How Much Are Paparazzi Photos of Celebrities Really Worth? $600,000? $1,500,000?

Posted by on Apr 12, 2012 in Art, Business Litigation, Copyright, Entertainment, Film, Intellectual Property, Music, News, Sports, Television | 0 comments Paparazzi photo or not, a photographer has an automatic right of ownership in the photos he takes the minute he takes them. This right is called a copyright. A company called Mavrix essentially takes photos of celebrities and, thus, owns a copyright in many of these photos. Mavrix Photo is an agency that calls itself the “premier source for celebrity images and photo-journalism.” This...
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IMDb Refuses to Delete or Change Actors’ Ages, Despite Talks with SAG and AFTRA

Posted by on Nov 7, 2011 in Art, Employment, Entertainment, Film, Music, News, Sports, Television | 0 comments Earlier last month, an anonymous actress filed a million dollar lawsuit against the IMDb (“Internet Movie Database”) website claiming that the database violated her constitutional right to privacy by accessing and providing personal information, specifically her age. It may come as no surprise that the entertainment industry is taking the recent lawsuit very seriously and has been in talks...
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Individual Publicity Rights

Posted by on Nov 5, 2011 in Art, Business Litigation, Business Transactions, Commercial Litigation, Commercial Transactions, Entertainment, Film, Intellectual Property, Music, News, Sports, Television | 0 comments Today, more and more individuals are becoming connected through the internet. People are given instant updates on celebrities, public figures, and even random people they may or may not know. The computer savvy are able to sell goods or services through websites online, and using celebrities and public figures to sell goods and services is becoming even more popular and more profitable! An...
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European Court Issues a Judgment that May Have Sweeping Impact on Celebrity Lawsuits Against Media, Bloggers, and Websites

Posted by on Nov 2, 2011 in Art, Business Litigation, Business Transactions, Commercial Litigation, Commercial Transactions, Copyright, Entertainment, Film, Intellectual Property, Music, News, Sports, Television, Trademark | 0 comments With the ever increasing reach of the internet and the speed at which website content can reach thousands, if not millions, of viewers throughout the world in a matter of minutes or hours, it is not surprising that this past Tuesday October 25, 2011 the European Court of Justice made a sweeping ruling that may greatly affect a celebrity’s publicity or privacy rights. The European Court...
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Major Players in the Entertainment Industry Show Support for New House Bill on Online Piracy

Posted by on Nov 2, 2011 in Art, Business Litigation, Business Transactions, Commercial Litigation, Commercial Transactions, Copyright, Entertainment, Film, Intellectual Property, Music, News, Sports, Television, Trademark | 0 comments A House Bill entitled “The Stop Online Piracy Act” recently introduced by several congress members has found overwhelming support by major players in the entertainment industry. The new STOP Online Piracy Act would provide the federal government with broad and sweeping powers to essentially eliminate websites that host illegal content. The federal government will have the power to shut down...
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Big Sister Napolitano has a New Bill in the House to Control What We Can and Cannot Access Online

Posted by on Oct 29, 2011 in Art, Business Litigation, Business Transactions, Commercial Litigation, Commercial Transactions, Copyright, Entertainment, Film, Intellectual Property, Music, News, Sports, Television, Trademark | 0 comments The entertainment industry has been voicing its support for a brand new bill introduced in the House of Representatives that takes aim at online websites that violate US Copyright laws, which is titled the Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261) and is scheduled for hearing by the House Judiciary committee on November 16, 2011. In May, the Senate also introduced a similar bill named the Protect IP Act...
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