of stars of Discovery's hit reality series "Deadliest Catch" have left the show.
Capts. Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand (right) -- who were sued earlier this month by Discovery for allegedly not performing work on a planned spinoff special -- as well as Capt. Sig Hansen (below), issued a statement to the Hollywood Reporter this afternoon saying they are "unable" to continue on the hit adventure series due to the litigation.
"We have been through a lot over the past year and unfortunately given the current situation with Discovery we are unable to continue participating in 'Deadliest Catch,'" the three crab fishermen said in a joint written statement. "It has been a fantastic ride, and we wish the best to all of the amazing and supportive 'Catch' fans we have met over the years."
EXCLUSIVE: As Warner Bros. inches closer to finding a director for its planned "Superman" reboot, the epic legal battle over the Man of Steel keeps getting nastier.
Warners filed a stack of legal papers the size of a tall building last night trying to persuade a judge to keep alive its claims against Marc Toberoff, the lawyer for the Siegel and Shuster families, who Warners claims improperly interfered with its key rights deals with the families.
The Hollywood Reporter, Esq. blog focuses on how the entertainment and media industries are impacted and influenced by the law. It is edited by Matthew Belloni with contributions from veteran legal reporter Eriq Gardner and others. Before joining The Hollywood Reporter, Belloni was a lawyer at an entertainment litigation firm in Los Angeles. He writes a column for THR devoted to entertainment law. Gardner is a New York-based writer and legal journalist. Send tips or comments to [email protected]
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