In Ted Entertainment, Inc. v. Alexandra Marwa Saber, et al., the Central District of California dismissed plaintiff’s claim of copyright infringement stemming from defendant’s “reaction video” on YouTube. Plaintiff is a production company owned by Ethan Klein that is mostly known for its content on YouTube, while defendant Saber is an individual content producer on…
In Eight Mile Style, LLC et al. v. Meta Platforms, Inc. et al., the rights management company for Eminem brought claims for direct, vicarious, and contributory copyright infringement against Meta in the Eastern District of Michigan. In December of 2020, Meta entered an agreement with a licensing agency to allow users to add music to…
In Lil’ Joe Records, Inc. v. Mark Ross et al., the Eleventh Circuit found that members of the rap group 2 Live Crew had not met the statutory requirements to terminate their grants of copyrights in five of their albums. Under Section 203 of the Copyright Act, the creator (“author”) of a work can terminate during…
Woodall v. Walt Disney Co. et al. was a copyright and trade secrets case in the Central District of California that culminated in a costly “bench slap” for the plaintiff and his counsel. Sanctions were issued after a five-year-long legal battle with a pedigree of bad-faith filings, including a forged confidentiality agreement. The plaintiff had…
Frida Kahlo Corporation et al. v. Mara Cristina Teresa Romeo Pinedo et al. is an ongoing matter in the Southern District of Florida that tested the “minimal contacts” doctrine used for determining personal jurisdiction. The plaintiffs are the Frida Kahlo Corporation (“FKC”), which was transferred rights by the heirs of the renowned painter Frida Kahlo…
Richardson v. Town Square Media is an ongoing case in the Second Circuit that was remanded back to the Southern District of New York for reconsideration. Music industry veteran Delray Richardson brought multiple claims of copyright infringement against Townsquare Media for embedding two videos he produced: (1) a clip of basketball star Michael Jordan breaking…
Dish Network L.L.C. v. Fraifer was a case in the Eleventh Circuit that relied on the WHOIS domain search tool to pierce the corporate veils of two companies controlled by the same principal. Dish alleged that defendants pirated Arabic-language programming to which it had exclusive distribution rights. Dish Network (“Dish”) brought this suit against Tele-Center, Inc.,…
Sorrento Therapeutics v. Anthony Mack was a complex case argued in the Delaware Court of Chancery. The case involved using California law to validate a non-compete agreement to determine liability in Delaware. The court then considered defendant Mack’s opposition to plaintiffs’ subsequent fee petition. In the liability stage, the court ruled against Mack for stealing…
Maida’s Belts and Buckles, Inc. v. Lasting Designs, LLC is a case in the Southern District of Texas that involves two different branches of a dynasty founded on craftsmanship. Because both businesses used the family name “Maida,” the court in this decision abbreviated the plaintiff’s name to “Maida’s Belts” and the defendant’s name to “Maida’s…
The Supreme Court’s ground-breaking decision in Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment delivered a seismic shock to the landscape of copyright enforcement in the United States. The plaintiffs initially sued Cox for vicarious infringement and contributory infringement in the Eastern District of Virginia. There, the plaintiffs alleged that Cox was in violation of the…